Alexander-Arnold and Calvert-Lewin the smart picks for FPL managers

Everton are resurgent under Carlo Ancelotti, while Liverpool march relentlessly towards the Premier League title – and Merseyside is the place to look for an FPL boost.

Two young English players at opposite ends of the pitch and opposite sides of Stanley Park are among the top recommendations for gameweek 21 in the PA news agency’s Transfer Score.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring the goals for Ancelotti’s men and Trent Alexander-Arnold shining for the Reds, both are sure to be popular picks.

Calvert-Lewin leads the line

Everton’s improvement began under former striker Duncan Ferguson’s caretaker management – and the club’s current number nine has been an instrumental factor.

Calvert-Lewin scored twice against Chelsea in Ferguson’s first game in charge and has added three goals in the last two games under Ancelotti.

With form accounting for 50 per cent of a player’s transfer score, the 22-year-old’s recent average of 5.4 points per gameweek provides a solid baseline.

The other half is made up by cost, ownership and upcoming fixture difficulty rating (FDR), and Calvert-Lewin is owned by just three per cent of managers while his £5.8million price tag is a snip for a frontline striker.

His overall transfer score of 66 nudges him ahead of Danny Ings, whose impressive form is countered by Southampton’s daunting run of fixtures, while third-ranked striker Kelechi Iheanacho is perhaps best watched for now.

Alexander-Arnold unstoppable

In defence, Alexander-Arnold’s ludicrous 24-point Boxing Day outburst against Leicester – a goal, three assists, a clean sheet and the three least surprising bonus points in FPL history – vaulted him to the top of the form charts.

He is expensive, owned by over a third of managers and the Reds face Tottenham and Manchester United within their next three games – and still the 21-year-old leads all defenders.

If you cannot free up £7.4m, Crystal Palace’s little-owned James Tomkins is consistent and a handy £5m differential while Wolves’ Matt Doherty, at £6.1m and with low ownership, has more chance than most of rivalling Alexander-Arnold’s attacking output.

Vote for Pablo

Out of seemingly nowhere, West Ham’s Pablo Fornals is rated as the midfielder to pursue after a sudden improvement.

The Spaniard’s one goal and three assists this season have all come in the last six games, with the former helping him to maximum bonus points despite his side’s defeat to Leicester last time out.

Only 0.4 per cent of managers have so far cottoned on, making the £6m playmaker a tempting differential.

Tottenham’s Dele Alli remains second with Adama Traore completing the top three. The Wolves man, though, will not get to play against Manchester City again – three of his four goals and two of his three double-figure FPL scores have come against last season’s champions.

Time for Cherry-picking?

Bournemouth face just about the easiest possible run of games on paper, with their next five fixtures all scoring two out of five on FDR.

Despite that, their poor recent form means only goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale makes the top three at his position. He is among the highest-scoring FPL keepers all season, though the top eight are covered by only three points.

Midfielder Dan Gosling makes the overall top 10, costs just £4.9m and has 0.1 per cent ownership – but, as a strict two-goals-a-season man, the last four gameweeks may have used up his allocation.