We have just less than 30 days to go before the best league in the world starts again. No, not the Premier League, but it’s the Fantasy Premier League. With more than 11 million managers vying for the top seed in the globe, one can easily say it’s the toughest league in the world. Hence, we have a responsibility to our readers to make their FPL lives easier. So, without further ado, here is a list of the Top 5 bargain FPL assets from the newly promoted sides that you need to watch out for this season.
Next season, we will see the return of the 2015/16 champions, Leicester City, Southampton, and Ipswich Town, who will be returning to the top flight after 2002. Note that the Top 5 list will be in no specific order. Led by former Manchester United assistant Kieran Mckenna, Ipswich finished second, just behind Leicester last season in the Championship. They had 12 draws, indicating the lack of firepower to convert draws into wins. Most of their goals came from Conor Chaplin, the midfielder who scored 13 goals and 8 assists from 42 starts, so he is the first name on the list.
1. Conor Chaplin (Price 5.5)
With Erling Haaland‘s price up to 15, the budget will be a major headache for most of the managers. So, for a starting mid 5.5 will be a good pick, nonetheless. Comparing Chaplin to Cole Palmer, one of the hottest FPL assets in the MID category, data suggests the Ipswich Town midfielder can produce similar non-penalty results.
According to Fbref, Palmer had a 0.38 non-penalty xG compared to Chaplin’s 0.32. For those who don’t know, xG is the parameter that indicates how many goals a player is expected to score as per his actions. The above figures are per 90 data. On a whole season basis, Palmer had 18.2 xG and scored 22 goals, which means he did better than expected. Chaplin also did the same with 13 goals for 11.9 xG. Enticed enough? You should be.
Chaplin’s shot map also suggests he has an eye for the extreme, with 4 attempts coming from the halfway line last season. He only had 42 progressive carries last season, a low number, but that is because he was often the focal point of attack at the top end of the pitch, essentially making him a forward option from mid. So, after Salah, Palmer, if you need another budget mid, Chaplin is your man who is selected by only 0.5% of managers so far.
2. Leif Davis (Price 4.5)
The marauding left-back is also a budget option. He’s fresh off a season with 18 assists and 2 goals. The biggest weapon in his arsenal is his wicked left foot, which delivered a staggering 341 crosses last season. To put that into perspective, the Premier League’s own cross-spammer Andy Robertson had only 195 in one of his best seasons in 2021/22. He’s nailed on to start, so give it a go, just like 3.7% of managers have.
The only notable problem with the Ipswich assets is their starting fixtures. They face Liverpool and Manchester City in the first two games of the season. After weathering the storm, they’ll have Fulham home, Brighton away and Southampton away. So if you’re looking for early differentials, they could do just fine.
3. Adam Armstrong (Price 5.5)
Next on the list is the Championship’s second top-scorer from last season. The Southampton forward comes with a pocket-friendly price as the third option for you in your strike force. Selected by 3.9% of the FPL populace, the pacy hitman will start his fixture, with Newcastle away. But then it gets easier with Forest home and Brentford away. To put his performance into perspective, we have a similar specimen in Jean-Philippe Mateta. Impressively, Armstrong outscores Mateta’s per 90 xG with 0.53 to 0.43. His shot map suggests he will be an out-and-out box threat with all of his goals coming from inside the box.
4. Jamie Vardy (Price 5.5)
This one is a bit risky, but we want that risk and this guy is strictly for the risk-takers. At 37, Vardy still smashed 18 goals last season from just 18 starts, and he really hasn’t lost his pace that much. Steve Cooper‘s ball over-the-top tactic is tailor made for him and his 17 xG. Breaking that down gives us 0.92 goals per 90 from 0.87 xG per 90. These are comparable to Alexander Isak, who had 0.84 goals per 90 from 0.81 xG. At the time of writing, his popularity was only amongst 6.6% of managers, so he could easily be your last man on the team sheet.
5. Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Price 4.0)
Last on the list is the City Academy graduate. His aerial threat on the attacking side makes him a hard-to-pass prospect at only 4. The Saints centre-back also chipped in with 2 goals last season with a commanding 60.3% headers won. His 14.9% selection does not put him in the differential bracket but can be a useful piece for the final option on your bench.
Apart from them, some honourable mentions are Kyle-Walker Peters (4.5 DEF), Stephy Mavididi (5.5 MID), Ricardo Pereira (4.5 DEF), Caleb Okoli (4.0 DEF), Arijanet Muric (4.5 GK). With that said, let the FPL war begin!!!
