Five Manchester City assets to add to your Fantasy Premier League team 2024/25 (and five to avoid.)
- William Russell
- Jul 22, 2024
- 11 min read
Fantasy Premier League is live, and it'll be my eleventh season playing the game.
Over the years, I've picked up numerous tips that have improved my standing in the game. Don't pick defensive midfielders. You won't need two starting goalkeepers. You'll regret not picking Mohammed Salah (a piece of advice which once again, I am beginning to doubt.)
And another one of my rules of thumb is I've always tended to go with the most expensive striker as a consistent point collector, which in the past has been the likes of Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane but this year, it's a less straight forward decision.
For anyone unaware with the rules of FPL - each manager has £100 million in the bank to pick a squad of 15 Premier League players.
And prices are in no way reflective of real life, so if (for whatever reason) you want to bring Manchester United's Antony into your side, you will be relieved to see him come in at just £6.0 million, and not £85 million.
Throughout the season, your players will achieve points for goals, assists, clean sheets and general good performances based on the statistically calculated Bonus Points System, and can also lose points for yellow cards, red cards and missed penalties.
This system does has its flaws. For example, Rodri - arguably the best footballer in the world - is a largely ineffective FPL player; classified as a midfielder, he doesn't get many goals or assists, and nor get many points for his defensive contributions.
He gets one point for a cleansheet, which would be the same as the likes of Salah, Son Heung-Min and Bukayo Saka, all of whom are less involved in defending than Rodri.
You may expect, therefore, Erling Haaland to be the ideal player for FPL, due to his main contributions for Manchester City being his ridiculously good goalscoring record. But the stumbling block for the 24 year old is his price.
At £15.0 million, Haaland is the most expensive FPL player of all time beating the record of £14.0 million set by himself, Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Cristiano Ronaldo in previous iterations of the game.
With the second most expensive striker in the game (Ollie Watkins, who scored 19 Premier League goals last season and recorded the most assists in the division) costing £6.0 million less than him, it means Haaland certainly isn't a shoe-in.
For comparison, £6.0 million will buy you Josko Gvardiol, William Saliba, Gabriel, Lucas Paqueta or Chris Wood. It also represents the difference between owning Cole Palmer and owning Leander Dendoncker.
More about the pros and cons of owning the Norwegian striker will be discussed later in the article.
But as well as Haaland, there are other City players you should consider for your FPL team.
However, there are also players to avoid for one reason or another, whether it be they're overpriced, at risk of rotation or are not good points scorers, despite being excellent footballers.
I list five players you should consider adding to your FPL team, and five you should most certainly avoid.
1. Buy - Phil Foden (£9.5 million)
Last season's Premier League Player of the Season should be a no brainer to add to your FPL team.
Foden bagged 19 Premier League goals last season and recorded double figures for assists. He was the second highest points scorer on the game, behind just Cole Palmer, and has subsequently seen his price rise from £7.5 million to £9.5 million.
Still though, this makes him cheaper than Salah, Palmer, Son and Saka, making him the cheapest of all the luxury midfield options (joint with City teammate Kevin de Bruyne.) Foden's goals and more regular minutes make him a much more reliable option than De Bruyne, but if you're looking for a differential pick, the Belgian might be your go to man, at just 7% ownership at time of writing, compared to Foden's 32.7%.
But despite his high ownership, Foden is locked in for my Gameweek 1 starting XI, unless something changes between now and August 16th.
1. Avoid - Stefan Ortega (£5.5 million)
Buying Ortega wouldn't have been a bad option a few weeks ago after penning a new City deal, but with Ederson's future looking increasingly likely to be at City and not in Saudi Arabia, the German goalkeeper is one to avoid.
At £5.5 million, Ortega is priced the same as three other goalkeepers; Alisson, David Raya and his City teammate Ederson, with the people deciding the prices of the game clearly predicting Ederson's exit and a rush of managers moving to sign Ortega.
But with Al-Nassr set to sign goalkeeper Bento from Athletico Paranaense, and Al-Ittihad not wanting to offer City the €60 million they're after, it thankfully would appear that Ederson is set to stay at the Blues for another season at least, with a contract extension potentially on the way.
Therefore, Ortega's gametime in the Premier League will probably be limited, unless Ederson gets an injury or Pep Guardiola decides to rotate his goalkeepers, like Roberto de Zerbi did last season for Brighton with Jason Steele and Bart Verbruggen.
He's one to avoid for now in FPL, but he could be an expensive yet solid goalkeeping option if he gets ahead of Ederson in the pecking order and City's defence racks up cleansheets.
