The Premier League signings are already rolling in, so our Summer Transfer Analysis will delve into the prospects of all the major transfers. It’s imperative that you know who the new signings are ahead of the upcoming Fantasy EPL drafts, and what kind of impact they could have on the Premier League! This series of articles will form a key part of our biggest and best Draft Kit yet! Click here for details on how you can access our 22/23 edition.
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The Premier League New Summer Transfer Signings covered here occurred between 9th July and 29th July.
Premier League New Signings Analysis 22/23
We outline each Premier League new signing individually, providing our views on how they will perform this season and a star rating is given based on their upcoming prospects! We use a five-star rating model to rank the new signings; use these hints and tips to help get your Draft Premier League season off to a flyer!
We’ve ranked the prospects based on a star rating, from 1 to 5:
⭐️ = Steer clear
⭐️⭐️ = Wait and see
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Could be worth a punt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Good signing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = The Premier League signing you’ve been waiting for!
Raheem Sterling
Position: Winger/Forward (Forward in Fantrax)
Team: Chelseaap
Signed From: Man City for £51m
Prospects: Take a look at our Chelsea Best Players article for some coverage of Sterling. In pre-season, it appears Sterling is set i stone in their starting attacking trident with Mount and Havertz. Chelsea are looking to sell Werner or Ziyech, and potentially bring in at least 1 new attacker, but it's very slow progress, so odds are Sterling likely won't have much competition for his spot. Early 2nd round (in a 12 team) seems like a healthy spot for him, incorporating the risk of being on a new team.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christian Eriksen
Position: Attacking Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Manchester United
Signed From: Free agent (market value of £20m)
Prospects: Take a look at our Manchester United Best Players article for some coverage of Eriksen. Eriksen's value comes down to how many games he actually starts. Will he be like Gundogan, a very good player when he plays but doesn't play enough to be an elite asset? Or will he start most weeks? It'll likely boil down to whether United can fit him and Bruno Fernandes in the same lineup. ETH will probably try to begin the season in a 4-3-3 with Eriksen and Bruno as 2 8's and Fred/McTominay as the 6 backing them up. Many, including myself, are of the opinion that this will not work well, particularly against tougher opponents. If we end up being right, Eriksen may be sacrificed in many games for a McFred or the like in a double pivot and Bruno in his preferred 10 role. If we're wrong, Eriksen could start 30 games, put up similar per game stats to last year in a better offense and be a fantasy stud. Lot of risk and reward here, we think late 3rd round is a good time to go for the Dane. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️
Dwight McNeil
Position: Winger/Wide Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Everton
Signed From: Burnley for £16m
Prospects: The consistent Burnley ghost point king is back in the Prem. Dwight's hard work on both sides of the ball got him 9.6pp90 and 9.3 gpp90 last season (with only1 assist and no goals). Well, he's now playing for a (slightly) more prolific squad in Everton so he should be in better spots to get returns. Playing time may be less guaranteed than his normal 35 starts a season though, with Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon to compete with on the wings (and Iwobi/Townsend). Still, Everton have paid the fee and McNeil looked impressive in their most recent preseason game (scoring 2 goals in 5 minutes), so he's a good bet to win the starting job (opposite from Gordon probably). He'll very likely take lefty set pieces when he does start. As such, with 25 projected starts, and similar numbers to previous seasons, with a bit of room for upside, we feel good about taking McNeil in the 6th round. If you're more bullish on his minutes, take him earlier.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kalidou Koulibaly
Position: Centre Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Chelsea
Signed From: Napoli for £34m
Prospects: Koulibaly should be a very solid fantasy defender this season. Yes he's older, and yes he hasn't played in the Premier league, but he's still near the top of his game and he still puts up nice stats: 9.8 pp90 and 7.2 gpp90 on a Napoli team where he also got 3 goals, 3 assists, and 11 cleansheets in 27 starts last season. He was desperately needed by Chelsea and with the issues they're having signing other centre-backs, he looks very likely to start 30+ games next season. If he can be Thiago Silva with slightly better PPS stats, he should be a top 15 defender this season. We like him mid 6th round, which at the moment is actually later than his ADP, but that might change. Or his name/team value will continue to overvalue him, we'll see.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gianluca Scamacca
Position: Striker (Forward in Fantrax)
Team: West Ham
Signed From: Sassuolo for £32m
Prospects: West Ham finally have another striker to ease the burden on Antonio's aging hamstrings. Scamacca is coming off a nice season in the Serie A where he scored 16 goals in 25 starts (and 11 sub appearances) to go along with 12.4 pp90 and 6.4 gpp90. Not great ghosts, but West Ham's wingers should create chances aplenty for him to get the returns. He's good at finishing and in the air but a poor creator. At 23, he's likely West Ham's front man for years to come but I wouldn't expect him to steal the starting job so quickly from Antonio. Likely they'll begin rotating, and maybe even playing together at times. Eventually he could win the job, but its certainly no sure thing. I'd be careful not to overrate the Italian (nor other effected Hammers' assets) but 7th round feels the right spot.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jesse Lingard
Position: Attacking midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Nottingham Forest
