The Manchester City assets to look out for in the new Fantasy Premier League season
- William Russell
- Jul 7, 2023
- 9 min read
Yesterday, we saw the launch of Fantasy Premier League for the 2023/24 season, the only place in the world where Harry Kane is available to purchase.
For anyone unfamiliar with the rules, Fantasy Premier League puts you in the position of a manager. You're given a budget of £100 million to sign 15 players - 11 starters and 4 substitutes - to form your squad.
Of course, £100 million wouldn't even buy you one Declan Rice nowadays, but prices are scaled down, making it a realistic prospect to draft a competitive squad.
Depending on how your players perform in real life Premier League matches, they will earn points for your team.
Points are awarded for goals, assists, clean sheets, penalties saved and bonus points (the best 3 players get 3, 2, and 1 point respectively.) For goals and clean sheets, the points value differs, depending on the position of a player.
Negative points are also given for negative actions, such as yellow cards, red cards and missed penalties, which are of equal value for every player.
Managers select a captain, who will earn their team double points, and a vice captain, who will earn double points if the captain doesn't play. If your captain scores a hattrick, you're doing great! If your captain misses a penalty and gets sent off, then they can easily achieve a minus score, which will then be doubled and hence deplete your team even further.
Up until the start of the season, managers can alter their teams as much as they like. After that point, they can make one free transfer every week, with every transfer on top of that costing 4 points, which is equivalent to a goal from a striker, or a clean sheet from a goalkeeper or defender.
However, twice a season, once in the first half of the season and once in the second half, a manager can play their wildcard, which gives them unlimited free transfers for the rest of that gameweek. (Top Tip - RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO USE YOUR WILDCARD AFTER GAMEWEEK 1!!!!!)
There are other boosts as well. Firstly, the triple captain, where once a season, your captain will get you triple the points, as opposed to double. Use it wisely!
Another is the bench boost, where the points from players on the substitutes bench will also get added to the total. Again, this can be used once a season.
Finally, there is the free hit, where, once a season, a manager can make unlimited transfers for one week, then the player's team is reverted back to how it was before. This is useful for the latter stages of the season, where Premier League and FA Cup matches are played in sync.
Managers can join private mini leagues, where they compete against friends and family, whilst they can also sign up to play in official supporters leagues, against fellow supporters of the same club.
One rule in place is that you can only have 3 players from one team, so managers will have to choose their Manchester City players wisely.
Here are some of the City assets to put in your team, including some to avoid as well:
Buy - Erling Haaland - £14.0 million
Ultimately, it is the fear of missing out that means Erling Haaland is an absolute must for any Fantasy Premier League manager this season.
At time of writing, Haaland has an ownership of 82.7%, despite being the joint most expensive player ever on the game, alongside Robin van Persie, Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry.
Haaland achieved 272 points in his record breaking first season at the Blues, and, under the coaching of Pep Guardiola, he will be hoping to hit the 40 goal mark in this upcoming season.
Even with his high ownership and price, Haaland is a no brainer for any FPL enjoyer, and should be in contention for the captaincy every week.
Avoid (for the time being) - Kevin de Bruyne - £10.5 million
Usually, Kevin de Bruyne is one of the first names on my FPL teamsheet. But, for now at least, I plan to not pick him.
The Belgian's injury in the UEFA Champions League Final victory over Inter Milan means he's going to miss the whole of pre-season, as well as the Community Shield and opening Premier League fixture away to Vincent Kompany's Burnley.
This means we can expect it to take a while for the 32 year old to get going, and, as such, I don't think he currently warrants his hefty price tag.
There are plenty of good alternatives to the Belgian from other clubs, as well as within City, who will all take less out of your budget.
Marcus Rashford, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka all scored higher than De Bruyne last season, and are all at least £1.5 million cheaper. As well as this, Bruno Fernandes, Son Heung-Min and Kai Havertz could be utilised as alternatives, with all of them cheaper than De Bruyne.
Having City's vice captain in your team when he's back to full fitness will be invaluable, however, as I'd expect you'd be in the minority of managers who own De Bruyne. But, for now, I believe he's certainly one to avoid.
Buy - Phil Foden - £7.5 million
After mentioning De Bruyne, the man most likely to replace him in the starting 11 should be called in to your FPL team.
In my opinion, Foden is already almost a nailed on starter for the Burnley game, playing as the midfielder who takes risks in the centre of the park to try and carve out chances for Erling Haaland. At the relatively cheap price of £7.5 million, the 23 year old should be seen as a useful, secure option.
Valued at the same price as the likes of Luis Diaz and James Maddison, as well as being cheaper than the not necessarily nailed on starter Diogo Jota, Foden provides great value for money, as he came inside the top 20 midfielders from last season based on total points, despite only starting 22 Premier League games.
For the start of the season at least, Foden is arguably the greatest midfield asset for City. If you leave some money in your bank, a straight swap to Kevin de Bruyne after 4-5 gameweeks could be the ideal situation for your FPL team.
Avoid - Joao Cancelo - £6.0 million
Listed as the 5th most expensive defender on the game, it is simply common sense to not pick Joao Cancelo for your FPL team.
After reports of a mass falling out with Pep Guardiola last winter, which saw him sent out to Bayern Munich on loan, the 29 is highly unlikely to be a City player when the window shuts on September 1st.
As such, there would be many better players to spend your money on from a defensive perspective. For just £0.5 million more, you could splash out on Kieran Trippier, the captain and main set piece taker for Newcastle United.
There are other defensive options within City too, who will be touched upon later in this article. But, on the case of Cancelo, it is fairly self explanatory as to how unwise it'd be to use him as one of your 3 precious Manchester City assets.
