Fantasy Premier League

Some Minor Transfers

Wed Jul 16 07:38PM

So, we're still all waiting on some big news to break.  Barry? Xavi? BFDB? RSC? K2? Berbs? RKeene? Lamps? Drogboy? That CRon fellow? (lots of our "nickname" guys are in the middle of the speculation this summer, wonder why that is).  Looks like Hleb is done but we really already knew that the minute Nasri was signed.  The common wisdom goes that once one domino falls, more will quickly follow but I'm not sure to what extent I believe that.  I'm sure there are little transfer eco-systems that will play out but I don't think one domino will cause all the others to fall.  If that were true, you'd think things would have been revved up as key players Ronaldinho and Milan would have been that tipping point when they agreed.  That should leave Barca as the only suitor for K2 and plenty of money available to go after a major acquisition.  But it certainly doesn't feel like Hleb is that major acquisition.

Anyway, while we're waiting for something bigger to happen, lets get up to date on the things that have happened...

Impact

Kapo to Wigan
In the Real World - I like this move for Wigan, they're putting together a reasonably talented attacking team that belies their reputation as dull mudders who do no more than grind out wins.  I'm not sure how all the pieces fit together between Koumas, RTaylor, Kapo, Palacios, Valencia, Heskey, Camara, King, and Sibierski but I like the idea of a low-to-mid table team collecting as many quality parts as possible.  When he was healthy last season, he did some good work for Birmingham.  Not the difference between relegation and staying up but a good, solid veteran attacking presence that should help elevate the Latics.  Now if only they could get an out-and-out striker who can score consistently.

In the Fantasy World - Obviously, this depends on playing time.  When healthy and getting PT, he's a 6-7 point/match player.  This isn't going to make him a mainstay but if he's relatively cheap, then he's not a bad option to keep in mind if the match-up is a good one.

Zamora and Pantsil to Fulham
In the Real World - apparently, replacing Brian McBride isn't going to be easy.  Zamora is a bit of a puzzle having shown great results from time-to-time but then going completely dark at other times.  He'll certainly get his chance to make an impact, whether he can live up to his transfer fee remains to be seen.  As for Pantsil, don't Fulham already have a bunch of wing defenders who can play a couple positions adequately but none well enough to be established starters in the Prem?  Hard to see how adding another is of any benefit to the squad. 

In the Fantasy World - Zamora could be interesting.  Fulham have a great match-up out of the gate against Hull and we know Bobby Z is capable of starting off the season with a bang.  He starts out cheap at 6.25 so depending on what big names do or don't arrive from foreign shores, he might be in the mix in week 1.  We'll see how it goes after that.  Hard to see Pantsil amounting to much of a fantasy player unless he has another level that we haven't seen yet.

Boetang to Hull
In the Real World - Nice piece for the promoted team that seems most motivated to  stay up.  Boetang is a solid central midfielder and should help ensure that Hull are at least competitive.  Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of work to do but definitely a nice addition.

In the Fantasy World - Boetang has never been much of a fantasy player and the chances of him becoming so at a later age for a newly promoted club are pretty remote.

Cech (no, not that one) to WBA
In the Real World - Never a bad idea to acquire a wing defender who can get forward into the attack.  Given the lack of high quality left backs in the world, getting an experienced talent who can even score the occasional goal is a great get for a newly promoted club.  It'll be a step up from the Portugese league to the Prem but its certainly been done before and 25 years old seems about the right time to give it a shot.  Given the relatively low price this has to be viewed as great work.

In the Fantasy World - Worth keeping an eye on.  Wing backs on newly promoted teams have the potential to deliver excellent value given low initial prices and lots of opportunity for phantom points.  I'm not saying he WILL be a great fantasy player, just that its worth keeping an eye on him for a week or two and seeing how he is integrated into the attack.

Until we hear more from the transfer market, that's all.

Just to keep it in mind, the +10 team is still...Bosingwa, Modric with an eye being kept on Nasri and the Liverpool defenders, Deco, and Jo. Would be nice to have more options than that soon.

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