Signed From: Free agent (market value of £16m)
Prospects: Take a look at our Nottingham Forest Best Players article for coverage of Lingard. Whether he can produce near his West Ham levels for a recently promoted, favored to be relegated side is the big question. The answer is likely no, but he can still probably do enough to be a decent fantasy player. Round 7 is when we would suggest taking a flyer on him.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Ben Mee
Position: Centre Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Brentford
Signed From: Free agent (market value of £3m)
Prospects: Ben Mee has been a stalwart of the Burnley defense for years, even skippering them in recent times. But after relegation he's moved on to greener pastures. Brentford could really use Mee's services, particularly after Pinnock's injury that may rule him out for a while. Mee will likely start next to Jansson in a 4 to begin the season, but Ajer and Pinnock will be coming for their spots when healthy. If they play a 3 back again, like much of last season, there will be more minutes to go around. At Burnley, Mee put up 8.7 pp90 and 8.4 gpp90 last season. Very respectable numbers but much of it may have come from Burnley soaking up pressure. I'd expect lower PPS as well as lower starts at Brentford but still comfortably a DEF3, so I'd take him Round 9 or later.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Neco Williams
Position: Right Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Nottingham Forest
Signed From: Liverpool for £18m
Prospects: Take a look at our Nottingham Forest Sleepers article for coverage of Williams. Whether his ghost points can sustain all the goals conceded is the key question. We're generally optimistic and like him in the 9th or later.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Position: Left Back/Central Midfielder (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Arsenal
Signed From: Man City for £32m
Prospects: Zinchenko to Arsenal gives the Gunners needed depth and quality in the 2 areas of the pitch they needed it the most: LB and LCM. Tierney s hurt often so Zinchenko will likely get many starts there. Despite public ridicule, Xhaka has been a consistent performer for Arsenal for years. He may not be remarkable though, which does give some opportunity for Zinny to steal the job or at least provide rotation. If Xhaka is forced to cover CDM at some point, they could start together as well. At City, Zinny scored quite well when he played, with 10 pp90 and 7.5 gpp90 last season. He's a hard worker and contributes on both sides of the ball so he should have a nice floor, albeit a worse ceiling at Arsenal. Still, his likely increased amount of starts, however they come, as well as him being a defender, make him an intriguing mid round pick (around the 8th or so).
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nathan Collins
Position: Centre Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Wolves
Signed From: Burnley for £22m
Prospects: Take a look at our Wolves Sleepers article for coverage of Collins. We think he can provide good value in round 13 or later.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Joe Aribo
Position: Utility Attacker/Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Southampton
Signed From: Rangers for £m6
Prospects: Take a look at our Southampton Sleepers article for coverage of Aribo. He's an intriguing, versatile player who put up good stats (10.5 pp90 and 8.2 gpp90) in a worse league. He should find his way into the Saints lineup one way or another. He may take some time to get up to speed, but we wouldn't mind a late late punt on him, say 14th or so.
Rating: ⭐️⭐⭐️
Andreas Pereira
Position: Attacking Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Fulham
Signed From: Man United for £6m
Prospects: Take a look at our Fulham Sleepers article for coverage of Pereira. Busy player, good on sets, but on poor team. A lot may fall on his shoulders in the middle of the park, but can he deliver? We think he'll be only decent. Don't reach too much; Round 11 should suffice.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Keane Lewis-Potter
Position: Winger/Forward (Forward in Fantrax)
Team: Brentford
Signed From: Hull for £17m
Prospects: Take a look at our Brentford Sleepers article for coverage of Lewis-Potter. He may take some time to win the starting role from Yoanne Wissa, but once he does, he should be a streaky fantasy forward. You can get him cheap: Round 14 or later.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lisandro Martinez
Position: Centre Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Manchester United
Signed From: Ajax for £52m
Prospects: Lisandro is a 24 year old centre back who has excelled in an Erik Ten Hag system before. He's diminutive, yet a great distributor of the ball and still good defensively. ETH specifically shelled out for him, so it's a good bet he's a starter next to either Maguire or Varane (early signs indicate Maguire to start). Fantasy-wise he scored 8 pp90 and 7.6 gpp90 for Ajax in the Champions League. I expect he'll be a solid, but unremarkable fantasy asset, useable in easy to medium United matchups when they have a shot at a clean sheet. Round 12 or later if you believe in the ETH revolution, particularly defensively.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kevin Mbabu
Position: Right back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Fulham
Signed From: Wolfsburg for £5m
Prospects: Take a look at our Fulham Sleepers article for coverage of Mbabu. We like him as a cheeky late round defender pick, whose ghost points could end up offsetting Fulham conceding in bunches. Think Hassane Kamara on a good day. 12th or later.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2
Sekou Mara
Position: Striker (Forward in Fantrax)
Team: Southampton
Signed From: Marseille for £12m
Prospects: A promising one for the future. He scored 6 goals in 8 starts (and 18 subs) for Marseille last season, so Southampton snatched him up quick. Whether he competes out the gate with Che Adams and Adam Armstrong for starts, is the big question. Edit: he’s starting the final preseason game which generally bodes well for GW1 starting chances. He’s a cheeky Round 13 punt or later, you may even end up with a starting forward on your hands.