2. Buy - Josko Gvardiol (£6.0 million)
If Gvardiol continues playing in the attacking left sided role he occupied at the back end of the season, or even if he moves to play in the John Stones defence/midfield hybrid role from the second half of the final game of the season against West Ham, £6.0 million would appear to be a steal.
Assuming he builds on his strong first season, Gvardiol will be the main starting defender for City, whether that be at centre back or left back, thus meaning it makes sense he costs £0.5 million more than the rest of his teammates.
He also faces the bonus of having not played many minutes at the Euros with Croatia heading out in the group stages, meaning he will likely start the season in the starting XI, with the likes of Stones and Nathan Ake returning late in the pre-season from their holidays.
He contributes goals and assists too, with a late influx of goals at the end of last season helping City hold off Arsenal's challenge and win the league for the fourth season in a row.
With gametime and goal contributions set to be much more guaranteed than any of his teammates, Gvardiol is very much good value for money and someone to consider for your FPL team.
2. Avoid - Jack Grealish (£6.5 million)
Whilst it might not seem like it from my advice, I believe that Jack Grealish is going to have another fantastic season for City after a dip last year.
After missing out on the Euros, Grealish's summer social media posts give off the impression he has struck the perfect balance between resting and training hard, as he looks to rejuvenate himself in a City shirt after he lost his place in the lineup at the end of the season.
And whilst I think Grealish will be essential for City next season, and will be given the chance right from the very start due to having an entire pre-season under his belt, this doesn't necessarily make him a good FPL pick.
For starters, Grealish - as well as the vast majority of City's attackers and midfielders, is a huge rotation risk, as he battles for a place with Savio and Doku on the left wing (both of whom at £6.5 million are the same price as City's number ten.)
Also, even when at his best, Grealish has never been one for getting goals and assists; his assets are controlling the tempo of the game, drawing players towards him to create space for others and winning fouls to create set piece opportunities.
I expect him to thrive next year and look like a player reborn, but he is one to avoid for FPL.
3. Buy - Erling Haaland (£15.0 million)
The moment of truth - the top scorer in the Premier League for the past two seasons is undeniably a player you should consider for your FPL team.
Last season, a campaign described by many as underwhelming and one in which he missed nearly two months with injury, Haaland still scored 27 Premier League goals and 38 in all competitions, numbers that for most other strikers would be the best of their career.
And this season, if he stays injury free, Haaland will be aiming to be the first player to score 40 Premier League goals, and will also look to improve on the 53 goals in all competitions he scored in his debut season.
But at £15.0 million, it's a risk as to whether he is worth the money. Leaving a few million in the bank might be beneficial if he starts the season like a house on fire and he becomes a necessity.
For now though, he isn't the absolute certainty that he was last season or the season before, but he is certainly one of the better striking options on the game that must be considered.
3. Avoid - Julian Alvarez (£7.0 million)
For a similar reason to Grealish, Alvarez shouldn't be considered for your FPL team.
Although he certainly does contribute goals and assists, Alvarez's game time next season is set to be lower than it was this season, where he actually recorded more minutes than Haaland.
Long term injuries for Haaland and De Bruyne left Alvarez playing a lot, either as a number ten or as the main striker.
But with more options in the wide areas than last season thanks to Savio's signing and Oscar Bobb probably getting more minutes than last year, it'd appear Foden's place in the team is in central attacking areas.
If De Bruyne and Haaland stay fit, Alvarez's role should be limited to super sub, meaning his price of £7.0 million - at more than regular starters Joao Pedro, Rodrigo Muniz and Chris Wood - means he is a no go for this years FPL.
4. Buy - Jeremy Doku (£6.5 million)
With Manchester City players typically thriving in their second season, I expect next season to be a big one for Jeremy Doku.
Throughout his first year at the club, he showed flashes of his potential, most particularly at the start and the end of the campaign. He excites supporters with his fast footwork, skilful dribbling and explosive acceleration.
His end product so far has been inconsistent at best, but with Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane - the two most similar players City have had to Doku in recent years - their goal output exploded in their second season under Guardiola.
He remains a rotation risk with competition for places in the wide areas high, but Doku should certainly be considered as a viable option if his form means he nails down a starting place on either flank for the biggest games.
4. Avoid - John Stones (£5.5 million)
As brilliant a football player John Stones is, he lacks the one thing that is fundamental for all the top FPL players: reliability.
Looking at all of the top scorers from last season - Palmer, Foden, Salah, Saka, Watkins, Son, Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel - the constant is that they started almost every game for their club throughout the season.
Stones, however, has been plagued with injuries for large parts of his career, and ended up losing his place even when he was fit at the back end of last season due to other options having more momentum and match sharpness.
