Premier League Summer Transfer Analysis 24/25 [Part Two]

Transfer season is well and truly under way, with multiple Premier League clubs already confirming one or more new signings ahead of the 24/25 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 second installment looks at players confirmed by their respective clubs between July 2nd and July 20th. To see part 1 and coverage of Maatsen, Minteh, Barkley and way more, click here.

Check out our 24/25 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!

24/25 Premier League Summer Transfers Analysis

Below, DraftLad will cover each Premier League transfer individually, providing his analysis of how they will be expected to perform in the upcoming 24/25 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 transfers, 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 Analysis covers signings that were confirmed by their respective clubs between July 2nd and July 20th (no Lindstrom, Sarr, or Calafiori just yet - look for Part 3 soon!). Part 1 here. If you would like to see the converted fantasy points scored by many of the below players this past season (in their respective leagues) check out our table here: https://www.thedraftsociety.com/transfers-fpts PP90 = fantasy points per 90. GPP90 = ghost points per 90. PPS = fantasy points per start.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)

Team: Chelsea

Signed From: Leicester City for €34m

Prospects: The 25yo English midfielder, KDH joins his former Leicester boss, Maresca at the Blues this off-season. He was integral to the Foxes promotion campaign last season, with an excellent 12 goals, 14 assists, 14.2 PPS, 9.7 GPPS, 12.3 PPS without sets, and 14.9 PP90 in 41 starts. He played predominantly as the most advanced central midfielder in Maresca's evolving 3 man mid and accrued fantastic attacking numbers. The offense ran through him and he attained over 90th percentiles for CM's in xG, xA, shot-creating actions, key passes, successful dribbles, and more. He contributed little defensively but didn't need to with Ndidi and Harry Winks as his midfield companions. So he seems a perfect fit for the system his manager intends to implement at the Blues, perhaps more than any of their current players, so where's the hesitation?

Well, besides the step up to the Prem, and likely losing a share of set pieces, he'll have more competition for starts and the attack will be more evenly distributed (perhaps unevenly but to Cole Palmer not him). In terms of competition for his place, Caicedo and Enzo were the midfield stalwarts last year, albeit less attacking options, and all 3 could play together. It's more so the likes of Connor Gallagher (who could be out the door) and Cole Palmer, that threaten KDH's grasp on the most advanced, central midfield slot. Lavia and Nkunku could also feature in that area or further back or forward, respectively. Maresca's system likely does not offer the 10, free-roaming role that Palmer was afforded last season, so he could, if not starting on the right wing and cutting in, start sometimes or often in the attacking 8 role that KDH played in. If Gallagher leaves, as I expect, KDH's claim gets that much stronger though. I'm bullish on him due to his impressive, stat-sheet filling numbers, his experience in Maresca's system, and my belief that Palmer will be likely needed to fill Chelsea's problematic RW role, leaving KDH a path to many starts this season. I do expect a significant PPS drop off from the lofty 14.9 numbers of last year, particularly with a loss of sets and more mouths to feed, but the Chelsea attack should improve and the bookies have them expected to finish 4th. I like KDH as a MID 2, who if he gets the starts, has the potential to improve his draft stock significantly for next season. I'd consider drafting him as early as the 7th round (doable given his current 9th round ADP).

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Savio

Position: Winger (F in Fantrax)

Team: Manchester City

Signed From: Troyes for €25m (€50m value on TM)

Prospects: Yet another attacker to add to the never-ending Pep attacking carousel. Savio is a 20yo, left-footed, capable of playing on both sides of the pitch, winger, coming from City's sister club Troyes (hence the significantly deflated fee). He only really has 1 senior year of football with significant minutes, and that was the 23/24 season for Girona in La Liga. But boy, for a then teenager, it was an impressive season. In 35 starts, Savinho had 9 goals, 10 assists, 12.2 PPS and 8.4 GPPS, for the eventual 3rd placed Spanish side. Stylistically, he's creative as a great ball-carrier, dribbler (3.2 successful take-ons per game), and passer. He's yet to fully flesh out the goal and shot-getting side of his game, which similarly to Jeremy Doku, City will want to get more so out of him. He's very quick and creative, but often being cited as too left-foot dominant, and will need to adapt to the physicality of the Prem. As with any attacker who plays in the City attack, there's opportunity for points galore, whether it come from goal involvements in the best attack in the league, or from just having such high possession and being able to accrue, shots, key passes, dribbles, and more.

