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 the end of the 21/22 season and roughly June 10th.
Premier League New Signings Analysis 22/23
Below we list each Premier League new signing individually, providing our views on how they will perform this season. 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
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Great prospect
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = The Premier League signing you’ve been waiting for!
Erling Haaland
Position: Striker (Forward in Fantrax)
Team: Manchester City
Signed From: Borussia Dortmund for ~ £54m
Prospects: One of the best young strikers in world football, Haaland is a statement signing for City after winning yet another league title. City have played without a true 9 for some time now, and it'll be interesting how much they change their system as a result of acquiring the Norwegian talisman. Sam Lee of the Athletic (a top Man City writer) has reported that Haaland will be first asked to adapt to the way City play, aka more link up play with the wingers and midfielders behind him. But if that doesn't go well, he suggested they will more so adapt to his style (Haaland being more of a runner behind the lines). Haaland's output in the Bundesliga has been fantastic, scoring 49 goals and assisting 16 times in 52 appearances (48 starts) for Dortmund the last 2 seasons. Fantasy-wise, he averaged 17.9 fantasy points and 7.1 ghost points in that same time period. While the Premier league is certainly a step up, he is coming into a side that scored 99 goals in the league last year without a true centre-forward. He's semi goal-dependent (or at least more than the rest of the City players), but the goals should be there. There is little about Haaland's production when given the opportunity. But there are, of course, questions over just how much opportunity Haaland will get given Pep's notorious rotational madness. There's a couple things to think about here. Joao Cancelo (36), Rodri (33), Bernardo Silva (33) and Aymeric Laporte (33) were the only City outfielders to start more than 30 games last seasmon. You could argue that each of them were either in great lasting form (Silva), definitively the best/only option in their role (Cancelo and Rodri), or benefitted from the injuries of others (Laporte). Well, Haaland really should be the best/only option in his role. Yes, Man City have signed Julian Alvarez (covered below), who can play as a false 9. Yes, Pep has played for a false 9 for multiple seasons and can always switch to that system. But we are also talking about a truly generational talent, and a young one at that. You know he wants to win the golden boot in his debut season. In fact, he's currently odds on favorite to win the top EPL goal-scorer race (with implied probability around 20% ahead of Salah, Kane, and Ronaldo). If, and its a big if, he stays fit, I think a reasonable assumption is 30 starts this season in the EPL with room for more if he's really firing. But, despite all that hype, we'd be remiss if we did not also warn about his injury/play-time record. He has yet to actually ever start 30 league games in his career. He started 21 last season after suffering a few muscular and hip flexor injuries (missing from the squad for 10 games). He started 27 games the previous campaign with Dortmund, picking up other muscle and knee injuries (missing from the squad for 6 games). City have one of the most demanding calendars of any team in the world, regularly going deep in multiple domestic and European cups, so they'll certainly have to be careful with their new star asset. So with all that said, Haaland has massive upside with best case scenario being he starts 30+ games, is the top goal-scorer in the league, and a top 5 fantasy player. But the downside is also there, where he's not fit all season, doesn't bed in well with his new team's style of play, and he's rotated out for either Alvarez or a false 9 option. I do think there's only so much he can struggle while surrounded by world class players and managed by Pep. But opportunity is not a given. He's arguably the riskiest pick of the first 8 or so, but has so much potential. Do you want to chase that glory and risk the frustration or play it safe instead?