Unless he proves he's able to stay fit and become a regular starter, £5.5 million is simply too much to justify paying for the 30 year old.
5. Buy - Ruben Dias (£5.5 million)
£5.5 million may well be steep for someone who hasn't scored for two seasons, but Ruben Dias at his very best is a nailed on starter for City and therefore someone who should be considered for your FPL team.
At the same price of all of his other defensive Manchester City teammates (bar Gvardiol at £6.0 million and Rico Lewis at £4.5 million) Dias is probably still the first choice starter at centre back when all are fit and firing.
He is £0.5 million cheaper than Gabriel and Saliba at Arsenal, who are less of a rotation risk, but unless they look like providing a goal threat may be worse value for money than the 27 year old City defender.
If you're thinking of bringing in a City defender, Dias would be your best bet over Gvardiol if you wanted to save £0.5 either to keep in your bank or invest elsewhere in your side.
5. Avoid - Mateo Kovacic - £5.5 million
As fine a footballer as he is, Kovacic shouldn't be in your FPL team for a similar reason to Alvarez and Grealish.
As well as being a rotation risk like Alvarez, Kovacic scores very few goals, with his main work being supporting Rodri in midfield with plenty of touches and safe passes in deep areas.
At £5.5 million, Kovacic is much worse value for money than the likes of Morgan Rogers for Aston Villa at £5.0 million and Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi for the same price as the Croatian midfielder.
If City aren't to sign a defensive midfielder either, he will likely play a lot of minutes as the solo pivot to give Rodri a rest, a position in which he's even less likely to record attacking contributions.
Despite his obvious quality, the game's design means players like Kovacic are not worth considering to add to your FPL team.
My FPL team
There are many tough decisions to make, but I have more or less decided upon the structure of my squad.
In goal, a £4.5 million and a £4.0 million goalkeeper are the way to go. I've settled on Verbruggen (assuming he is the number one under a new manager) and Ipswich's Cieran Slicker for £4.0 million, purely based on the fact he is a former City academy player.
I've also gone with a cheap £4.0 million defender in Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, however, depending on pre-season, I may well opt to replace him with Valentin Barco of Brighton, a more attacking option though fairly reliant on Brighton's defence being strong with Verbruggen also in my team.
Gvardiol and Saliba are my luxury defensive options, with Joachim Andersen of Crystal Palace and Rayan Ait Nouri of Wolves filling the other two places at £4.5 million each.
Midfield is where it gets more complicated. Ideally, I want Salah, Saka, Palmer, Foden and Anthony Gordon, but that is unrealistic price wise. This means I was forced to look for some hidden gems, which I believe I've found with Aston Villa's Rogers.
As an attacking midfielder with a strong pre-season under his belt so far, the former City academy player would appear to be a steal at just £5.0 million, as either a first sub option or starting when fixtures appear favourable.
Mohammed Kudus, at £6.5 million, is another good cheap midfield option, as a nailed on starter for West Ham who has had the entire summer to rest and who provides goals and assists, making him good value for money.
This leaves at least two premium spots in midfield. Foden and Palmer take those instantly, although if £6.5 million Christopher Nkunku can stay fit and nail a starting place at number ten, he may well be better value for money than his Chelsea teammate.
There's also room for Saka, who makes it as my Arsenal attacking option. This, however, means there is no room for Haaland, but a front three of Watkins, Joao Pedro and Aleksander Isak makes for a formidable frontline.
Another good thing about this draft is that it leaves £2.0 million in the bank. A straight swap from Palmer to Nkunku would free up the funds to bring in Haaland for Watkins if the Norwegian starts the season like a house on fire and becomes too good to leave out of your side.
Salah is another possibility to bring in, either for Palmer or for Saka with Isak or Watkins traded for Kai Havertz, who would ensure there remains an Arsenal attacker.
There are plenty of good options to fit into your squad, and with the pricing this year making it difficult to fit all of them in, it makes for more excitement with different people picking different squads.
My squad - recap:
Goalkeepers - Verbruggen (BHA; £4.5 million), Slicker (IPS; £4.0 million)
Defenders - Gvardiol (MCI; £6.0 million), Saliba (ARS; £6.0 million), Ait Nouri (WOL; £4.5 million), Andersen (CRY; £4.5 million), Harwood-Bellis (SOU; £4.0 million)
Midfielders - Palmer (CHE; £10.5 million), Saka (ARS; £10.0 million), Foden (MCI; £9.5 million), Kudus (WHU; £6.5 million), (Rogers (AVL; £5.0 million)
Forwards - Watkins (AVL; £9.0 million), Isak (NEW; £8.5 million), Pedro (BHA; £5.5 million)
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