So, the key question, as with all City players, is just how much will a player start in the Premier League. I'm not claiming to be a fortune-teller here, but let's take an educated guess. Doku, at age 21, came into the City team last summer with a similar profile and resume (with slightly more senior minutes and better xG+xA numbers in France). He started early (in GW4) and decently often (18 times, 8 of the last 19) in the Prem, but that was in part due to Grealish's early-season injuries, and subsequent form issues. Not to mention, KDB being out half the season and Foden and Alvarez playing centrally more often. This season, Grealish and KDB are likely fit to start the season, Doku has a year more experience, and youngster, Oscar Bobb is making an even stronger case for Prem minutes on the wing. That's all to say that the City attack, particularly the wings, is more crowded than ever. The 20yo, Savio is yet to join his City teammates in preseason, but we'll need to keep a close eye on how he integrates and how Pep speaks about him (particularly relative to say, Bobb). Put all those pieces together and 12 EPL starts this season for the Brazillian seems a reasonable bet. But when get them will be key. Alvarez and KDB could be slowly integrated to begin the year, post Olympics and Euros respectively, so perhaps he could take his chances early. Or he could be useless for the first half the season, and come alive post Christmas. When he starts playing, he'll be a must roster. As such, he's a good upside punt for drafters in the later rounds, better than the steady Eddy mids or DEF 3's you'll be able to scrounge off waivers weekly. With the Man City nametag and Doku recency bias, you'll likely need to go as early as the 9th to get him. Do be warned, impatient fantasy managers, he may be a frustrating hold to start the season.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Joshua Zirzkee

Position: Centre forward (F in Fantrax)

Team: Manchester United

Signed From: Bologna for €42m

Prospects: Man United look to further correct their historic striker woes with yet another young, promising signing in the form of Dutch 23yo, Zirzkee. He's an interesting centre forward, much different than his new teammate Hojlund, in that he typically creates more than he finishes himself. Despite largely playing as a lone striker in Serie A, his shot creation numbers (80th percentile for ST key passes, 77th for expected assists) were far far better than his xG (0.36 per 90, 37th percentile) and shots on target (0.95 per 90, 33rd percentile). Still, he dribbles well (1.8 successful contests per 90), passes and links up play very well, and contributes defensively; good enough for 10.2 PPS and 6.8 GPPS in the Serie A (11G, 4A in 32 starts). Again, that's very different from Hojlund (7.5PPS, 4.5 GPPS, 9.5 PP90) who's far less likely to pass to create opportunities for others and more likely to make runs behind the lines, excel in transition, and score. The latter certainly seems to fit Ten Hag's preferred transitional play style more than Zirkzee, so why shell out on him, then? Well, United are desperate for striker depth after losing long-time backup, Martial, and with Rashford proving better suited to the wing. And for once, they're not getting price-gouged on a player given the 40m buy-out clause, particularly for a young, promising forward likely to have resale value if he doesn't pan out. Still, due to Hojlund's better-fitting ST profile and Bruno Fernandes dominating the ball in advanced central spaces, I think it'll take either a significant tactical switch from ETH or a Hojlund injury to get significant fantasy value out of Zirkzee. Hypothetically, Zirkzee could play as a 9 against teams that sit in a low block to create more chances and space, while Hojlund is favored in more transitional games. Alternatively, Zirkee could play as a 10/second striker behind Hojlund, with Bruno shunted out wide. I think the former is more likely, but still a gamble. Even if he's not a prolific goalscorer and his minutes are highly questionable, Zirkzee is coming into a pretty high-power offense and he does have a decent ghost-point floor, so he's worth punting on in drafts, just not until the later rounds, like 11th and beyond. That won't be early enough to get him in many leagues, though, as his ADP is currently on the border of rounds 9 and 10 (in a standard 12 manager league). One final callout is that Zirkzee's biggest impact this season could in-fact be positively influencing Rashford and the other attackers playing with him, with his great link-up and chance-creation abilities.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Jaden Philogene-Bidace

