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BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
Liverpool council hears concerns over bar bids near Everton stadium
Concerns have been raised about the number of licensed premises opening or planned in the shadow of Everton's new stadium. Liverpool Waterfront North councillor Dave Hanratty said the stadium was meant to bring investment but that "the only investment we're getting at the moment is alcohol-licenced premises".He spoke at a licensing meeting where a bid to open a bar named in honour of former Everton manager Howard Kendall was put on hold until a planning dispute could be resolved.A building control officer told the meeting the impact of the wider stadium development would not be known until the ground was in regular use. The plans for the Howard Kendall Suite at Collingwood Dock were discussed at a meeting ahead of Everton's 1-0 defeat to Roma in a pre-season friendly at the 52,000-seater ground on Saturday. A bid by another operator, Mersey View Leisure Ltd, to open another venue in nearby Fulton Street, is set to be heard by licensing chiefs bids have been brought by companies independent of the football club. The Howard Kendall Suite plan was brought by firm Intersky, and would include a bar and restaurant made from shipping containers. According to its website, the business is aiming to provide a "unique and VIP hospitality pre and post-match" for about 170 Douglas, representing the developer, said work that had already begun on site was allowed under "permitted development rights" and did not require council building control officer Peter Jones said that was not correct and the operators had "ignored" the council's advice, prompting enforcement action, the Local Democracy Reporting Service Douglas described Mr Jones' comments as "really unfair". Mr Jones said the Labour-led council might be able to support such ventures in "12 months or a season's time". 'Right balance' Ward councillor Hanratty, Labour, questioned whether the matchday hospitality venue - which would not allow walk-in custom - was right for the decades, the area close to the recently built stadium had been largely made up of industrial sites and warehousing, but in recent years a number of bars and cafes have sprung up, alongside hotel and residential conversions of previously derelict said: "The principal thing is, is this right for the area? The reason for the number of objections is the amount of people living in the Tobacco Warehouse."We have to make sure we have the right balance." He warned how if the area was not managed it could become a "free-for-all", adding: "It's a nice area and we want it to grow." Mr Douglas said the planning issue would be sorted out, and that the applicants knew it was a case of "no planning, no trade".In his objection to the plans for a venue at the former industrial unit in Fulton Street, on the other side of Regent Road, Hanratty said the midnight closing time could be a problem for people living in the area."This is an up-and-coming area and we need to ensure we protect the quality of life for those residents, who could be detrimentally affected."The council needs to have a consistent approach and not have an over-saturation of late-night premises."Licensing chiefs are due to consider the plan later. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
7 minutes ago
- BBC News
All three promoted clubs to go down? The stats around relegation
There's a pattern emerging in the Premier the past two seasons the three teams that have come up from the Championship have gone straight back newly-promoted Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland buck the trend this term?BBC Sport looks into the stats surrounding relegation and rates each of the new boys' chances. How bad were the last six promoted teams, really? Points-wise, very bad. Since 1996-97, when three promoted sides started playing in a 38-game Premier League season they have averaged 113 points between 2023-24, Burnley, Luton and Sheffield United set a record-low tally when they stumbled to a collective 66 last season, promoted sides Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton were even worse, taking a measly 59 points. Two years ago, fans could have confidently predicted that at least one of the trio of newly-promoted teams would avoid relegation the following the past two campaigns, the only other Premier League season where all three promoted clubs went straight back down was in 1997-98, when Bolton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace all faced the then, Bolton managed 40 points and only went down on goal there have been four occasions where all three promoted teams survived. The last time was just three years ago, when Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest all beat the drop. How many points do you need to avoid relegation in the Premier League? For as long as there's been relegation, supporters have been trying to predict the minimum number of points needed to avoid what should Burnley, Leeds, Sunderland and others be aiming for? Traditionally, 40 points are said to be enough for Premier League survival. That's because only three teams have ever reached the 40-point mark in a 38-game season and gone are: West Ham with 42 in 2002-03, Sunderland with 40 points in 1996-97 and Bolton with 40 points the following given all three of those seasons were well over 20 years ago, is it time to set a lower benchmark?Over the past 10 seasons, the average points collected by the team in 18th - a total you'd need to better in order to stay up - has been exactly finished 17th last term with 38 points but, because of the weaknesses of the promoted trio, they would still have beaten the drop with just season before, 17th-placed Nottingham Forest managed 32 points - a tally which included a four points deduction - but actually only needed 27 to stay up. What's