We’re almost at the end of our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price list analysis. Now, it’s the turn of the £5.0m-£5.5m midfielders.
There are an eye-watering 141 midfielders available at these prices, so we’ll try and pick out the best of them.
Once again, any stats we use in this piece either come from our Premium Members Area – get 40% off today! – or via Statsbomb, with whom we are teaming up in 2024/25.
YANKUBA MINTEH
It’s with a sinking feeling that the writer of this article, a Newcastle United fan, lavishes praise on Yankuba Minteh (£5.5m).
Firstly, the obvious caveat is that he is yet to kick a ball in the Premier League. The Dutch top flight has been renowned for producing as many flops as successes when free-scoring, assist-making stars cross the North Sea.
But Brighton and Hove Albion tend not to make too many blunders in the transfer market. Neither did Dan Ashworth-era Newcastle United. Both clubs liked what they saw in Minteh, the Magpies snapping him up for €7m after only 17 Danish Superliga appearances. The Seagulls have just splashed £33m on the winger.
The Eredivisie stats make for promising reading.
For starters, there were 10 goals and six assists in just 17 starts and 10 substitute appearances. Minteh made himself more of a permanent fixture in the Feyenoord starting XI as the season went on.
The glowing scout reports included the winger being ranked first for ‘goal-creating actions’ in the Dutch top tier.
His underlying numbers stand out even in the Champions League, albeit from a very small sample of just four appearances:
The ‘pressures’ listed above are something we have seen in pre-season. Lots of intensity from the front, something that resulted in a penalty award against QPR last weekend. Minteh had netted himself in the two friendlies prior to that, impressing on each occasion.
The early fixtures are a mixed bag but the defences of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were far from solid last season. Neither has Chelsea’s been in pre-season. The stiffer tests are arguably Gameweeks 1 and 3 when two of last season’s tightest backlines will be attempting to stifle him:
A gamble – especially with the depth in Brighton’s attacking midfield positions – but an exciting one.
EMILE SMITH ROWE
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