Paul Pogba has been the most popular signing of the gameweek so far (PA Graphics)
It’s fair to say any midfield concerns for Manchester United fans were blown away on Saturday as Paul Pogba showed off his prodigious talent by becoming only the seventh player in Premier League history to provide four assists in a single match.
The French superstar’s performance delivered 16 points to boot, and fantasy managers have had no second thoughts at paying his reasonable £7.6million FPL price tag.
Over 430,000 managers have already brought him in ahead of gameweek two – more than any other player.
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However, Pogba’s popularity is closely followed by Portuguese teammate Bruno Fernandes (£12.6 million), who has been transferred in over 320,000 times following his hat-trick in the Red Devils’ 5-1 victory over Leeds.
Up front it will come as no surprise to see that over 220,000 managers have already signed up Chelsea’s returning Belgian star Romelu Lukaku.
At £11.5m, the summer signing from Inter Milan isn’t cheap but he bagged 24 goals last season in Serie A and is already a proven goalscorer in the Premier League with the Blues, Manchester United, Everton and West Brom.
Fellow Toffee Richarlison (£7.6m) has seen his ownership soar this week too, after a goal and assist in Everton’s 3-1 comeback victory over Southampton.
However, there also seems to be some confusion – or at least disagreement – amongst the FPL community when it comes to forwards.
There’s uncertainty surrounding Aston Villa’s Danny Ings (Jonathan Brady/PA)
Aston Villa’s Danny Ings (£8m) has been brought in by over 134,000 managers this week, but also sold by 99,000, after he scored from the penalty spot against Watford.
Similarly, Leicester goalscorer Jamie Vardy (£10.5m) has been both bought and sold over 80,000 times each, while Brentford’s Ivan Toney (£6.5m) has over 90,000 ins and outs.
It seems managers are undecided on all three, with some impatient to bring in gameweek one’s star players and others expecting big things from them soon.
A low-Kost option
(PA Graphics)
Defence is so often the area where FPL managers look to save their millions, and it looks like this season is no different.
Kostas Tsimikas is filling in for the injured Andy Robertson for Liverpool – and 230,000 more managers have found it too difficult to argue with his £4.1m price tag.
The Greek defender earned a clean sheet in gameweek one, but at the other end of the scale £5.6m man Marcos Alonso went one better with a goal during Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
It seems FPL managers are almost as happy with Kostas Tsimikas as Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp (Peter Byrne/PA)
Once an FPL favourite, earning 177 points in the 2016-17 season, the Spaniard looks to be seeking to relive the glory days and has over 170,000 new owners this week.
Intriguingly Alonso’s teammate, Ben Chilwell, has been transferred out almost as much (140,000 times) – suggesting fans are confident Blues manager Thomas Tuchel isn’t set to rotate his left-backs.