clear is that those coming up to the Premier League are finding it harder to be competitive, meaning those already in the division can do less to avoid the drop. Over the past two seasons the best newly-promoted side has averaged 25.5 points while the worst non-promoted club has averaged in stark contrast to the two seasons prior where the best newly-promoted side averaged 49 points while the worst non-promoted club averaged only 30. Does Championship performance matter? Leeds and Burnley are two of the strongest sides ever promoted to the Premier League, and before the past two seasons history would have suggested they were almost guaranteed to stay Championship dominance doesn't ensure five teams have ever gone straight back down after being promoted with 95 points or more - yet four of those five have done so in the past four years. Meanwhile, Sunderland collected 76 points last term, finishing fourth and gaining promotion through the of the past 11 teams promoted via the play-offs have gone straight back down the following that stretch, only Brentford in 2021-22 have collected more than 40 points in their season after going up (46). A fast start is crucial How each promoted side starts the season is one of the best indicators when it comes to survival promoted side over the past 10 seasons with 11 points or more after 10 games has survived, while taking fewer than that has meant an almost guaranteed return to the be worth bookmarking this article and returning to it on 1 November. That's when all three promoted teams should have played 10 matches - although fixture dates can still be the two survivors - despite poor starts - were Bournemouth in 2015-16 (eight points after 10 games) and Nottingham Forest in 2022-23 (five points after 10 games). Is Premier League relegation all down to money? Why are newly-promoted clubs finding it so hard to compete in the Premier League? Football finance expert Kieran Maguire says money is "certainly a contributory factor"."The clubs coming up do have a disadvantage," he told BBC Sport. "Under the current Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), if you've been in the Premier League for the past three seasons you can lose up to £105m over a three-year cycle. "But, most newly-promoted clubs can only lose up to £61m over three years. It works out to £13m per season in the Championship season and £35m per season in the top flight."That £44m gap in budgets has created a new middle class in the Premier League of clubs not strong enough to compete for Europe, but also incredibly unlikely to be dragged into a relegation battle."And turkeys aren't going to vote for Christmas. Those middle-class clubs aren't going to vote for any changes in the financial rules that would increases their chances of being relegated." 'Leeds look to data' - how promoted clubs are trying to buck relegation trend Jonathan Buchan, BBC Radio Leeds Sports Editor Leeds have their own theory when it comes to avoiding relegation. Physicality. That has been the word of the summer so far at the club, who have a strong internal belief that the difference between staying up and going straight back down is height, strength and an ability to win aerial battles in both first seven signings of the summer have an average height of 6ft 2in, which gives you a sense of that thought they need the majority of these signings to hit the ground running to have any hope of survival, and their early recruitment will certainly help that. However, they also need the other promoted clubs' new faces to falter and an established Premier League side, or two, to have difficult data may breed confidence in avoiding relegation, but football is played on grass, not spreadsheets. 'Burnley better prepared this time around' Scott Read, BBC Radio LancashireThe last time Burnley prepared for a Premier League season they'd just won the Championship title, and were comfortably the strongest side in the second tier. They then spent around £100m in the summer transfer window and were still relegated. However, despite relatively modest spending so far and losing key players from last season - James Trafford, CJ Egan-Riley and Josh Brownhill - I think most supporters will feel they probably have a better chance at bucking the trend this time around. The likelihood is they'll probably go down, but under Scott Parker I think they'll give themselves the best possible chance to avoid it. They won't be distracted about an idea of playing a 'brand of football' and a 'certain way' because that's how you need to be seen to be doing it. The promotion last season - and the record clean sheets - was built entirely on a selfless attitude, and a pride in defending and being hard to beat. It's that approach that their season will be built on. 'Renewed optimism in Sunderland' Nick Barnes, Sunderland commentator for BBC Radio NewcastleEight years in the wilderness and Sunderland are now about to embark on their latest Premier League campaign, with the landscape of the league having changed dramatically in that relatively short gulf between the Championship and Premier League is at its widestNow Brentford, Bournemouth and Brighton are the shining examples of clubs who have bucked the trend of yo-yoing between the Premier League and Championship, with recruitment models the envy of many Sunderland has its own model of sustainability with a heavy emphasis on youth and academy-grown talent, they have bitten the bullet and spent over £100m in the transfer market in a bid to stay up. Sunderland is being reshaped and the owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has to be applauded in his ambition. The financial decisions this summer won't have been taken lightly nor is a renewed optimism and Sunderland fans will hope his vision and the incredible journey - the seeds of which were sown with a return to the Championship in 2022 - can continue in the Premier League.