Position: Winger (F in Fantrax)

Team: Aston Villa

Signed From: Hull for €16m

Prospects: The 22yo winger, Philogene returns to his boyhood club Villa, only 1 year after being sold to Hull. Following a successful, breakout year in the Championship with 12 goals, 6 assists, 14.5 PPS, & 10.3 GPPS in 32 starts, Premier League clubs, including Palace, Ipswich, and Everton were clamoring for his signature. Fortunately for them, Emery's Villa had a sell-on clause and right to match after selling him to Hull, so they were able to get Philogene effectively cheaper, and able to easily convince him to return. Stylistically, Philogene is a shot-heavy (3.7 shots per 90), dribble-heavy(2.8 successful p90) winger who scored well (.38 xG p90) and contributed in volume defensively. That exciting, comprehensive, stat sheet-filling resume should bode well for fantasy if he can find starts in a crowded Villa attack. He'll likely have to compete with a few players of similar profiles. Left sided, young, high potential players like Morgan Rogers, another 22yo LW who successfully translated his Championship pedigree to the Prem quickly last season, and Jacob Ramsey, a left-sided attacker (albeit often more centrally and in the mid) who's coming off a serious injury layoff, but was the original, recent Villa wonderboy. New signing, 20yo, Iling Jr. could even be in the mix too. Rogers looks to have an inside track to the left wing/attacking mid position to start the season after impressing there and starting often to end last season, and again playing well so far in pre-season. But, Villa have made the Champions League, and Rogers was by no means a world-beater (if his finishing regresses back to average levels, his npxG + xA of 0.28 was only 15th percentile amongst Big 5 league wingers), so rotation should be expected, and Philogene should get his chances to claim the spot eventually. How soon that comes and whether he takes his chances remain to be seen, but his seemingly quality fantasy-point scoring ability in a good attack, mean he's someone I'm excited to take a punt on in the last couple rounds of drafts. 12th and beyond, which should be doable with his nearly 15th round ADP currently

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Iliman Ndiaye

Position: Attacking midfielder/Centre forward (F in Fantrax)

Team: Everton

Signed From: Marseille for €18m

Prospects: Only 1 year removed from teasing us pre-season as the potential talisman for promoted Sheffield United before leaving the Prem for France, the Senegalese 24yo is back after his previous false dawn. In the Championship, he put up a fairly impressive 11.2 PPS and 7.3 GPPS with 14 goals and 10 assists in 43 starts playing mostly as a second striker or more mobile 10 behind a target-man 9. In France, however, he wasn’t nearly as productive, with 3 goals and 3 assists in 19 starts, for 8.2 PPS and 6.2 GPPS (albeit 9.7 PP90). He played in similar positions at Marseille but in a season with 4 different managers at the 1 club, he never settled properly. Everton thus were able to get him on a reduced fee, and he looks likely to fit the Dyche system well as the 10 in a 4-4-1-1 behind DCL (or another striker). Stylistically, Ndiaye is at his best with the ball at his feet. He’s a great dribbler and ball-carrier, and can create well for his teammates via passes, take-ons, and foulss drawn. He’s also quite quick and has a good defensive work-rate which should appease his new manager. Everton aren’t likely to have as much of the ball as Sheffield Utd did in their promoted campaign, nor Marseille of last season, so Ndiaye won’t have as many touches on the ball as in the past, but if he can replicate some of Doucoure’s magic in the 10 from last season, which he appears to have the talent to do so, he could be a solid FWD 3 or so, with potential for more. We'd suggest round 11 or later.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Jorgen Strand Larsen

Position: Striker (F in Fantrax)

Team: Wolves

Signed From: Celta Vigo on loan for €3m free (€25m value on Transfermarkt)

