Transfer season is well and truly under way, with multiple Premier League clubs already confirming one or more new signings ahead of the 23/24 EPL season. We'll share our analysis on what to expect from each of these new arrivals from a Draft EPL Fantasy perspective between now and when the transfer window slams shut on September 1. Our first installment looks at players confirmed by their respective clubs between the window opening on June 14 and July 1. Follow along with our summer transfer series and so much more in our 23/24 Draft Kit. Check out our Pricing Plans for pre-season and season-long access to our in-depth fantasy analysis.
Check out our 23/24 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101. Dominate your draft!
23/24 Premier League Confirmed Transfers Analysis
Below, DraftLad and Gavin Wright list each Premier League transfer individually, providing their analysis of how they will perform in the 23/24 Premier League season. We use a five-star rating model to rank the new signings relative to their draft value; use these as a guide 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!
The Premier League Summer Transfer Signings covered here were confirmed by their respective clubs between the end of the 22/23 season and July 1 (no Mount, Rice, Szoboszlai or Tonali just yet - look for Part 2 soon!).
James Maddison
Position: Attacking midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Signed From: Leicester City for £40m
Prospects: The sharks began circling the Leicester ship as soon as it became clear they were in a relegation dogfight, and it’s no surprise to see Maddison get snapped up early in the transfer window following their demotion to the Championship (though you could be forgiven for expecting a drawn out transfer saga and bidding war for his signature between Spurs and Newcastle). If you’ve been following the midfielder’s development since his days at Norwich, you’ll know his move to North London is a well-deserved next step up for him. You’ll also be aware of the Englishman’s status as a top-tier fantasy asset. Despite playing for a relegated team, he finished the season as the 15th overall best scorer in Fantrax Default Scoring, delivering 14.5 points per start in his 28 Premier League starts.
The Foxes’ talismanic midfielder will join up with new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglu for the upcoming season, a statement signing and perhaps a signal of an intent to return to the free-flowing attacking style they enjoyed under former manager Mauricio Pochettino. Maddison will most likely find himself in a slightly more withdrawn #8 role in Postecoglu’s preferred 4-3-3, but he’ll still have plenty of opportunities to join in the attacking play and likely won’t be expected to be as involved defensively as the other #8 in the team (Bentancur/Hojbjerg/Skipp). With better attacking players around him, it’s not unreasonable to expect him to build on his impressive 19 goal contributions (10G, 9A) from last season.
This certainly sounds rosy, but it’s important to caveat that Maddison is coming into a team where he’ll no longer be the big fish in the small pond. With the likes of Kane, Son and Kulusevski as teammates, he may find himself in possession less frequently and also feel less pressure to take on the creative burden for himself. His share of set pieces may also decline with Son and Perisic in the picture, but you shouldn’t let any of this dissuade you from considering Spurs’ marquee summer signing as anything other than a fantasy asset worth fighting for.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christopher Nkunku
Position: Second striker (F in Fantrax)
Team: Chelsea
Signed From: RB Leipzig for £52m
Prospects: We’ve known Nkunku was coming to Chelsea since the World Cup, which seems like a very distant memory at this point. Chelsea certainly could have used the versatile attacker for the second half of their 22/23 campaign, but will have to be content with his belated arrival for the upcoming season. The 25 year-old Frenchman is capable of playing in any of Chelsea’s front four attacking positions, but will most likely be deployed as a #10 in a traditional Pochettino 4-2-3-1 or as a second striker if the new manager opts to stick with a 3-at-the-back system while he and his squad adapt to each other.
In either case, we can expect Nkunku to be heavily involved in the London club’s attacking sequences. He managed 16 goals and 4 assists in just 25 appearances (20 starts) for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season, scoring the equivalent of 340.5 fantasy points for his contributions. That tally would have put him between Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus in 33rd overall for the 22/23 season. Obviously we can’t make a 1:1 comparison and the Premier League has proven to be a difficult league to step into for Bundesliga signings not named Haaland, but the fact that the forward delivered 16.1 PP90 bodes well for his prospects of being a fantasy star, at the least. Build in a youthful attacking line that plays into his strengths (off-the-ball movement, close control dribbling and quick passing combinations to open space in front of goal) and there’s plenty of reason to feel optimistic. Oh, and did we mention he’s a strong contender to take penalties and possibly some other set pieces as well?
There are a few downsides, however. While the PP90 average is very strong, Nkunku didn’t deliver as many ghost points (8.2 gPP90) as one might expect from a player in his role in a very strong attacking team. Another concern that you’ve likely already picked up on is his availability. In addition to the 13 games he missed in the Bundesliga, he also had to withdraw from France’s World Cup squad. In all, he missed more than 130 days through injury last campaign. Prior to the knee ligament injury he sustained in November, though, he had a relatively clean history throughout his career. If he can improve on his availability this season, it may be enough to offset the “Bundesliga tax” and Chelsea’s apparent hoodoo when it comes to signing promising young talent from the German first division.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️