BBC News
37 minutes ago
- BBC News
Who to pick, who to avoid - your team's FPL assets ranked
To help Fantasy Premier League managers as you tinker with your teams before Friday's deadline, we've gone through all 20 teams and ranked some of their four experts - Pras, FPL Heisenberg, Gianni Buttice and Holly Shand - have each chosen:a differential pick - a low-owned player who could end up being an FPL star;a player to avoid - an asset unlikely to justify their price tag or be productive enough to win your Sport has also highlighted a talisman - each team's star player. You can join the BBC Sport League on the official Fantasy Premier League game using the code bbcfpl - or by clicking this link, external. Arsenal Talisman: Bukayo Saka (£10m)Last season was the first since 2020-21 that Saka did not reach 20 goal involvements in the Premier League - he got 17 and that was after missing nearly half the campaign with are a couple of question marks around him this season. Will his minutes be managed more and will new striker Viktor Gyokeres want to take penalties? - but Saka is a pretty safe bet to get 200 FPL points if Declan Rice (£6.5m)Holly: Midfielder Rice carries extra appeal this season given the introduction of defensive contribution points, having already been involved in Arsenal's accumulated 11 goal involvements last season and would have received an additional 18 points on this new metric. Arsenal host promoted Leeds United too in Gameweek to avoid: Gabriel (£6m)Holly: Centre-back Gabriel was one of the most popular picks in the game when it launched in mid-July, but he has only played 28 minutes in has seen his popularity wane somewhat. Mikel Arteta said he is on track to be available for gameweek one, but we need concrete news before investing, given the defensive options Arsenal have. Aston Villa Talisman: Ollie Watkins (£9m)Watkins is such a reliable FPL asset with 50 goals and 34 assists over the past three seasons. His FPL points in that time were 178, 228 and you know what you're getting at an enticing price. His only downside is the lack of penalties - Youri Tielemans is likely to be Villa's designated taker - but don't let that put you Donyell Malen (£5.5m)Heisenberg: The Netherlands midfielder has been in great pre-season form, only costs £5.5m and has an eye for goal. He may even get some minutes in the centre-forward position if Watkins gets injured or subbed early. The only concern with Malen is the insecurity of minutes but, at that price point, he's potentially worth a to avoid: Alex Moreno (£4m)Heisenberg: Moreno is the fourth-highest-owned Villa player in over 11% of FPL he's third-choice left-back behind Lucas Digne and Ian Maatsen - he won't feature much this season. He's only £4.0m, but, if you want a super cheap defender go for the likes of Maxime Esteve (Burnley), Reinildo Mandava (Sunderland) or Gabriel Gudmundsson (Leeds). They're also £4.0m but they're likely to be regular starters. Bournemouth Talisman - Evanilson (£7.5m)The Brazilian striker scored 10 goals in 28 starts and he underperformed his expected goals by nearly three, when forwards tend to outperform xG. That suggests he has more goals in his locker and he was already involved in 35% of his team's goals when on the question marks around Justin Kluivert's fitness, Evanilson could be on penalties too and, if he gets a full season under his belt, that 10-goal mark from 24-25 is easily Antoine Semenyo (£7m) Pras: The midfielder enjoyed a strong 24-25, scoring 11 goals and assisting seven times across 37 matches. Only Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer attempted more he improve on his 8.8% shot conversion there is a real possibility he makes his £7m price tag look like a bargain. At just 5.5% ownership at the time of writing, he could rival Aston Villa's Rogers and Spurs midfielder Mohammed Kudus in the same price to avoid: Marcos Senesi (£4.5m) Pras: Bournemouth have sold Dean Huijsen, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Milos Kerkez already this summer. It is possible Illia Zabarnyi leaves as well. While this immediately makes defensive assets like Senesi tempting at their price, I'd avoid going there simply as a regular defence has been affected and a new one may take some time to settle. Brentford Talisman: Kevin Schade (£7m)It might surprise you Schade was the 14th highest-scoring midfielder last season and with Bryan Mbeumo gone, Brentford will be hoping the German