Prospects: The 24yo centre forward from Norway joins Wolverhampton on a loan with obligation to buy IF certain minimum playing time conditions are met. Haaland's international backup/partner is coming from a La Liga season where he scored 13 goals, 3 assists, 8.7 PPS, 5.3 GPPS, and 9.8 PP90 in 36 starts for the midtable Spanish side. The 6'4" Larsen profiles as a target man, adept at getting shots off and goals (0.41 xG per 90). Historically, statistically he has done nothing at a great level but much at a decent level. Dribbling, assisting, aerials, and pressing all fall into that category. Fantasy-wise, on a non-possession dominant side, Larsen is likely to be a fairly goal-dependent striker when he plays. Most importantly for Wolves though, is that he's a pure 9 and provides much needed attacking depth (of which they had almost 0 after injuries last season). Larsen may not start the season in the preferred attacking trident with Hwang, Cunha, and Neto around and fit (keep an eye on that Cunha hammy issue though). If Neto ends up leaving, as transfer rumours suggest he might, Larsen's path to minutes opens up greatly. If not, he'll likely be first man up in case of injury or rotated in more and more as the season progresses. His ability as a pure, target man 9 should offer Gary O'Neil a different, useful option so I'd expect a fair amount of starts, but not consistent for a while. As a result, and coupled with his mediocre PPS, I wouldn't be taking Larsen until the late (13+) rounds. If Neto goes, we'll reassess.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Arijanet Muric

Position: Goalkeeper (G in Fantrax)

Team: Ipswich Town

Signed From: Burnley for €10m

Prospects: The 25yo Kosovar was a hero for many fantasy managers last season. In only 10 starts for Burnley, he led the league for goalkeeper PPS at 13.5, 4 whole points above the 2nd best, Mark Travers (9.5). Unsurprisingly, he was also the best shot stopper with a whopping +0.67 PSxG-GA per 90 (stopping 2/3 of a goal expected to go in based off the shot, for every 90 minutes played). He faced the most shots on target (7.8) per 90 too. All that added up to an excellent fantasy goalkeeper for a poor, poor team. Ipswich appear to have done well to obtain his services, as they face a similar uphill battle after promotion to the Prem. As a result, Muric should again face many, many shots, albeit probably not as many as the tactically naive Burnley, so the opportunity for saves will be there. Whether they'll be low quality shots and whether he'll keep up his save performances is the key question here (assuming he starts, which I am). Last year was, in fact, a significant outlier for any goalie, let alone Muric from a shot saving perspective. For example, the year prior, with Burnley in the Championship, his PSxG-GA was only +0.08 and he faced similar quality shots, which would have resulted in a run-of-the-mill fantasy season. Could he have gotten better with more age and top-level experience? Certainly. But that much better, consistently, feels unlikely. So, certainly don't expect a replication of last season's numbers, but with little else to go off of for fantasy goalkeepers, we don't mind taking Muric in drafts (13th or later please; he is still a keeper), and hoping he keeps up the impressive save numbers for a bottom-table side.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jacob Greaves

Position: Centre back (D in Fantrax)

Team: Ipswich Town

Signed From: Hull for €22m

Prospects: The 23yo Englishman has 4 straight iron-man, 39+ start seasons for Hull, first in League 1, and then 3 in the Championship. Finally, he's earned his move to the top flight with the promoted Ipswich, and fantasy managers may be the better for it. Primarily a centre back, but also capable of playing left back, Greaves is an aggressive, aerial beast (4.1 aerials won per 90) and all-around quality stat-sheet filler (11.1 PPS, 10.5 GPPS). Those ghosts would have been good for 4th best in the Prem last season, right behind Tarkowski's 10.8. Exciting, absolutely, but it must be said that he's coming into an Ipswich side that is 55% likely for relegation according to the bookies, and bound to concede early and often. Hull built out from the back at every opportunity, and Ipswich may be hard-pressed (literally) to replicate that. He'll also have to earn his starting spot, breaking up the pair of Woolfenden (40 starts) and Burgess (38 starts), but with that transfer fee for a promoted side, he's largely expected to (likely taking the spot of Burgess as the LCB). So if the starts are probably there, as is the defensive volume, it'll come down to how leaky Ipswich are, as to determine how often Greaves is useable in fantasy. Will he end up more Everton Tarkowski-esque or Burnley O'Shea of last season-esque (whose 9.0 GPPS got washed away by the 74 goals the Clarets conceded, resulting in just 6.3 PPS). Burnley were actually favoured to stay up last season, believe it or not, but Kompany's tactical naivety/inflexibility ultimately did them in, so here's hoping Ipswich's Kieran McKenna will be more pragmatic (early signs point to yes). We like Greaves as a defensive punt in the 12th round or later, but do be warned Ipswich open the season with Liverpool and City (before Fulham, Brighton, and Southampton), so you may have to sit on your hands for a couple weeks in the ever-important early stages of the season. In smaller, or less competative leagues, you can likely get away with leaving Greaves undrafted and picking him up in GW3.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Leny Yoro

