Will Writes: FPL Gameweek 10 dilemmas under the spotlight

This week sees another Friday night deadline in Fantasy Premier League — and there is plenty for us to ponder before Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur kick off Gameweek 10.

With a whole host of potentially crucial decisions to be made, here’s our take on some of the key dilemmas facing FPL players ahead of a tantalising round of action.

United’s big hitters: Time to go?

There has been plenty of patience when it comes to Manchester United’s FPL assets in recent weeks, on account of their favourable run of fixtures.

The Red Devils go into Sunday’s Manchester derby off the back of matches against Burnley, Crystal Palace, Brentford and Sheffield United — but their players have largely returned disappointing points totals, considering the standard of opposition.

Marcus Rashford did not register a single goal contribution across those four games, while Bruno Fernandes’ goal and assist was underwhelming for his £8.3million price.

The expected metrics do not make for particularly pleasant reading either.

Rashford’s xG + xA is just 1.07 since the Burnley fixture last month, and Fernandes only posted 1.52 over the same period.

Though some people will be looking ahead to games against Fulham, Luton Town and Everton in November with optimism, this week’s match-up with Manchester City feels like the optimum time to sell any Manchester United big hitters.

Is Salah essential?

Any FPL managers still resisting the allure of Mohamed Salah, look away now.

The Liverpool talisman has the Premier League’s highest xG this season (7.4), having struck seven times across the campaign.

Remarkably, September’s defeat to Tottenham is the only time that Salah has failed to register at least one goal or assist in 2023/24, with consecutive braces against Brighton and Everton suggesting he is really starting to hit his stride.

Ominously, the Reds now face Nottingham Forest and Luton over the next two gameweeks, with fixtures against Sheffield United and Fulham in early December.

With a price of £12.8m at the time of writing, it can be hard to squeeze Salah into your team structure without a wildcard — but now is the time to find a way of owning him, if you don’t already.

Start adding Arsenal assets?

Having navigated a tricky run of fixtures, things are set to ease up for Arsenal.

The Gunners host Sheffield United this weekend, and will be confident of racking up the goals against the Premier League’s lowest-ranked club.

No top-flight team has conceded more non-penalty shots than Paul Heckingbottom’s outfit (181), while they are equally ineffective at the opposite end of the pitch — mustering a league-low 72 non-penalty efforts at goal.

Those numbers make the prospect of not owning star man Bukayo Saka somewhat terror-inducing, but it will be a challenge to afford his £8.5m price tag with the likes of Salah, Erling Haaland and Son Heung-min in your side.

One solution could be to switch Son or team-mate James Maddison to the 22-year-old, though that option clearly isn’t without risk.

An away trip to Newcastle on 4 November may mean it’s wiser to wait until Gameweek 12 (vs Burnley) to transfer Saka in, even if that leads to an uncomfortable Saturday afternoon watching Arsenal take on the Blades.

Neto or Hwang?

FPL managers looking to save some cash may well be weighing up which Wolves midfield asset they want to buy.

Pedro Neto is the popular choice at £5.8m, but Hwang Hee-chan is notably cheaper (£5.4m) and on something of a goalscoring hot streak.

The South Korean has struck four times in his previous six league outings, as well as chipping in with an assist against Bournemouth last weekend.

In contrast, Neto has just one goal this season, but only Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (eight) has more assists than his six.

The difference in expected numbers is marginal, but Hwang just comes out on top for xG + xA per 90 minutes with 0.53 to the Portuguese winger’s 0.45.

He has played 363 fewer minutes than Neto this term, but the former RB Leipzig man could be a smart choice for those looking to save £0.4m.

Who are the best Botman replacements?

Eddie Howe’s revelation that Sven Botman faces at least another fortnight on the sidelines will see the Dutch defender exiting plenty of FPL teams.

But who are the obvious replacements for Newcastle’s £4.7m centre-back?

A quick frisk of the upcoming five gameweeks suggests that Brighton, West Ham and Aston Villa look to have the easiest fixtures — and the Villans’ goals against record of 13 is the best of that trio.

A total of 11.88 expected goals conceded (xGC) is also better than Brighton (13.81) and David Moyes’ Irons (16.61), putting full-backs Matty Cash and Lucas Digne firmly on the recruitment radar.

At £4.7m and with three assists to his name in 2023/24, Digne could well be the go-to option for those seeking a switch without committing any additional budget.

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