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ivan Perisic
Position: Wing back/Winger (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Tottenham
Signed From: Inter on a free (market value £9m)
Prospects: Spurs manager Antonio Conte successfully converted Perisic into a wing back (from a winger) during his time at Inter. In the past two seasons there, he started 55 times, predominantly at left wing back, scoring 12 goals, assisting 12 times, and putting up 12 fpts and 8.6 ghost pts per 90 in Serie A. Conte and Spurs managed to recruit him this summer to strengthen a position where they were lacking last season. Conte never seemed particularly content with any 4 of his wing back options, but now he has a player he trusts. Reguillon could very possibly depart this summer, leaving just Sessegnon (and Doherty to a degree but less so on the left side) as Perisic's competition. While Sessegnon had a decent season after dealing wbith many injuries, Perisic's resume and experience with Conte likely relegates Sess to deputy LWB. If you have doubts about Perisic's age and play time, he started 35 games for Inter in Serie last season (and played 32 the year prior). Perisic's current ADP is around 65 (early 6th Round in 12 team leagues). If he gets 28 starts and 11 pts per start (what Reguilon scored last year, albeit as a defender), I think his ADP should be a lot more like 35 (late 3rd Round), so he's a great potential sleeper. Yes, he does need to adapt to the Premier League and bed in with his new team, but he has the advantage of having a full preseason and playing for a manager who knows him well, trusts him, and employs a system with which he is very familiar.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rasmus (Nissen) Kristensen
Position: Right Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Leeds
Signed From: Red Bull Leipzig
Prospects: One year after making a particularly suspect wide back signing, Leeds look like they may have made a much smarter one here. Nissen really filled the stat sheet in Austria, being 99th percentile for aerials as a RB, 90th for tackles, and 93rd for pressures. He also got forward well, finishing in the 89th percentile for shots, and 84th percentile for progressive passes. If real-life stats don't impress you much, he scored a whopping 15.8 fpts and 10.3 ghost points per 90 in Austria. Maybe a fairer comparison to his Leeds situation is his time in the UCL, where he scored only 6.5 fpts, but 9.3 ghost points per 90. At Leeds, particularly with Luke Ayling (and Stuart Dallas) out to start the season, the RB spot should be very much his for the taking. Leeds conceded plenty of goals, although hopefully less than last season. Nissen should be able to help on that front, and his ghost point scoring abilities should make him a long-term hold unless Leeds start conceding 2+ goals every game again. Assuming that's not the case, but they're still not particularly good defensively, Nissen can be expected to score similarly to teammate, Liam Cooper, but with more attacking upside. If Leeds become even a mediocre/mid-table team, Kristensen could be a great sleeper option. I like him in the 11th round or so (in a 12 team league).
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Julian Alvarez
Position: Striker/Winger (Forward in Fantrax)
Team: Manchester City
Signed From: River Plate for £15m
Prospects: City actually transferred in the 22-year-old from River Plate last Winter, but allowed him to stay there on loan. They then paid extra to get him in time for the upcoming season. Alvarez is another promising young striker but doesn't quite have the resume of his super star teammate, Erling Haaland. He has been honing his craft in the Argentine league and has only recently started to get caps for the Argentine national team. He is yet to play consistently at the highest of levels, so he'll be thrown into the deep end at City. But the signs are certainly good. Last year in Argentina, he scored 18 goals and 7 assists in 21 games, putting up a whopping 22.1 fpts and 11.7 ghost pts per 90. In other words, he's been dominating a non top-5 league. The question is how he will adjust to the Premier League, and how much opportunity he will be afforded. City has reportedly turned down countless loan offers, and Pep plans to keep him around this season, or at least for much of preseason. Considering they've sold Jesus and look likely to be selling Sterling as well, we can assume that Pep is planning on keeping Alvarez around all season. At first glance, it will be quite hard for Alvarez to get many starts at striker (or false 9) with Haaland in front of him. But we do know that Pep likes to rotate, so he may get a couple chances there. If the Haaland experiment goes terribly wrong, Alvarez may benefit as he is actually more accustomed to playing in a Pep-esque false 9 role and linking play.