Position: Centre back (D in Fantrax)

Team: Manchester United

Signed From: Lille for €62m

Prospects: Man United have signed a defender. And he's not from the Dutch league, Dutch, or an aging Galactico. Instead, Yoro is a top center back prospect, a lanky 18yo largely expected to go to Real Madrid this summer. They cheaped out though and thus United lucked (or skilled) out. The French teenager has already excelled at the senior level, with 30 starts for Lille last season, where he put up 7.6 PPS and 5.7 GPPS for the 4th placed side. Despite his 6'3" stature, he hasn't yet put up impressive aerial numbers (1.5 won per 90) nor much other defensive volume. Think more Saliba, less Gabriel. Lille were, however, the second most possession-dominant team (about 58%) after PSG, which United cannot themselves claim (midtable in 23/24, around 51%), so he could get more defensive work, particularly next to the diminutive Lisandro Martinez. Still, it'd be unreasonable to expect a large improvement on the GPPS, so you're probably looking at an 8.5 PPS player at best. He may also not start the season as a starter with Maguire and Lisandro fit at the moment, and Yoro last seen on crutches after picking up a foot/leg injury in preseason. He's on the border of wait-and-see if he starts GW 1 and those ghosts come OR draft late because United have a favorable-ish 4 out of 5 first matchups (FUL, BHA, SOU, CRY as well as LIV). A better dynasty pick, and one that could be FPL relevant for years, but no Jacob Greaves in terms of expected immediate fantasy impact (what a funny game it is we play).

Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2

Mats Wieffer

Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)

Team: Brighton

Signed From: PSV for €30m

Prospects: The 24yo Dutchman is a versatile, box-to-box mid, capable of playing as a 6, 8, or even CB. That could be a great match for the tactics of Brighton's new manager, Hurzeler, as Wieffer should provide the necessary defensive steel and running in a possible midfield 2. Alternatively, he could play as the CB in a 3-back who pushes into the midfield in possession, a setup Hurzeler employed in his previous role. Statistically, Wieffer does everything quite well for a centre mid, but perhaps nothing that makes him truly stand out as a fantasy player. He should be a rare midfielder with a rock-solid floor, full of tackles, interceptions, aerials won and a healthy handful of shots, key passes, and dribbles, but before you get too excited he's unlikely to have much of a ceiling, particularly if he plays farther back. In limited UCL & UEL minutes last season (nearly 700), he scored 8.2 PP90 and 6.9 GPP90. That seems like a reasonable baseline for his Brighton expectations, so I wouldn't be reaching for him in drafts at all, but I'd be comfortable rostering him as MID 4/5 floor option, and feeling particularly good rolling him out in easier matchups.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2

Pedro Lima

Position: Right back (D in Fantrax)

Team: Wolves

Signed From: Sport Recife for €10m

Prospects: The 18yo RWB comes from playing in the Brazillian second tier as well as the U17 Brazillian squad. He profiles as an attacking fullback who's good with the ball at his feet (futsal background) and has a good cross on him. He'll likely be a backup RB this season, but Semedo will miss the first 3 games of the EPL schedule due to a red card on the final day, so if Lima keeps impressing in preseason, he just might get a chance to start the season. Still, he's only 18, so Matt Doherty could fill in instead, and we may need to stream him later this season when he gets a chance from the start.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2

