FPL managers are hitting the shops this week, as we have all been gifted five free transfers by the FPL towers.
With so many transfers to spend, some managers will be fully restructuring. Others may be improving one or two spots and rolling the rest into the Christmas pile-up. To help, we have picked out options at every position and price point.
Goalkeepers:
Budget: Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.5m)
Brentford’s shot stopper leads the way amongst the budget goalkeepers. They have a great fixture run and don’t face any of last season’s top six until gameweek 22. Kelleher has haul potential as a penalty-saving expert. He has saved 6 of the 24 he has faced in his career.
Mid-Price: Jordan Pickford (£5.5m)
Everton also have a kind fixture run, although they need to get Chelsea and Arsenal out of the way first. After that, it is plain sailing until gameweek 30. Pickford is top seven for saves so far this season, and as a whole Everton have sharpened up defensively, keeping four clean sheets in their last six.
Premium: David Raya (£6.0m)
As the most nailed route into the Arsenal defence, Raya may be worth the extra outlay compared to the other keepers. He won’t get many saves, but he does offer a piece of the most elite defence in the league. Arsenal lead in expected goals conceded (xGC) by a long way. With doubts around many of the Arsenal minutes, Raya could be a smart play.
Defenders:
Budget: Michael Keane (£4.5m)
Benefitting from the same fixture run as Pickford, Keane comes in as the budget pick in defence. He recovered from the injury which kept him out mid-week to contribute 14 defensive contributions (defcons) in a comfortable 3-0 win over Forest. He is a threat from set pieces with two goals already and is averaging over ten defcons per 90.
Mid-Price: Nico O’Reilly (£5.2m)
Starting 11 games out of the last 12, O’Reilly has made the left back spot his own since Ait-Nouri’s injury. He has put up positive underlying attacking numbers and has been very unlucky not to benefit from these more. He is operating at 0.27 expected goal involvements (xGI) per 90. City also have the second-best defence in the league in terms of xGC, and one of the world’s best keepers available to bail them out when they do concede chances.
Premium: Daniel Munoz (£6.1m)
Having missed out at the weekend, Glasner hopes to have the attacking Munoz back for gameweek 16. The Colombian has three goals and three assists this season and seems to play more like a second striker at times. Palace do have a tough Christmas period with cup competitions to contend with, but Munoz’s fitness levels should be studied. Before missing out at the weekend, he had started every Palace game this season. A word of warning, he is on four yellow cards.
Midfielders:
Budget: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.1m)
Yet another pick from Everton: the budget midfielder Dewsbury-Hall. In the last five games, he has three goals and two assists, as well as defcon points in three. This has coincided with him playing a deeper role at times with Gueye out of the team. He takes some set pieces and has been shooting more lately, making him a great budget-friendly option who seems nailed for 90 minutes.
Mid-Price: Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m)
In a season without many positives for Liverpool, Szoboszlai has been one of their standouts. He has spent time covering at right back, but with Salah benched, he has now been pushed forward again. In the small sample size of this new role, he has produced 0.4 xGI per 90. He is still on some set pieces and corners and has been ever-present in the team. He is, however, walking the yellow card tight rope, with four to his name.
Premium: Cole Palmer (£10.3m)
Freshly back from injury, Palmer managed 58 minutes against Bournemouth at the weekend. While it may be convenient to ignore him given the price tag, Palmer produced 56 attacking returns in the last two seasons. He may be someone worth monitoring given his injury layoff, but if he starts showing signs of his old form, then he will be very hard to look past.
Forwards:
Budget: Raul Jimenez (£6.2m)
With most managers sensibly moving to Igor Thiago, his price has flown. That leaves Raul Jimenez down at £6.2m as our budget pick among the forwards. Muniz has been ruled out until early 2026, meaning Jimenez has the Fulham striker spot to himself. Burnley, Forest and West Ham in his next three make for good reading. As a short-term fixture play, with penalties in his locker, he could provide a lot of value.
Mid-Price: Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m)
West Ham are another team with good long-term fixtures, and Bowen’s numbers have started to improve recently. In the last six games, he has taken over three shots per 90, which is a big jump from his early-season data. He has a goal and an assist in his last two and even chipped in with some defcon points a few weeks ago. Bowen doesn’t need great chances to score and has outperformed his xG across his career.
Premium: Alexander Isak (£10.4m)
The premium forward landscape is bare outside of Haaland. Isak is someone who could benefit most from Salah going to AFCON. Gakpo is also out now for a few weeks, so Liverpool will need to find solutions. They have the fixtures to do this with three great home games in their next four. We know what Isak is capable of from previous seasons in the league, and he could take on penalty duties, but that remains to be seen.
FPL Gameweek 16 Players to Target with AFCON Transfers: Final Words
It is a chaotic week in FPL, and not one we have really experienced before. Not only do we all have five free transfers, but some of us will still have chips to squeeze in before they reset.
Enjoy the shopping this week, but be mindful of the European fixtures. There will likely be a lot of price changes, but if you can afford to wait for these games to pass, you could benefit from any injury news or updates that emerge.
