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After a 3-week hiatus following the conclusion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, competitive football returns to Europe in all its glory. This weekend would mark the return of England's marquee competition, the Premier League.
England's top division plays a host to some of the best footballers in the world already but the PL clubs are still spending like there's no tomorrow to acquire new talents. While the real managers would be working on their squads to find that perfect formula to take the league by storm, we, the reel managers, would be chipping away in our own rights, with Fantasy Premier League.
The rush for scoring points intensifies with new teams, managers, and players all finding their way to the Premier League. There's one thing that remains constant though - the budget of £100 million with which you need to complete your squad. Hence, the need to spend smartly is imperative.
Most of us look up the big clubs to find the perfect players for our teams who would help us bag those elusive points. But bigger club equals steeper prices. Hence, we look at the most value for money options from each of the top six Premier League club.
#6 Arsenal - Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£7.0m)
Much was expected of the Armenian when he joined Manchester United in the summer of 2016 following his career-best season with Borussia Dortmund where he tallied 23 goals and 32 assists. In the two years since, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has flattered to deceive.
However, Mkhitaryan has still shown the occasional brilliance in patches. At the beginning of the last term, the former Red Devil racked up 5 assists in the first 3 games itself. A Pogba injury and few poor games later, he was out of the first-team picture.
Even after joining the Gunners in a swap deal that saw Alexis Sanchez move the other way (and showcase his piano skills), the new Arsenal No. 7 showed glimpses of the form which was the reason behind Jose Mourinho going after him in the first place.
His hat-trick of assists in the 5-1 annihilation of the Toffees gave the Arsenal faithful hope. He ended the season with 3 goals and 9 assists to his name which is not bad for a player who spent a huge chunk of last season on the bench.
With a new manager calling the shots, Mkhitaryan would be hoping to rekindle the same partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang which saw him set records at the Signal Iduna Park in the 2015-16 season.
#5 Chelsea - Cesar Azpilicueta (£6.5m)
Now don't get me wrong here. At £6.5 million, Cesar Azpiliceuta is the joint most expensive defender in the FPL. However, the returns that the Spaniard offers easily justify his asking price.
To say that Azpilicueta has been important for Chelsea in the past few years is an understatement. He has been Chelsea's best player, even over and above the likes of Eden Hazard, in several phases during the last two years. This is certainly visible in the fact that Azpilicueta was Chelsea's highest points scorer last season, accumulating 175 points, 5 more than the Belgian who costs £4.0m more this season.
With Azpilicueta, you get a leader, a tactically adept defender, and an able passer of the ball. His all-round ability means that he gives an edge in terms of the Bonus Points System (BPS) as well, accumulating 25 of the same last season. To put things into perspective, Mohamed Salah, for all his troubles, had only accumulated 26 bonus points, only one more than the Chelsea vice-captain.
One might argue that Marcos Alonso, who is similarly priced, could also be a good option too. However, with Maurizio Sarri preferring a back four, Alonso would be playing the role of a full-back, the same one where he largely disappointed under Conte last season. At the same time, Azpilicueta would be more involved in the attack, having to move back to the right-back position after playing largely as a centre-half last season.
#4 Tottenham Hotspur - Heung-Min Son (£8.5m)
When you think about Spurs, Heung-Min Son isn't probably the first name that comes to your mind. Among the Harry Kanes, Christian Eriksens and Dele Allis of the world, the South Korean is continuing to make a lasting impression for the Lilywhites. A return of 12 goals and 8 assists last term justifies this fact.
Son was Spurs' third highest points scorer last season behind Kane and Eriksen. With a total of 178 points, the former Bayer Leverkusen man was fell short of the Dane's tally by only 21 points despite having played almost a thousand fewer minutes. Let's not forget the fact that Son is the cheapest option in the Spurs' fab four.
What gives him the edge is his ability to practically play anywhere on the attacking front. Son has also been called time and again by Mauricio Pochettino to lead the line and he has duly responded.
Owing to a short World Cup campaign with his national team, the 26-year-old participated in the Spurs' US tour and regained match fitness. However, he is due to represent South Korea in the upcoming Asian Games and will be missing the first month of Premier League action. Expect him to storm into the left winger role that he has made his own on return from national duty.
#3 Liverpool - Roberto Firmino (£9.5m)
At a valuation of £9.0m with which he began last season, there's no doubting that Mohamed Salah was an absolute bargain for the 303 points he tallied across the length of 9 months. This year though, he is the most expensive player in the game, at a whopping £13.0m.
The Egyptian might still do enough to justify his price point, but investing such a sum of money on one player means that you would have to cut corners in the rest of your squad. And many of us would prefer going in with multiple marquee players than one in our playing line-ups.
When it comes to Liverpool, you expect a plethora of goals and fast-flowing football, which means that you need to pick some forward from the Reds. This is where things get easy. You simply pick Salah next alternative. And that's Roberto Firmino. At £9.5m, he's definitely not the cheapest, but definitely the most value for money pick out there in Liverpool's proven attack.
We've all come to become fans of his no-look passes, goals and shiny ties. But besides all the flashy stuff, the Brazilian does put in a shift every time he takes the field. His false false-9 role which is unique to him across the world allows the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to cut in from the flanks and weave their magic while he dictates play sitting deep.
Bobby Firmino's efforts reflect in his bonus points tally too, with the Liverpool No. 9 recording 29 of the same in his overall points tally of 181 points last season. With 15 goals and 8 assists, you simply can't look over him.
#2 Manchester United - David de Gea (£6.0m)
At £6.0m, David de Gea is the most expensive goalkeeper in the FPL. 18 clean sheets in last season clearly explain why. As of right now, he is probably the only fixed starter in Manchester United's backline and is probably going to be the most regular player on the team sheet over the course of the next 9 months.
This was the case last year as well for the Spaniard as he was the only United player to clock over 3,000 minutes of playing time. The fact that De Gea was United's top points scorer last season is a no-brainer now.
De Gea is the undisputed best goalie in the Premier League as of now and is guaranteed to give you those clean sheet points week in and week out as he's done in the past despite having an ever-changing back four. It's not a secret that Jose Mourinho is a defense-minded manager. This will only help De Gea's cause.
One might argue that cutting corners in the goalkeeping department and spending the money saved on some other player is likely to provide better rewards but with Manchester United, you simply cannot take that risk. All of the outfield players have shown a dip in form at some point or the other except De Gea who has kept chipping away with points.
#1 Manchester City - David Silva (£8.5m)
With Pep Guardiola getting rid of all the dead weight in the squad and investing in younger players, most people expected the then 31-year-old David Silva to be phased out of Manchester City's playing XI last season. The arrival of Bernardo Silva from Monaco also hinted at the same.
But the Spaniard put out a statement right from the get-go when he slipped in a killer pass for Sergio Aguero to set up City's first goal of the 2017-18 Premier League campaign. With a final tally of 9 goals and 11 assists, the World Cup winner has found life again at the Etihad.
Silva continued his rich vein of form for Spain as well, becoming an important national team contributor. Only squad rotations in dreary December and personal issues in February kept Silva out of the first team during the title race.
A return of 169 points is not at all bad and Silva is yet another bonus point machine. With a selection rate of only 5.5% so far, it's pretty evident that players still believe he will be nearing the exit door this season. With Phil Foden coming up the ranks in the previous few months and Bernardo Silva also slowly growing in stature, you really cannot doubt them for doing so.
But then again, putting faith in the 32-year-old could well result in him being the points differential that would help you top the leaderboards! He is more likely to miss the first couple of weeks of action though following the World Cup campaign so do keep that in mind as well.