Carlos Miguel

Position: Goalkeeper (G in Fantrax)

Team: Nottingham Forest

Signed From: Corinthians for €4m

Prospects: The 6'7", 25yo Brazillian, was signed to compete for the starting role with Matz Sels. He's spent his whole career so far in Brazil, at Corinthians, backing up legendary Brazillian keeper, Cassio. In limited minutes (650), his shot saving numbers do look impressive. It should be fairly 50/50 who wins the job for Forest, so see what happens in preseason, and if Miguel does seemingly win the job, he could be a good, shot-saving fantasy keeper. If you subscribe to the notion, Forest also do have the second-best goalie FDT from gws1-5.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2

Archie Gray

Position: Central midfielder/Right back(M in Fantrax)

Team: Tottenham

Signed From: Leeds for €41m

Prospects: Gray is thought of by many as one of the most promising 18yo midfielders in the world. His fee suggests that, and he'll look to prove it in the Prem this year. For Leeds last season, he played as a 6, an 8, and at RB. In preseason for Spurs, he's played at CB (although that's more than likely just a temporary solution but a testament nonetheless to Ange rating his flexibility). Stylistically, he's a great passer, and a solid ball-winner. That water-carrier role, while quite useful to a team, doesn't tend to translate to fantasy well though, and that's shown by his meager 5.0 PPS in the Championship across 40 starts in 23/24. He'll likely start the year as a backup DM, CM, and RB but could win a starting role as the season progresses (most likely in midfield, I think). I'd steer clear of him regardless in fantasy unless he develops the attacking side of his game quickly or ends up in a role further forward. Otherwise he's more likely to end up as a Pape Sarr-esque fantasy option.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Max Kilman

Position: Centre back (D in Fantrax)

Team: West Ham

Signed From: Wolves for €48m

Prospects: The 27yo Brit is a known commodity, playing for Wolves for years, getting England shouts, and putting up mediocre fantasy numbers (6.7, 6.5, 9.1, 6.6 PPS in the last 4 seasons). He's heading to the Hammers, who are in desperate need of good CBs with Ogbonna gone, Zouma falling off, and Aguerd (supposedly) itching to leave. While West Ham finished higher up the table than Wolves, they actually conceded 9 more goals, so I wouldn't expect much more from the clean sheet or goals allowed points for Kilman and thus he's likely to remain a good matchup streamer at best. Perhaps Lopetegui and/or AWB can shore up that defense further though..

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Liam Delap

Position: Striker(F in Fantrax)

Team: Ipswich Town

Signed From: Manchester City for €18m

Prospects: The 21yo City youth product was once upon a time tapped to break through into the Sky Blues' senior team. After 3 seasons, from ages 16-18, developing his game in the Prem 2, and getting minimal (50) minutes in the Prem, Delap has had 3 consecutive seasons on loan in the Championship, each progressively more successful. This past season, he had 8 goals and 2 assists in 26 starts for midtable Hull. That resulted in 8.9 PPS and 6.4 GPPS, playing largely as a striker in a 2 up top. He's also more than capable of playing RW as a quality dribbler and ball-carrier. But, coming into an Ipswich Town team unlikely to score many goals in the Prem (2nd favorites to be relegated) and non-impressive npxG+xA numbers (0.38 per 90), he's likely to be a goal-dependent striker who is unlikely to score many goals. Not to mention he'll have some competition up top from George Hirst and at RW from Wes Burns. I'd only be drafting him in deep leagues or dynasty leagues as a future high-ceiling forward; he's unlikely to pay off heavily this year.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Yukinari Sugawara

Position: Right back (D in Fantrax)