can fill the creative scored 11 times last season - seven from January onwards - in just 26 starts. Brentford scored more goals than fourth-placed Chelsea last season so the potential is there for Schade to be a steal at £7m if the Bees carry on in that Igor Thiago (£6m)Gianni: In February 2024, the Brazilian joined Brentford for a club-record £30m fee and a growing reputation. Fast forward 18 months and he's only made eight appearances, scoring no goals. Now fully recovered from a meniscus injury, he will surely lead the line this season. Under 1% owned, he could be the best £6m forward in the to avoid: Nathan Collins (£5m) Gianni: Collins is the highest owned but also the highest priced Brentford defender. He does well for defensive actions - two goals and seven assists last season - but £5m is too much to spend on a defender that won't keep many clean sheets and has only five league goals in his past four seasons. Brighton Talisman: Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m)The Japan forward is another one of those players who would be FPL gold dust if he could stay fit for a was Brighton's joint-top scorer (10) and had the most key passes and big chances created. All that from just 28 starts make him the Brighton midfielder of choice and a potential Danny Welbeck (£6.5m)Pras: Welbeck - in just 7.8% of teams - is one of the rare forwards under £7m, play for a top-10 team and also very likely to be on penalties (following Joao Pedro's departure). Brighton were ranked joint fifth for goals scored last season, racking up 66 in total. At 34, Welbeck is of course prone to injuries and rest, but clocking more than 2,000 minutes last season, where he got 10 goals, four assists, is not bad at to avoid: Georginio Rutter (£6m)Pras: Big things were expected from Rutter when he was signed for a club-record deal from Leeds a year ago. The Frenchman disappointed, however, delivering less than 100 FPL points and playing under 2,000 minutes, despite injuries to Joao Pedro and Welbeck at various points. Despite Joao Pedro's move to Chelsea leaving an opportunity up front, I would avoid Rutter initially. Burnley Talisman: Jaidon Anthony (£5.5m)It's hard to highlight a talisman from a promoted side, but winger Anthony scored eight goals and had seven assists in the Championship last looks likely to be a creative spark again for Burnley - he had 81 key passes last season - and his price point makes him a great enabler if you prefer him to a defensive Maxime Esteve (£4m)Holly: We've seen from data for last season that centre-backs from promoted teams can perform very well for defensive contributions, which sees Burnley's Esteve as a top comes in as one of the lowest-priced defenders in the game, with some kind early fixtures including Sunderland in gameweek two. Rotate him with a Spurs Aaron Ramsey (£4.5m)Holly: Ramsey is the bandwagon £4.5m midfielder but should be avoided, with better options from other sides at this price missed most of last season with a knee injury and is unproven at Premier League level. It's a surprise to see the 22-year-old former Aston Villa man in 12.8% of teams. Chelsea Talisman: Cole Palmer (£10.5m)You don't need to say much about Palmer really. He was the top scoring player two seasons ago and had 25 goal contributions last term, even he fizzled out a bit towards the he under-priced at £10.5m? Only Mohamed Salah really rivals him for talisman status and everything Chelsea do flows through Pedro Neto (£7m)Heisenberg: The Portuguese midfielder is usually a player I avoid due to rotation worries and his injury record. However, with 10 goal contributions last season and a strong Fifa Club World Cup, he's now fully settled at Chelsea and could be their best differential Joao Pedro (£7.5m)Heisenberg: The Brazil striker is a great player but I see two problems. Firstly, he could and almost certainly will share minutes with Liam Delap. Secondly, he was on penalties at Brighton which was a big plus point, but this won't be the case at Chelsea because Palmer will take them. Crystal Palace Talisman: Eberechi Eze (£7.5m)Palace's attack is really a three-headed monster, with Eze, Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta having 16, 15 and 16 goal involvements respectively last is the leader of the pack though, having had a hand in 35% of Palace's goals while on the pitch and almost double (102 to 59) the amount of shots to suggests he can improve on his eight goals with better Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m)Gianni: The Frenchman is in fewer than 6% of teams and has a lot of competition at his price point with Dominic Solanke and Chris Wood being much more popular. Mateta has an impressive 30 league goals and nine assists over the past two seasons and looks very happy playing as the focal point in Oliver Glasner's 3-4-2-1 Tyrick Mitchell (£5m)Gianni: Mitchell is a solid defender and an important part of the team, but when it comes to FPL he doesn't stand out as best in class for any metric. At the same £5m price, team-mate Maxence Lacroix is the pick for those looking to benefit from bonus points and defensive action points and, for £0.5m more, Daniel Munoz is an attacking output machine. Everton Talisman - Iliman Ndiaye (£6.5m)Ndiaye has been reclassified as a midfielder this season but will essentially play as a second forward, he is on penalties and will be confident of beating last season's nine £6.5m he is one of the cheapest penalty-taking midfielders you can find and Everton start the season with games against Leeds, Brighton, Wolves, West Ham and Crystal Palace in their first James Tarkowski (£5.5m)Pras: The centre-back accumulated more defensive contribution points than any other Premier League player last than 75% of his appearances would have met the two-point threshold for defensive contributions under this season's new point-scoring system. Consequently, Everton's fixture schedule may be less critical; a clean sheet could yield between eight and 11 points for Tarkowski. This makes him a valuable differential option and justifies his price to avoid - Beto (£5.5m)Pras: The striker delivered eight goals in the second half of last season when stepping in for an injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin. However, manager David Moyes has made recent comments about wanting more from Beto and when that is put into context of Everton signing Thierno Barry as direct competition - I would avoid going there, despite the appealing price. Fulham Talisman: Raul Jimenez (£6.5m)Alex Iwobi (£6.5m) was Fulham's top point-scorer last season and both he and Jimenez are Fulham's best picks, with 15 goal involvements each in striker Jimenez has penalties though and that sets him apart if he maintains his first-choice status. He scored 12 goals from 30 starts last Joachim Andersen (£4.5m)Holly: Andersen is quickly becoming one of my favourite defenders at this price point, where 26 defensive contribution points would have been a welcome could be a useful asset to rotate with a Nottingham Forest defender, in order to target both of their promising early to avoid: Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m)Holly: Muniz is more highly owned than Jimenez in FPL right now, which comes as a surprise when Jimenez is currently their first- choice shared minutes last season, with Muniz often coming on as a substitute for the final 20 minutes of games. He provided nine goal involvements. Leeds Talisman: Dan James (£5.5m)James had 12 goals and nine assists in the Championship last season and we've seen in Leeds' recent spells in the top flight that they can provide some FPL gems - who remembers goalscoring defender playing in midfield Stuart Dallas?James is one of Leeds' first-choice midfield assets and could be the budget enabler you need at £ Gabriel Gudmundsson (£4m)Heisenberg: A £4m defender who should be nailed on to start for Leeds. He has more attacking threat than Rodon (also £4.0m) as he may take some set-pieces and he has also played in a midfield role previously in his to avoid: Patrick Bamford (£5m)Heisenberg: Bamford was our FPL cult hero under Marcelo Bielsa in the 2020-21 season, amassing a huge 28 attacking returns, and he is the third-highest owned Leeds player in drafts at the don't be expecting those heroics again as Daniel Farke confirmed he is not part of his plans for this upcoming season. Liverpool Talisman: Mohamed Salah (£14.5m)The best player in the game, coming off the back of a historic question is, can he do it again and is he worth the increased price?Our four experts debated that point in our 'Burning Questions' Cody Gakpo (£7.5m)Gianni: Clocked 15 league attacking returns last season and has played his way in to being first choice on Liverpool's left side while scoring some important goals. Now rightly classified as a midfielder, £7.5m could prove to be exceptional Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.5m)Gianni: