In the latest article from our team of Hall of Famers and guest contributors, FPL Family’s Sam Bonfield talks us through her big team decisions for Gameweek 37.
While I’m writing this, Noah Kahan is singing about Stick Seasons in my headphones.
Whilst it’s not Stick Season, it’s definitely chip season.
My final chip of the 2023/24 season is active, the Bench Boost. Might this be the last season where the Bench Boost is my final remaining chip? Probably. With the FA Cup changes and the impact on FPL, a Bench Boost in Gameweek 1 might be fun.
But before I get carried away thinking about 2024/25, I have two weeks to ensure that I finish with an overall rank that I’m happy with.
Current Team
Heading into Gameweek 36, there was a lot of uncertainty in my team. Malo Gusto (£4.3m), Fabian Schar (£5.6m) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.7m) were all sporting colourful flags. I sold Schar for Josko Gvardiol (£5.1m), who I was delighted to see compensate for a clean sheet loss with another attacking return.
However, I was maybe even happier to see Ait-Nouri’s name on the teamsheet and Gusto’s seven-minute cameo at the end of Chelsea’s match with West Ham United. With everyone else making it through Gameweek 36 without incident, it potentially puts me in the luxurious position of being able to make a fun, not forced, transfer.
When I built this team as part of a Gameweek 30 Wildcard, my intention was to sell Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.4m) or William Saliba (£5.9m) this week. Potentially even Bukayo Saka (£9.0m), as part of a drive for as many Double Gameweek players as possible. My position on this has changed dramatically.
I frequently warn about overlooking ‘single Gameweek’ players in favour of those with two matches. Every Double Gameweek, we see plenty of examples of players lasting 90 minutes or fewer outscoring the doublers elsewhere.
As a Tottenham Hotspur fan, it pains me to write this but Arsenal are potentially the perfect investment right now. They have the form, they have an attractive fixture and, maybe most importantly of all, they have the motivation. What bigger drive is there heading into their final two matches of the season than that Premier League title? I’m trebled up on Arsenal and all three will stay on my Bench Boost.
So, before I make any changes this week, I have nine players doubling and five with single Gameweek fixtures.
Double Gameweek Guys
Triple Chelsea, triple Manchester City, double Newcastle United and one single Spurs asset make up my players who have the potential for 180 minutes this week.
I was tripled up on Newcastle before the injury to Schar meant I had to sell him. Even the most die-hard Spurs fan in me has – until now – had very little interest in adding to Son Heung-min (£9.9m), apart from a little flirtatious look over at Richarlison (£6.8m).
However, I don’t have a space in my midfield that I would be prepared to free up for him.
With four Double Gameweek midfielders and Saka, Richarlison is looking like he might be the ‘one who got away’.
Gvardiol and Gusto, along with my two single Gameweek Arsenal defenders, feel locked in, too. This means it’s only Ait-Nouri’s spot that is up for grabs. In reality, though, I’m not sure that there are any Double Gameweek defenders I like better.
Up top, I have Erling Haaland (£14.2m) and Alexander Isak (£8.4m). The obvious miss is the suddenly-in-form Nicolas Jackson (£7.0m). However, I am already tripled up on Chelsea, so getting Jackson would require a hit to remove Gusto and replace Jean-Philippe Mateta (£5.1m).
With Mateta’s form, I’m not sure I fancy selling him ahead of a match against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side that have conceded nine goals in their last four matches.
Possible Transfers Out
