Three games in and the transfer market is already brutal. Some names that started as popular picks are bleeding ownership fast, and the underlying numbers explain why managers are losing patience early. Small sample, big reactions.
Top of the list
O’Reilly (DEF, MCI, £6.5m) sits at the top of the fallers list and it is not hard to see why. Four points from 150 minutes, a form score of just 1.3, and zero goals, assists, clean sheets or bonus across three games. Selection has dropped to 16.2%, and with a defender priced at £6.5m expected to contribute at both ends, this return simply is not stacking up yet.
Szoboszlai (MID, LIV, £7.0m) is a stranger case. He has 15 points, a goal, a clean sheet and 270 minutes played, with a form of 5.0, yet selection is still at 39.3% and clearly sliding from a higher base. That points to managers who bought in on reputation now trimming exposure despite a decent return.
B.Fernandes (MID, MUN, £12.0m) is the most eye-catching name here given his output. Three goals, an assist, three bonus points and 27 total points from 270 minutes, with a form of 9.0. At 47.3% selection he is still one of the more heavily owned midfielders, but the drop from an even higher ownership peak shows some managers are cashing out despite the numbers looking strong, perhaps wary of price or fixture risk ahead.
Strong contenders
Mbeumo (MID, MUN, £7.9m) has delivered 21 points with 2 goals and an assist in 270 minutes, form of 7.0, yet ownership has eased to 26.0%. Calvert-Lewin (FWD, LEE, £6.0m) has 10 points and a goal plus a clean sheet from 252 minutes, form 3.3, with selection down to 24.7%. Tzolis (MID, ARS, £6.5m) offers 11 points, two assists and a clean sheet across 210 minutes, form 3.7, at 18.0% ownership. Shaw (DEF, MUN, £4.4m) has just 7 points and one assist from 252 minutes, form 2.3, and sits at 14.5% selection, a modest return for a nominally attacking full-back slot.
Watch list
- Ndiaye (MID, MCI): 16 points, an assist and two clean sheets in 266 minutes, form 5.3, but only 10.6% owned.
- Cherki (MID, MCI): 25 points, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 bonus in just 173 minutes, form 8.3, yet still at 30.5% and falling.
- Thiago (FWD, BRE): 4 points and one clean sheet from 262 minutes, form 1.3, ownership down to 12.4%.
- Maguire (DEF, MUN): 7 points, one assist, 270 minutes played, form 2.3, at 13.1% selection.
- Semenyo (MID, MCI): 13 points, two assists and a clean sheet in 270 minutes, form 4.3, sitting at 18.5%.
Verdict
The biggest ownership faller by scale is O’Reilly, whose numbers simply do not justify the price tag or the earlier hype. The best-value pick among this group is B.Fernandes, whose 27 points and 9.0 form make the ownership dip look more like profit-taking than a genuine red flag. The sleeper worth watching is Cherki, who has produced 25 points and 4 bonus in only 173 minutes, a return per minute that dwarfs everyone else on this list even as his ownership slides.
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