FPL Veterans @Pras_fpl and @Lateriser12 (Pranil Seth) discussed Arsenal assets on the recently concluded episode of the FPL Wire with Arteta still yet to use a stable squad and a formation for the Gunners in their pre-season tour so far.
For anyone not acquainted with the show The FPL Wire and the expert’s view in the discussion here, Pras is a veteran manager of the FPL community. He hosts alongside FPL Wire, Burning Questions as part of Fantasy Football Scout with @FPL_Sonaldo. Pras has four top 10k finishes and has also appeared in Sky Sports as an expert in the game.
Lateriser is one of the most celebrated players in the game. He is rank-wise the top manager from India in the Fantasy Premier League. Pranil’s past ranks include two number 1 finishes from India, two top 100 finishes in the world, three top 200, and five top 2,500 in the world. He is known for his maverick playing style and for going against the conventional style of play to gain an edge over similar rank-wise competitors.
They discussed what the center of the park might shape like for the Gunners and how that change will impact their FPL assets and a certain Martinelli flying surprisingly under the radar.
The Midfield:
Kai Havertz joined the Gunners from their London rivals Chelsea this season as has Declan Rice in a much talked about and expensive move after winning the Europa League as West Ham captain last season.
Rice is expected to patrol the heart of the Arsenal midfield and he is unlikely to be much of a potential FPL asset, but it is Kai Havertz who is catching the attention of the experts and experienced managers alike.
Arteta seems to be testing a midfield trio of Rice (£5.5m) and Odegaard (£8.5m) and Havertz (£7.5m) with Odegaard and Havertz playing in the role of box-to-box midfielders for the Gunners in their pre-season campaign so far. Alongside the three players mentioned though, Belgian international Trossard (£7.0m) has also been used in Havertz’s position in the midfield by the Spaniard.
Talking about Havertz, Lateriser mentions the possibility and looming opportunity for FPL managers to gain an advantage in a situation if Havertz can nail down his position and does not share minutes with Trossard. The German could be in contention as the differential pick from the Gunners. Arteta has given him the license so far in pre-season to join Jesus (£8.0m) or Nketiah (£5.5m) from the midfield. Havertz so far has been operating at times almost as a second striker, linking up play and joining Jesus in many of Arsenal’s attacking forays upfront.
The result of this tactic as Pranil cautions would at the same time probably mean a more conservative approach from team captain Odegaard. If Havertz is more of the attacking out of the two players, Odegaard will be expected to take more of the defensive duties alongside Declan Rice. Otherwise, it’s simply a more attacking trio operating in the middle of the park to work against counter-pressing teams leaving chances to be vulnerable at the back.
Besides the center of the midfield Saka (£8.5m) remains the asset to buy from the Gunners. The Arsenal talisman looks fresh and all set to go. His low pricing this year came as a surprise to many and at that price, he is more than expected to outdo his value as an FPL asset. Pras reiterated the fact about Saka remaining an almost must-have FPL asset from the Gunners. It’s just too good of an opportunity with no better value at that price bracket elsewhere.
On the other wing of Saka is the Brazilian Martinelli (£8.0m) whose low ownership has caught Pranil’s attention. His minutes have come much under the scanner with rotation fears with either Trossard or Smith Rowe (£5.5m). This fear of the rotation has impacted his ownership in the game (14.2%) and he might now have become the prime differential candidate if things remain this way as Pranil mentions to pick from the Gunners at the start of the campaign. A double-up of Saka and Martinelli will act as a set-and-forget option for some time.
After a great season last year, the Brazilian will be expected to pick up from where he left off and continue the next phase of his development.
The three Arsenal assets popular in many of the drafts have meant FPL managers going for either one midfielder and two defenders or two midfielders and one defender. The value probably lies in the latter.