Gameweek 31 of the FPL season saw the best managers take an unsuccessful punt on Burnley, but there is still time for those transfers to be considered a success.
By analysing the movements of a group of 1,000 managers with multiple top-10,000 finishes to their names, we can see how the best bosses prepared.
And as one of only two teams with a double gameweek to enjoy in GW31, the relegation-battling Clarets were top of the charts among the elite.
Despite four defeats on the spin, two of Sean Dyche’s men proved to be attractive propositions for the cream of the crop ahead of their GW31 fixtures against title-chasing Manchester City and fellow strugglers Everton.
Striker Wout Weghorst was the most popular transfer ahead of the doubleheader, with a net ownership increase of 461 among the top FPL managers.
Meanwhile his goalkeeper colleague Nick Pope attracted an ownership increase among the same group of 149, taking his elite ownership for the gameweek to 176.
For Burnley fans, the gameweek provided a 2-0 defeat to City and a thrilling 3-2 win against the Toffees to boost their survival hopes.
For our Claret keen elite FPL bosses however, Pope and Weghorst were unable to benefit.
The £6.4m Weghorst managed one goal and two assists in his first four appearances since a move from Wolfsburg in January, but has now gone seven games without an attacking return.
Furthermore, the Dutch forward’s Threat scores have been very poor, his best score (26) coming against Watford in GW23.
Meanwhile goalkeeper Pope was unable to replicate his DGW26 form which saw him return two clean sheets from two games (against Brighton and Tottenham).
The 29-year-old stopper has racked up seven clean sheets so far this term, but managed just three points in GW31, conceding four goals.
While these double gameweek gambles fell flat however, it may be in the elites’ best interests to keep hold of their Burnley assets for a little while longer.
With their Premier League status to play for, Dyche’s team face bottom side Norwich next before another double gameweek in GW33 sees them come up against West Ham and Southampton.
In fact, six of the Clarets’ remaining nine league games are rated two out of five for difficulty according to the Fixture Difficulty Rating scale, including Watford, Aston Villa and Newcastle.
With only their fourth win of the season under their belts, Burnley have everything to play for in the run-in.
The question remains: Will they rise to the occasion, and if so, will Weghorst and Pope be front and centre?
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