Alvarez is also underrated as a winger and could fill that role if need be. With Sterling and Jesus likely gone, there are minutes up for grabs at RW. Yes, Mahrez is still there and will likely be preferred. But it's still doubtful that he'll start more than 25 games. Cole Palmer is another option but is still quite young. Foden could swap wings and Grealish could get more time at LW. The possibilities are endless. Regardless, it is another path for Alvarez into the XI, and Pep has been known to try his forwards on the wing. I like Alvarez a lot as a late round punt. Hope he gets a couple starts early enough that you can trade him for a more consistent asset if that's your style.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Morgan Gibbs-White
Position: Attacking Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Wolves
Signed From: Returning from Loan at Sheffield United (market value ~£18m)
Prospects: Gibbs-White is a man in demand. After a very nice season on loan in the championship where he played as both a CAM and a second striker and scored 12 goals, 10 assists, and 13.1 fantasy points and 8.1 ghost pts per 90, Premier League sides are looking to buy him off of Wolves. This may be a realistic proposition given that MGW's contract is expiring in 2 years, his value is relatively high, and he doesn't seem to want to stay nor sign a new contract at Wolverhampton. They also have a lot of attackers in Raul, Silva, Podence, Neto, and even Adama Traore, so they could afford to make a sale. MGW's fantasy value is heavily dependent on where he lands. Best-case scenario may be at Forest as their creative lynchpin in a 352. They've reportedly already had 1 bid rejected and may go in again. If they, or another team where he'd be a likely starter, sign him, MGW could be a nice mid round midfielder with room for upside. If he stays at Wolves (and chooses to sign a new contract), he could still end up doing well, but he'll have to fight for his place, their 3-4-3 doesn't suit him super well, and Neto and Raul are likely ahead of him in a 352. He's more like a 11th or later punt if he does stay at Wolves. This is an important one to watch. Hope he goes to a promoted side.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Deniz Undav
Position: Striker (Forward in Fantrax)
Team: Brighton
Signed From: Union SG for ~ £6m
Prospects: Have Brighton finally found themselves a player that can finish all the chances they create and propel them further up the table? Time will tell, but the German, Deniz Undav, is the latest to give it a go. Last season he was the player of the year in Belgium, scoring 26 goals and 11 assists in 39 games for Union SG. Fantasy-wise, he posted16.4 fpts and 7.5 ghost pts per 90. The big question is how he does in pre-season and whether he can wrestle the starting job away from Danny Welbeck early in the season. The transition from lower European leagues to the Premier league has been particularly unkind for attackers at times (Brighton's own Jahanbkhsh can attest to this) so temper your expectations. However, starting forwards are hard to come by in the later rounds so there are worst punts to make. He is one to keep an eye on in pre-season.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brenden Aaronson
Position: Attacking/Wide Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Leeds
Signed From: Red Bull Salzburg for £30m
Prospects: The 21-year-old American joins his compatriot, Jesse Marsch, at Leeds. He's a versatile attacking mid, who has played predominantly through the middle as of late. He averaged 7.8 fpts and 6.3 ghost points per 90 in the Champions League during the last 2 seasons. He scored 9 goals and 10 assists in 46 games for Red Bull Salzburg over the last 2 years. He fits his new team well in that he's a great presser, with a high work-rate (top 1% in pressures). He also has the benefit of playing previously under Marsch. Given his skill and development level, he should get significant minutes in the Leeds middle. But it's hard to bank on consistent fantasy production in those starts. Expect a similar sort of scoring pattern to his teammate Klich - very up and down, with a possibility of nicking an attacking return, and tempting when he has easier matchups. He's a late-round flyer, if anything, in drafts.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Levi Colwill
Position: Centre Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Chelsea
Signed From: Returning from loan at Huddersfield