Liverpool's second-best midfielder last season with 143 points (six goals and 10 assists), but Florian Wirtz has played most of his pre-season minutes as a number 10 in a 4-2-3-1, leaving Szoboszlai's starting place at Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister often feel untouchable and Hungarian Szoboszlai is the most likely of the three to miss out regularly. Manchester City Talisman: Erling Haaland (£14m)The Norwegian striker scored 22 goals and returned 181 FPL points in what was considered a disappointing season for City's main man and if he can return to nearer the 45-return 22-23 season then he is worth every penny of that £ managers just need to work out if they want Haaland or Salah, can afford both or want to risk it with Tijjani Reijnders (£5.5m)Pras: If the Dutchman secures a regular spot in central midfield, he has the potential to be exceptional value at his price style of play is reminiscent of Ilkay Gundogan, and last season he registered 77 shots for AC Milan, placing him among the top 10 in Serie A. He also demonstrated a clinical edge, scoring 10 goals from an expected goals tally of to avoid: Omar Marmoush (£8.5m)Pras: The Egyptian forward featured for the full 90 minutes in 13 matches last season, which is noteworthy for a player who joined in January. However, many of these appearances occurred during periods when Haaland was injured or Phil Foden was not regularly the addition of new signings such as Rayan Cherki, plus Foden's recent strong performances in the Club World Cup, Marmoush's playing time at the start of this season seems uncertain to me. Manchester United Talisman: Bruno Fernandes (£9m)Despite some uncertainty over his playing position, Fernandes is a 90-minute man, consistent and at the heart of United's has penalties, set-pieces and open-play assist threat, on top of his goals, with eight goals and 12 assists last the new defensive contribution points, Fernandes would have been the fourth-best midfielder last season with 22 extra Patrick Dorgu (£4.5m)Holly: Dorgu carries plenty of promise if he can nail down the left wing-back role in Ruben Amorim's system. He has been attacking in some of their pre-season inclusion does come with its risks though, as he could easily be left on the bench, so be sure to have cover for to avoid: Bryan Mbeumo (£8m)Holly: United's big money signing Mbeumo was inevitably going to be popular in FPL, with around 18% of managers acquiring his it's unlikely he will be as prolific as he was at Brentford, where he was the talisman of the side and heavily involved in their set-pieces. Newcastle Talisman and player to avoid: Alexander Isak (£10.5m)Heisenberg: We have a unique situation with Newcastle, where their star man - Alexander Isak - wants to leave but may well end up is Newcastle's best FPL asset by far (he scored 211 points last season), but manager Eddie Howe has said he "can't involve" the Swedish striker in the team at the moment, with speculation about a move to one to avoid from the off until we get clarity on his future, but if he returns to the Newcastle starting XI he will once again be the striker to the latest on Isak's futureDifferential: Anthony Gordon (£7.5m)Heisenberg: Gordon has the potential to have an excellent season. He's in just over 3% of FPL teams, but he might be on penalty duty this season if Isak season was underwhelming for Gordon, with 12 attacking returns. He'll be looking to return to the level of output he achieved the season before with a huge 27 attacking returns. Nottingham Forest Talisman: Chris Wood (£7.5m)Wood scored 20 goals last season and finished with 200 points, second only to Isak among on penalties, still with very little competition - he might not match last season but Wood has everything in place to be a great FPL pick again and is a very safe bet to stick in your opening drafts, given Forest's kind opening run of Neco Williams (£5m)Gianni: Both Nottingham Forest full-backs are worth consideration, but Williams beats Ola Aina in the vast majority of defensive and attacking metrics. Aina played more minutes last season and therefore earned more FPL points which is why he's now highly owned but Williams is the better pick for those buying a £5m defender at to avoid: Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.5m)Gianni: If you're buying a £5.5m forward, make sure it's one that gets game time. Awoniyi won't see many league minutes