Buy - Bernardo Silva - £6.5 million
It is very true that Bernardo does not get very many goals and assists. However, what draws me to the Portuguese international is his insanely cheap price.
Given the fact that Riyad Mahrez, who will likely not start the very biggest games for Manchester City next season, is priced at £7.5 million, £6.5 million for big game specialistBernardo is a bargain.
I'd imagine his playing time will be just as high, if not higher, this season than last season, due to the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona.
For a man who starts every week for the best team in the world, usually playing as either a left sided 8 or a right winger, £6.5 million is an absolute snip, so, presuming he stays at the club, Bernardo will be an excellent signing for FPL managers.
Avoid (if City sign Gvardiol) - Nathan Ake - £5.0 million
It is mad, but unfortunate, to think that Nathan Ake's starting place in the City side next season may not be set in stone, what with City's pursuit of Josko Gvardiol.
The 21 year old Croatian defender could cost as much as €100 million plus add ons, the sort of money that can't be left on the bench for the majority of the season.
Of course, Gvardiol wouldn't start every game as an indispensable player just because of his price tag (Grealish didn't.) But, Guardiola may only choose to operate with one left footed defender in the backline, which means one of them would have to miss out.
The most important thing for FPL managers is to pick a consistent starter, which very few City players are. It'd be wise to wait a few weeks to see how City adapt with Gvardiol and Ake (presuming he signs, of course,) before integrating either player into your squad.
If Gvardiol doesn't sign however, then completely ignore this! Ake is a great fantasy football asset, priced at just £5.0 million, he is a regular starter in the best defence in Europe, and, as such, will be useful for any team, with the added advantage of being £0.5 million cheaper than Ruben Dias and John Stones.
Buy - John Stones - £5.5 million
Usually, I would say that £5.5 million is too much for a centre back, unless they're a set piece taker or regular goalscorer. However, John Stones is not a regular centre back.
The 29 year old is perfect at playing the hybrid defence/midfield role, where he goes and plays in centre midfield when City have the ball, meaning he is more likely to get goals and assists from his more advanced midfield position.
He is, therefore, one of City's more appealing assets on FPL. The only concerns however, come around competition for places in defence - particularly if Gvardiol joins - and the injuries that have bothered him during his period at the club.
But, Stones remains an excellent option for an FPL defender, and can be replaced by the ever dependable Ruben Dias, or a more attacking defender such as Luke Shaw, if he has a forced absence, for the same price.
Avoid - Ederson - £5.5 million
This is not a dig at Ederson, more a remark as to the number of good goalkeepers there are on FPL this year.
Ederson costs 5.5 million, making him the joint most expensive goalkeeper on the game, with Nick Pope and Alisson. Considering he only had the 11th highest points for a goalkeeper last season, this shows he isn't value for money.
Considering you can get the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Emiliano Martinez and Kepa Arrizabalaga for £0.5 million cheaper, and Jordan Pickford, Bernd Leno and Lukasz Fabianksi for £1.0 million cheaper, it makes Ederson seem overpriced and, ultimately, not a great buy.
Buy - Tommy Doyle - £4.5 million
It might not seem like a very sensible transfer, but trust me on this one.
Doyle is likely to leave City this summer, whether that is on loan or on a permanent transfer with a buy back clause. Depending on which club he signs for, £4.5 million for a starting midfielder will be an irresistible price.
He probably won't be a starter, but, for his price, Doyle will be an excellent player to have on your bench, and one that very few other managers will have to boot.
Avoid - Rodri - £5.5 million
We finish on City's clutch goal specialist, Rodri, who, despite stepping up in the big moments last season for the Blues, would be a poor signing on FPL.
My ultimate tip to anyone playing FPL would be to avoid defensive midfielders at all costs. Rodri, who is potentially in contention for last season's PFA Player of the Year, and who scored the winner in the Champions League final, averaged approximately 2.8 points a game last season, which is NOT a score you want from a midfielder.
This is because, despite his input on City's defensive play, Rodri only gets 1 additional point for a clean sheet when classified as a midfielder, whereas Ederson and the defenders get 4 additional points.
The money would best be spent elsewhere - a £5.5 million defender is one of the highest quality. But, for a midfielder like Rodri, it'd be a poor selection choice, unfortunately.
My current FPL Team
This is my first of - probably many - FPL team drafts.
Leno costs £4.5 million, and, having Fulham's second keeper Rodak as a backup means I'll always have a player playing. However, I'm hoping that when current City youth goalkeeper James Trafford transfers to Burnley, he will be priced at £4.0 million, and will subsequently become my new second keeper.
My "luxury" defender in Trent Alexander-Arnold is supported by two solid £5.0 million options in Gabriel and Pervis Estupinian, who incidentally has almost 50% ownership on FPL this season.
My midfield is well stocked with talent and G/A, with Bruno Fernandes, Bukayo Saka, Karou Mitoma and, for the time being, Phil Foden all practically being nailed on starters.
And, up front, Haaland is supported by two steady, capable strikers, namely Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic, who surpassed all expectations last season, and Alexander Isak, who exploded towards the end of the season.
Sven Botman is an excellent rotation option off the bench, as he is a nailed on starter for Newcastle, and costs just £4.5 million. I've already explained my reasoning behind Tommy Doyle, and Jordan Beyer of Burnley is another good rotation option, costing just £4.0 million and starting regularly for his club last season.
This leaves me with £0.5 million in the bank. The only planned transfer I have so far is to bring in John Stones for either Estupinian or Gabriel, presuming Doyle leaves City.
At the moment, I'm leaning towards leaving out Estupinian, as his higher ownership means having him in my team doesn't have as big a benefit if he has a high scoring gameweek.
But, no matter what, I just know that I will be tearing my hair out over FPL plenty of times in throughout the season!
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