Team: Southampton

Signed From: AZ Alkmaar for €7m

Prospects: The 24yo Japanese, Sugawara, was perhaps signed as the intended successor to Saints stalwart, Kyle Walker-Peters, but as of now, KWP is still there and suitors were seemingly put off by his price. It's a shame for fantasy managers, because Sugawara looks to be a more fantasy-friendly defender than the man likely to keep him a backup for the foreseeable future. In the Dutch Eredivisie last season, he played as a very attacking RB with 4 goals and 7 assists in 30 starts. He was in the 91st percentile for npxG+xA and 93rd for shot creating actions among all fullbacks in Men's next 14 competitions. However, he had very little defensive responsibility and statistical volume, which may not bode well for his chances of adapting to the Prem, particularly in an expected Saints back four, and in a RB role where KWP puts up a lot of defensive volume. He has looked good in preseason with a goal and 2 assists in 3 games, but again, it's been against far inferior opposition. Unless we see a change in tactics from Russell Martin (say wingbacks where KWP could play LWB) or KWP actually out the door, it's a wait and see at best for Sugawara.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Nikola Milenkovic

Position: Centre back (D in Fantrax)

Team: Nottingham Forest

Signed From: Fiorentina for €14m

Prospects: Forest have found themselves another solid CB option to pair with their promising Murillo. Moussa Niakhate has left for France, Felipe has retired, and Joe Worrall will likely follow them out the door. That leaves 33yo, often injured, Willy Boly and largely unproven, 22yo Andrew Omobamidele as the only competition for Milenkovic in a Forest backline. Nuno most commonly played a 4 back, but flirted with a 3/5 back at times, so the Trees could even need 3 of them at once. So, Nikola should start a lot. His 7.6 GPPS (4 aerials won per 90 for the 6'5" man) in the Serie A suggests he'll be a passable fantasy defender in good matchups for the likely bottom-6 Forest.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Amario Cozier-Duberry

Position: Winger (M in Fantrax)

Team: Brighton

Signed From: Arsenal for free (€2m value on TM)

Prospects: Unlike Brighton's many other acquisitions, ACD is English, and comes on a free from another Premier League team. But more similarly, he's a dynamic, young attacker. The 19yo RW comes from Arsenal's youth setup and has already scored 2 goals in preseason. He's another promising prospect for the Brighton machine, but there's a ton of competition on the Seagulls' wings, with Mitoma, March, Minteh, Enciso, Buonanotte, Pedro, Sarmiento, etc. all in the mix. Perhaps he could have a shout for the RWB spot in Hurzeler's system. Most likely though, he may do better to end up on loan elsewhere in the Prem or in the Championship. If he does stay with Brighton, he'll likely be an upside streamer on occasion later this season.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Renato Veiga

Position: Defensive midfielder/Left back (M in Fantrax)

Team: Chelsea

Signed From: FC Basel for €14m

Prospects: Another young (20yo) Brazillian for Chelsea. Veiga does seem custom-made for Maresca's likely new system, as he excels at both LB and CDM, meaning he could be a good candidate for an inverted full back role. Veiga started 22 times in the Swiss Super League, largely at CDM, but sometimes at CB too. The biggest issue at Chelsea is the extensive depth at each position. More experienced players in Reece James, Gusto, and Cucurella will likely be favoured in the inverting roles. There are loads of central midfielders too, with even more experience and talent. Veiga's midfield position in Fantrax does him no favours, either. He could get loaned or he could end up a spot-streamer, TBD.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Caleb Okoli

Position: Centre back (D in Fantrax)

Team: Leicester City

Signed From: Atalanta for €14m

Prospects: The 22yo had an impressive 32 starts last season for 4th placed Serie A side, Atalanta. Still, he only put up 5.7 PPS and 6.9 GPPS for them and is coming into a Leicester side who are favorites to be relegated. He'd need a substantial upgrade on his ghosting to make a fantasy dent, even with the goals against scoring change.

Rating: ⭐️

Bobby De Cordova-Reid

Position: Winger (F in Fantrax)

Team: Leicester City

Signed From: Fulham for free (€5m value on TM)

Prospects: The 31yo Jamaican international is on to his 3rd stint in the Premier league after seasons with Fulham and Cardiff. He's a useful player, as he's hard working and quite positionally flexible, playing fullback, midfield and winger previously. He's a value signing for cash-strapped Leicester, who could use some Premier League experience and bodies on their wings. He may never become a nailed starter, but he'll probably find plenty of appearances in a variety of positions. Still he's very poor fantasy-wise: 5.4 PPS, 3.0 GPPS; stay away.

