It’s just under a week until the new game opens. In anticipation, Dream Team have already released the values of some players via their social media accounts. As we’ve currently got nothing else to go on, I thought it would be useful to have a quick look at each player that has been released so far.
Ederson (4.5m) – both Ederson and Alisson had remarkable season’s last time around. I’ve now come around to the idea of going with a premium choice goalkeeper. I’d imagine Alisson will be the same or slightly more when he’s announced. I’m already starting to wonder if I need to look for a cheaper alternative in someone like Kepa.
Wan-Bissaka (3.5m) – clearly a big talent but for me he’s going to be way too expensive. Man Utd were poor defensively last season, unless they strengthen massively before the start of the season it’s hard to justify the 3.5m price tag. I’d imagine the likes of Shaw and Lindelof will be cheaper alternatives for anyone who does want Man Utd representation.
Robertson (4.5m) – I think some form of Liverpool representation defensively is going to be essential this season. They were so good at the back last season it’s going to be hard to overlook them. 4.5m is a big price tag though, considering he started at 3m last season. I’d expect the same and more for Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk which is worrying when it comes to the overall budget.
Ndombele (3m) – I don’t know too much about Ndombele. However from the stats that I have seen, I can’t imagine I’ll be tempted for even 3m. I believe he’s a more defence minded midfielder and hasn’t got a great goal scoring record. This doesn’t look good from a Dream Team perspective.
Pulisic (3m) – from past experience I’ve generally stayed clear of new additions to the Premier League. I’ll probably do the same with Pulisic despite his 3m price tag. A good example would be Keita who signed for Liverpool last season – his first season at the club couldn’t have gone much worse from a Dream Team point of view. Pulisic is more attack minded, however his 10 goals from 81 appearances does put me off slightly.
Sterling (6.5m) – last season’s second highest scoring player. At 6.5m this makes Sterling almost look like a bargain. He could be one of the more essential players for the season and should be well rested over the summer.
Aguero (7.5m) – a huge Dream Team favourite for his consistent point scoring. He does come with a hefty price tag though. I’m starting to wonder if he will face more potential rotation this season. It’s also worth pointing out that he was outscored by Aubameyang last season – who is likely to be cheaper. Having said that he’s still going to be hard to overlook.
Salah (7.5m) – another player who is hard to overlook. Considering many considered it a bad season for Salah, he still finished as the third highest point scoring player. He probably suffered from not living up to the levels that he achieved in the previous season, however this was never really going to be a realistic target. I’d expect another big season from Salah but I think it’s going to be harder than ever to accommodate all of the big names.
Kane (7m) – being slightly cheaper than Aguero and Salah makes Kane appealing at 7m. Last season he had a couple of longer term injuries which hampered his point scoring potential. At the moment he’s probably the only Spurs player I’m considering and he may get off the mark against Villa in their opening fixture. Accommodating the three big guns up front and a decent defence is going to be almost impossible though.
Lacazette (5m) – a decent price but he’s not really a player who has ever appealed to me. Arsenal haven’t been great for the past couple of seasons and if I’m being honest I can’t see them breaking into the top four time around. When I was playing catch up towards the end of last season, I went for Lacazette as I knew my rivals wouldn’t. This decision completely flopped and he’s not someone I’ll be looking at for the start of the new season.
Jimenez (3.5m) – Wolves were a team that instantly jumped out to me when the fixtures were announced. They should have a couple of additional Europa League qualifying fixtures and Jimenez was the only player outside of the top 6 clubs to break into the top 20 highest scoring players. For me, at 3.5m this makes him the biggest bargain of the players released so far. I’m already very tempted to make him the first name on my team sheet. I do worry about who I will have to leave out in his place though.
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When you consider how much cheaper the likes of Robbo, TAA and VVD will be compared to the likes of Aguero, considering how close they were points wise behind Aguero (granted he did spend a short spell out injured), maybe there is more value to sacrifice one of those big hitters up front and go big at the back? More value to be had possibly? I think I’ll almost definitely be going four at the back.
Yeah it does look that way to me as well but it’s still always difficult to justify leaving those big hitters out. Liverpool did have an extraordinary season at the back last time around – I’m wondering if they can achieve the same again this season.
Jesus I believe has been offered more pitch time in order to keep him and with aguerro getting older and nearing a likely exit in a season or two they will need Jesus to step up.
Not sure aguerro is a great buy this time around
Out of the three he’s the one I’m also considering leaving out. As you say, a lot of potential rotation but he’s such an explosive player.
I like the idea of 3-4-3 again this year, and will definitely be looking to get a settled back 4.
I’m renowned for using transfers on the first day I can. I need to stick with players and trust them. Dependent on prices of defenders I think I’ll look to get a back 4 between a Man City & Liverpool – not sure Liverpool will be as strong this time but we can see.
Forward wise – I’ll look to take a risk with Pullisic. At 3m I just can’t see that not being a bargain. Front 3 likely to consist of Kane & Salah alongside a cheaper option.
Bring on Friday!!!!!
I was against the 343 to begin with – I hadn’t realised the overall winner last year used it all season. I don’t know too much about Pulisic. Is he a like for like replacement for Hazard? His goalscoring record doesn’t look half as good.