this season. It wasn't that long ago the Nigerian was Nottingham Forest's first choice number nine, but he's slipped to third in the pecking order behind Wood and new signing Igor Jesus. Sunderland Talisman: Simon Adingra (£5.5m)The Ivory Coast winger impressed in spells at Brighton, when given game time, and Sunderland have spent £20m to bring him to the Stadium of likely to nail down a starting spot on the left wing for the Black Cats and that consistency should lead to more FPL returns - with 25 starts two seasons ago he scored six times and was close to 100 Granit Xhaka (£5m)Pras: Xhaka made 33 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer Leverkusen last season, scoring twice and providing seven assists. He will likely have to play a bit deeper at Sunderland, having previously lined up as one of two central midfielders in a 3-4-2-1 formation at Leverkusen, but it should help boost his defensive contributions. He averaged 7.6 per 90 of those (with 12 needed to gain two points) in his final season at Arsenal, but this will undoubtedly increase playing for a newly-promoted club. At just £5m, he could be the enabler your team needs to afford the other premium to avoid: Reinildo (£4m)Pras: Sunderland had the fourth-best defence in the Championship last season but their 17 clean sheets were significantly less than Burnley (30) and Leeds (25), suggesting they might not keep many in the Premier is a new signing to play left-back, but three goals and one assist in 140 La Liga and Ligue 1 outings suggests attacking returns are going to be in short supply. Despite the £4m price tag, I will be avoiding him and any other Sunderland defenders. Tottenham Talisman: Dominic Solanke (£7.5m)Spurs have a host of midfield options but Solanke is clearly the man up Son Heung-min gone, penalties are his and he is now playing under a manager - Thomas Frank - whose tactics resulted in a 20-goal striker and a 19-goal striker last keep an eye on his injury status - Solanke might be one to bring in once fully Christian Romero (£5m)Holly: Spurs have some strong opening fixtures, including Burnley at home in gameweek one and Bournemouth in gameweek three. Investing in their defence is a wise considering options, look at centre-back Romero as a reliable route into this defence at a reasonable price, with solid clean sheet potential under Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m)Holly: Ghana midfielder Kudus is a very popular pick in the game, owned by 26% of FPL managers. However, it's unclear what his role will be in this Spurs is the safer route to start the season, if fit. Remember that Kudus only produced nine goal involvements last season. West Ham Talisman: Jarrod Bowen (£8m)It's a shame Bowen has been reclassified as a striker, but he is still going to end up as West Ham's highest points has had 24 goal contributions in each of the past two seasons and, if he does play as a central striker, he should better his 13 goals from last El Hadji Malick Diouf (£4.5m)Heisenberg: Left-back Diouf looks like the pick from the West Ham defence, if you want to go there. He's in less than 4% of FPL teams but he'll have greater attacking threat compared to the other West Ham defenders. He has a wand of a left foot and I like his assist to avoid: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m)Heisenberg: Wan-Bissaka is overhyped currently. There are plenty you should avoid from West Ham (most of their assets in my opinion) but I wanted to highlight Wan-Bissaka because of his high ownership (30.9%). He wasn't great for defensive contribution points last season - if you want a West Ham defender I prefer Diouf. Wolves Talisman: Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.5m)The Norwegian had a stunning end to last season with seven goals in his past nine games, to finish with 14 in his debut Premier League Matheus Cunha gone, the striker will be even more of a focal point for Wolves and likely to be on penalties. A bargain at £ Jhon Arias (£5.5m)Gianni: The Colombian comes with a big reputation after delivering for Fluminense in the Club World Cup. No player created more chances in the tournament than attacking midfielder could be a steal at £5.5m but there are question marks over a start in gameweek one as he is integrated to the Wolves Hwang Hee-chan (£6m)Gianni: Hwang is the most expensive midfielder at Wolves and is unlikely to even be a starter at Molineux when all are fit. Swerve him.