Rating: ⭐️

Malick Yalcouye

Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)

Team: Brighton

Signed From: IFK Göteborg for €7m

Prospects: The Malian 18yo is a highly promising prospect who played as a box-to-box mid in Sweden last season. In the typical mould of a Brighton signing (cheap fee, under-represented nationality, under-represented scouting league), Yalcouye is more than likely to be eased in this season as Baleba was last season. Even with Gross leaving (and possibly Gilmour and/or Dahoud too) there's plenty more senior bodies in the Brighton mid in Wieffer, Milner, Moder, Baleba, Hinshelwood, and the likely incoming Diego Gomez. His box-to-box profile often doesn't pay out from a fantasy perspective, either.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Michael Golding

Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)

Team: Brighton

Signed From: Chelsea for €6m *PSR swap shenanigans

Prospects: An 18yo attacking mid, Golding has 0 Prem minutes, but 12 starts (3 assists) in the Premier League 2. The fee was likely a result of KDH going the other way and Chelsea looking for PSR profits. Leicester do need a creative spark in the midfield, but Golding is probably still too inexperienced to provide it.

Rating: ⭐️

Flynn Downes

Position: Defensive midfielder (M in Fantrax)

Team: Southampton

Signed From: West Ham for €18m

Prospects: The 25yo was signed by Moyes's West Ham two years ago, before having an under-utilized season for the Hammers, then a successful loan to Southampton in the Championship last season. An integral part of the side, he started 31 times in the engine-room. As a defensively-minded central mid though, he only offered 6.7 PPS and 6.1 GPPS with no sets and only 2 goals and 2 assists to his name. Against tougher competition in the Prem, we're not expecting much else.

Rating: ⭐️1/2

Nathan Wood

Position: Centre back (D in Fantrax)

Team: Southampton

Signed From: Swansea for €3.5m

Prospects: The 22yo Wood got 22 starts in the Championship last year for the midtable Swans. He's not likely to break up the starting pair of Harwood-Bellis and Bednarek to start the season, but could compete as the third choice later in the season with Ronnie Edwards and Charlie Taylor (more so if Armel Bella Kotchap doesn't stick around). Even if he does get starts, his 5.7 GPPS in 23/24 doesn't inspire much confidence for a defender on a promoted (and likely relegated) side.

Rating: ⭐️

Daniel Jebbison

Position: Striker (F in Fantrax)

Team: Bournemouth

Signed From: Sheffield United for free (€1m value on TM)

Prospects: The 20yo looks like a value pickup for the Cherries but is very likely to leave on loan to the Championship with plenty of senior options in front of him. Wait a couple years.

Rating: ⭐️

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Pour One Out: Transferred Out Players

Michael Olise: A truly depressing loss for the Premier League, Olise is coming off a nearly 400 point season, and would have been a solid first round pick. Like Kane before him, he's been tempted away by the Bavarian giants.

Joao Palhinha: Bayern steal another quality player from the Prem, but he was never spectacular fantasy-wise.

Thiago Silva: 4 seasons of 20+ Chelsea starts when they needed him most; the elder statesman is off to his native Brazil after a wonderful career and mediocre time in fantasy.

Phillipe Coutinho: Easy to forget how spectacular he was at Liverpool for 6 seasons. His peak was 489 points (in current scoring) in 16/17 and then a whopping 19.6 PPG in 17/18 (13 starts) before the big sale to Barca. His reunion tour with Gerrard was cut short despite glimpses and he never recaptured the glory. Now off to Brazil.

Donny van de Beek: €40m buy from United in 20/21, 12 starts since then (6 for Everton on loan), €5m sale away.

Orel Mangala, Joe Rodon, Moussa Niakhate, Duje Caleta-Car, Thomas Strakosha, Adrian, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Gomez, Calum Chambers, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, Willy Kambwala: No memorial needed

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