Although Erling Haaland is the most costly player in the FPL, is he for it?
When choosing your Fantasy Premier League team comes at the top of your mind, it's that time of year.
Perhaps you were efficient and constructed your team the moment the game began last month and are just doing last-minute tweaks, or maybe you're the type to throw your squad together at 6.15pm on Friday, just in time for the first match of the season ( do n't be that person, by the way ).
The decision to spend £15.0 million on Erling Haaland is one of the biggest ones you'll have to make this year. The Manchester City forward is the most expensive player in FPL past this summer, surpassing the likes of Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who were all paid more than they did last year.
The Norwegian, who had a 73 % ownership stake in the game last season, easily ranked as the most highly regarded player in the league last year, raked in 217 points, which was significantly lower than his 272-point tally from the 2022/23 plan.
But has this cost knock made him very expensive? Had you spend the money much abroad? DataVictory takes a search?
FPL recommendations: The circumstance for Erling Haaland in Fantasy Premier League
Yet at £15.0m, there are plenty of persuasive reasons to choose the Leeds-born hunter.
Firstly … he's Erling Haaland, is n't he? Premier League enthusiasts have had two months of watching him week-in-week-out, when he has frequently scored goals, bagging the Golden Boots for the past two months.
With the price of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, he has no longer needs another foreign striker chasing first-team minutes, guaranteeing his position in Manchester City's starting lineup.
You can be sure that the prospects will continue to increase as the Brazilian leaves Manchester City for the only significant exit this summer, which leaves behind teams like Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden.
What's more, Haaland remains City's penalty keeper, which ticks another FPL field and apparently critically has had the summer off to sleep and refill, which a lot of the Premier League's another top-tier players have not had.
If you research the actual data, you'll discover that Haaland's xG dropped for the first time in five years, and you'd assume that he at least reverts to the mean, which would help him increase his points full from the previous year.
Ultimately, it's worth looking at City's device list at the start of the year. The champions start away at Chelsea in a repeat of an August 3rd pre-season friendly between the two sides in the USA which saw Haaland bag a hat-trick amid another chaotic summer for the Stamford Bridge side, who currently do n't look like starting the season quickly. This is followed up by Ipswich ( H), West Ham ( A ) and Brentford ( H), all of which look to be favourable fixtures for Pep Guardiola's side.
The situation against Haaland
Haaland's new, higher value and potential uses for the more money are the only things that are in dispute.
There is a school of thought in the FPL group that midfield is where tournaments are won and lost, so this is where you should spend the most. Mohamed Salah, who has also had the summer off, costs £2.5m less than Haaland, but only scored marginally fewer points per game than the Norwegian last season ( 7.0 points versus 6.59 ) and is likely to provide more assists.
The likes of Cole Palmer, Foden and Bukayo Saka all outscored Haaland next time out, so is it for trying to group as some big-name forwards in your club?
Snubbing Haaland may allow you to distribute your money across the club and give you a more solid starting XI and bench and you give your team an early variable that may make all the difference come the end of the campaign.
Make your mind up occasion…
The choice, of sure, is up to you dear readers. But it does feel like even with the price increase, all indications point to the City person being a must-pick, at least early in the season.
The 24-year-old could start the season in design and look a safer choice to build your team around than either new additions or players who participated in Euro 2024 or Copa America due to Haaland's summer off and City's first fixtures.
Being ahead of the trends and zigging when another zigzag is a vital part of a powerful FPL team, but often you need to do the visible thing, and in this case, that's investing in Haaland and giving him the captain's armband.
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