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️1/2
Manor Solomon
Position: Winger/Attacking Mid (Forward in Fantrax)
Team: Fulham
Signed From: Shaktar for Unknown Amount (market value of £16m)
Prospects: Solomon is a short, flair winger who loves to dribble, but has yet to prove himself on the big stage. The Israeli international who played in Ukraine will compete for the LW spot with Cordova-Reid and Kebano. Whether he can become a consistent creator on a lower table, yet still attacking (if they stick to Silva's principles) side is the question. His forward tag also helps his case. He put up 8.6 pp90 and 6.7 gpp90 in the Europa and Champions leagues in 2 seasons. His ADP is as low as can be, so you don't need to draft him, but we could see him providing some value in 10 weeks or so (but do not hold that long).
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Djed Spence
Position: Right Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Spurs
Signed From: Middlesbrough for £13m
Prospects: Spence could be a great fantasy player if not for the pesky competition Spurs currently have at RWB. Matt Doherty, Emerson (while he's still around), and even Lucas Moura converted, offer competition to Spence, who manager Conte admitted was a club signing, but is still a good, young player. Spence looks likely to take some significant time to bed in, barring an injury to Doherty. If he does get the job, he's a quick pickup though as he put up 9.9pp90 and 8.7 gpp90 for Forest last year as a RWB and should only get better. We'd advise waiting and not drafting him, but maybe you want a handcuff or believe in his talent winning out sooner rather than later.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Chris Richards
Position: Centre/Right Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Crystal Palace
Signed From: Bayern for £11m
Prospects: The American prospect will very likely not have a starting role in the beginning of the season but could eventually unseat Andersen at CB or Clyne at RB. On loan in the Bundesliga he did put up 8.5gpp90 (and 6.2 pp90 due to goals conceded). If and when he wins the starting job, he could end up the best Palace defender, but we wouldn't waste the draft pick for now.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Lewis O'Brien
Position: Central Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Nottingham Forest
Signed From: Huddersfield for £5m
Prospects: O'Brien is a high intensity, quality ball-carrier at centre mid. He scored 8.1 pp90 and 6.7 gpp90 in the Championship and likely will do a bit worse than that for Forest. He lacks the upside necessary to consider a centre mid at a promoted side in the draft.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Cheick Doucouré
Position: Defensive Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Crystal Palace
Signed From: Lens for £20m
Prospects: Doucoure will be a proper anchor in front of the defense for Palace, but he did score decently well for Lens last season: 7.9 pp90 and 6.7gpp90 (1G, 4A). He could end up being your classic Hojbjerg type of player, but we normally wouldn't suggest taking that kind of profile late in the draft. Let him prove himself first.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Harry Toffolo
Position: Left Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Nottingham Forest
Signed From: Huddersfield for £5m
Prospects: Toffolo is a new LWB signing for Forest and will likely start to begin the season due to Richards' injury. He did well at Huddersfield scoring 9.5 pp90 and 6.5gpp90 based on 6 goals, 7 assists, and 15 clean sheets. That high GACS will likely haunt him in the Prem and we think the lack of returns and many goals conceded will make him a waiver wire guy/
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Omar Richards
Position: Left Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Nottingham Forest
Signed From: Bayern for £8m
Prospects: Richards has a hairline fracture in his leg and will miss many weeks to begin the season. Best not to think about him for now and wait to see how good Forest are before he returns. He's a LWB and will compete with Toffolo for the spot.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Ruben Vinagre
Position: Left Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Everton
Signed From: Sporting for Unknown Amount (market value £5m)
Prospects: Vinagre was signed as a depth/competition for Mykolenko at LB. He likely will be the backup for most of the season, so no need to draft, but he could be a good streamer in a pinch; he scored 8.8 gpp90 in his Wolves EPL stint (albeit only 7.6pp90 due to goals conceded).
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Ludwig Augustinsson
Position: Left Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Aston Villa
Signed From: Sevilla for £0.5m
Prospects: His price says a lot. You can ignore him if/until Digne gets injured. He's not a bad player and put up 7.4 gpp90 last season though, so he could be a streamer one day.
Rating: ⭐️1/2
FBRef and Opta (via Fantrax) data used for performance data. Transfermarkt data used for evaluation and transfer values.
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