Prospects: Colwill was on loan last season and had a great year in the Championship. He started 26 games, had 11 clean sheets, and scored 10.6 fpts and 9 ghost pts per 90, nearly leading Huddersfield back to the Prem. Tuchel reportedly wants to give him a chance in preseason, but this may or may not end up happening. In theory it makes sense as Colwill is very likely the best LCB option Chelsea have at the moment after losing Antonio Rudiger. However, you may have also noticed that Chelsea are chasing multiple big name CBs, including Kounde and De Ligt. Colwill could still end up being useful depth for them still, but they also have other young CB's in Sarr and Chalobah, and Levi could be better suited out on loan to another EPL side. Southampton, Everton, and others are reportedly interested. If he gets a move to a half-decent side, with starting chances, he should be drafted late and may end up a serious sleeper candidate given his ghost point scoring abilities. If he stays at Chelsea and they don't sign more than 1 more centre back (particularly not a LCB) he could be worth a late punt. But if Chelsea sign 2 more CB's and keep Colwill, I wouldn't touch him in drafts. Hope he gets a loan or sale.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2
Diego Carlos
Position: Centre Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Aston Villa
Signed From: Sevilla for £28m
Prospects: Another older, yet solid signing for Villa. He should be a practically guaranteed starter in their back line and should theoretically help them improve their defensive record. Who he partners at the back is up in the air, but logic suggests that captain Tyrone Mings will be that man, at least at the beginning of the season. Fantasy wise, he's passable but nothing special (so far anyways). In 67 starts in Spain, he averaged 7.2 fpts and 5.8 ghost points per 90, and scored 4 goals. While I wouldn't bother drafting him, he should help Digne and Matty Cash's floors a bit by contributing to more clean sheets and less goals conceded. If Villa get hot or play in easier matchups, he'll be a decent streamer.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Boubacar Kamara
Position: Defensive Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Aston Villa
Signed From: Marseille on a free (market value ~ £23m)
Prospects: Kamara is a good signing for Villa, who desperately needed a proper 6 to shield their defenders from the coming onslaught of attackers (they have been prone to committing silly mistakes). Unfortunately for us fantasy managers, however, that is all that is really expected of Kamara. Time and time again we've seen that defensive midfielders just aren't big fantasy point-getters. His stats from his time France do not prove otherwise. He's scored 6.4 fpts and 5.9 ghost pts per 90 over the last 2 seasons. And he's only mustered 1 goal and 2 assists in 66 starts. Leave him on the waiver wire. The one important callout is his knock-on impacts: Douglas Luiz, if he stays, will likely play significantly less (and he'll likely be competing for minutes with Jacob Ramsey as an 8). As such, he won't be in the lineup to take right-footed set pieces, and those duties may fall to either Emi Buendia or Phil Coutinho, depending who's on the field. This will be a key indicator in determining the ghost point floor for one of these Villa assets.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
William Saliba
Position: Centre Back (Defender in Fantrax)
Team: Arsenal
Signed From: Returning from loan at Marseille (market value ~£27m)
Prospects: After 3 years of loans in France on 3 different teams, Saliba looks likely to finally get his chance in the Arsenal first team. This past season he started 36 times and had 13 clean sheets, 5.5 fpts, and 5.5 ghost pts per 90. He was also the Ligue 1 young player of the season. Bounds of talent and potential, and only 21 years old, you'd think he's the future of the Arsenal back line. It remains to be seen whether Arteta feels the same way though, and Ben White and Gabriel will likely start the season as the preferred pairing. Saliba is quality depth though and could certainly rotate in or even find a place in the XI eventually in a 4 or 5 back. But that future is somewhat far off, so you shouldn't bother drafting him. His fantasy stats are also nothing to drool over, so he's likely not a long-term keeper even if he does get consistent starts.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Fabio Carvalho
Position: Attacking Midfielder (Midfielder in Fantrax)
Team: Liverpool
Signed From: Fulham for £5m
Prospects: A great prospect, a very cheap signing for Liverpool, and a likely unfortunate case of fantasy talent in a place with little opportunity. Carvalho was a revelation for Fulham in the Championship last season, starting 33 games, scoring 11, assisting 7, and delivering 12.6 fpts and 8.2 ghost points per 90. He predominantly played as a #10 in a 4231 formation. It'll be very difficult for the youngster to get starts at Liverpool with at least 5, if not 6 (Harvey Elliot), attackers ahead of him in the pecking order. If he does start (in the off-chance Klopp opts for a 4231), he could be a great streaming option (think Ox with a better floor). But he is not worth drafting.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
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