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Promoted sides can be a bit of a mixed bag. Occasionally you have teams like Bournemouth and Wolves who take to the top flight like a duck to water, and then you have teams like Hull City and Fulham who serve as nothing but cannon fodder for the big sides.
For a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) manager, investment in assets from these promoted teams is a requisite for success as they often possess the best budget players. Moreover, these teams usually are over-dependent on a talisman and goals are less likely to be spread across the board. The three promoted teams this season – Norwich, Sheffield United and Aston Villa appear to be decent outfits with plenty of options for FPL managers, and in this article, I will be going through the best eleven players from this pool.
Goalkeeper – Tim Krul (NOR, 4.5m) –
One of the most popular avenues for investment in promoted teams is often the goalkeeper. Assets such as Heaton and Etheridge in the past have shown that these keepers tend to rack up saves and bonus points as their teams often prioritize defence in order to achieve Premier League survival. However, the situation this year is a bit strange.
Sheffield’s first-choice goalkeeper Henderson was on loan from Man. United last season but has now returned to his parent club so the situation remains unclear. Villa are also in the market for a goalkeeper with both Steer and Nyland sharing game time last season. So despite keeping only 13 clean sheets out of a possible 46, Krul is my goalkeeper pick, purely because he played every minute for Norwich last season. If Henderson does sign for Sheffield, he replaces Krul.
Right-back – Max Aarons (NOR, 4.5m) –
As stated above, though Norwich’s clean sheets were limited last season, Aarons’ attacking attributes make him an attractive FPL asset. The right-back registered two goals and six assists in 41 appearances and beat their left-back Lewis 31 to 26 for chances created.
His style of play should suit the Bonus Points System (BPS) as well, as he possesses excellent crossing and dribbling ability. He was one of three Norwich players to feature in the PFA Championship Team of the Season.
Center-back – Jack O’Connell (SHU, 4.5m) –
Sheffield’s manager Wilder favored an innovative 3-4-3/3-5-2 formation where his center-backs were encouraged to get forward from open play. O’Connell notched three goals and three assists last season, and the Blades are easily the best defensive outfit of the three promoted teams.
They had the best defensive record in the Championship conceding just 41 goals in 46 games. They kept 21 clean sheets and 12 of those were at home, and as Cardiff showed to an extent last season, defensive solidity can carry over to the Premier League as well.
Center-back – Tyrone Mings (AVL, 4.5m) –
I would have liked to mention Basham here from Sheffield as he scored four goals from open play last season, but to avoid repetition I have included Mings from Aston Villa. The Villans’ season really had two halves to it, they were residing in midtable before Dean Smith took over and the signing of Mings on loan in January was pivotal for them.
Although they kept only 12 clean sheets in total, Villa’s backline kept a clean sheet in 50% of the games that Mings played, an improvement from just 26% prior to his arrival. He was a crucial component in their 10 game winning streak which led to them achieving promotion and scored two goals as well. One of the first names on the Villa team sheet, Mings is a good pick for Villa’s kind opening fixture run.
Left-back – Enda Stevens (SHU, 5.0m) –
As stated above, Sheffield play a 3-5-2/3-4-3 system which gives license to their wingbacks to maraud down the flanks. An ever-present in their lineup, Stevens made 45 appearances, notching four goals and six assists.
These are numbers similar to what Doherty posted in the Championship during Wolves’ promotion campaign, and there is every reason to believe the Englishman can have a similar season. Their defensive statistics have already been mentioned above, and if you are looking for a promoted defender you can play every week, he is your man.
Midfield – Conor Hourihane (AVL, 6.0m) –
Villa’s manager Smith employs an attacking philosophy and Hourihane is at the heart of it, with 43 appearances for the Birmingham outfit notching eight goals and 12 assists. He takes most set pieces for them and possesses an excellent delivery.
Villa’s attacking stats were impressive last season, they scored 82 goals with only West Brom (87) and Norwich (93) beating that tally. The Midlands club were particularly prolific at home where they scored 50 goals, also the third-highest in the Championship.
Midfield – Norwood (SHU, 5.0m) –
The cheapest attacking asset to make the list and an ideal fifth midfielder for your FPL squads, Norwood is the creative engine of this Sheffield side in a deep-lying playmaker role. His set-piece duties helped him register three goals and eight assists last season and no Sheffield player had a better minutes per chance created ratio.
He is very similar to Neves as an FPL asset, all his goals were from shots outside the box so don’t expect him to find the back of the net with much regularity but at his price, there are few better-attacking assets available. One of two Sheffield players to feature in the Championship Team of the Season.
Midfield – Emiliano Buendia (NOR, 6.0m) –
Norwich scored 93 goals on route to winning the Championship title last season and that tally of 93 goals has only been beaten twice since the second division was rebranded the Championship. Their Canaries use a 4-2-3-1 formation with an emphasis on attacking football and 51 of their 93 goals were scored at home.
Playing on their right-wing, the Argentinian Buendia notched eight goals and 12 assists in 35 appearances for the Canaries and was their most creative player, with 91 chances created (third highest in the Championship). He shares set-piece duties with the more expensive Vrancic (6.5m) and is one of the best-attacking assets at this price point.
Midfield – John McGinn (AVL, 5.5m) –
An ever-present in the Villa lineup, McGinn started 42 games for the Birmingham outfit notching seven goals and nine assists. He makes a lot of tackles every game that should see him rack up BPS. The only caveat for managers to take note of is his disciplinary record.
He picked up 14 yellow cards last season in the Championship and given the physically intense nature of the Premier League, this number can only be expected to increase. As mentioned above, Villa are an attacking team, especially at home and McGinn offers a lot of point potential at a bargain price.
Striker – Teemu Pukki (NOR, 6.5m) –
The Championship Player of the Season for the 2018/19 campaign, Pukki is without a doubt the most hyped promoted asset this season. The Swede registered 29 goals and 9 assists last campaign over 42 appearances. All of his 29 goals were from open play which makes that tally all the more impressive. He took more shots in the box (108) than any other player in the Championship and will be crucial to the Canaries’ hopes of Premier League survival.
His low ownership (below 6% at the time of writing) is probably down to Norwich’s initial fixture run which includes games against last season’s top three teams (Liverpool, Man. City, Chelsea) and this number is likely to shoot up once he finds his feet in the top division.
Striker – Billy Sharp (SHU, 6.0m) –
Featuring in the Championship Team of the Season, Sharp was the Blades’ primary goal threat, with 23 goals and four assists in 40 appearances. Their style of play is built around getting service to the big man and he is likely to be the focal point of their attack. However, it is pertinent to mention that he is not on penalty duties.
That responsibility falls to the cheaper McGoldrick (5.5m) who featured for 45 matches for the Blades, notching 15 goals and four assists. Another caveat to note is that at the age of 34, Sharp might find his game time managed similarly to Murray at Brighton and the Christmas period could prove particularly tricky, but early doors the Blades are likely to rely on his experience.
