Fantasy Premier League

Sun Feb 03 03:11PM by Neal Thurman

I have to admit it, I'm a big fan of the transfer window.  I love the rumors, the speculation, and the hope that it brings to supporters and fantasy managers everywhere.  Are we going to get the striker that takes us to the next level?  Can we tighten up the defence? Who is this guy from this Swedish league that our manager just introduced?

What I am not a fan of is the type of coverage that is accorded these new signings.  There is very little information given about the player (where does he usually play? is he likely to start? who might he supplant? is there an impact on preferred formation? what is the best case scenario? the worst case?).  With that in mind, I'm going to run through my take on some of the January acquisitions.

I won't cover all of the acquisitions but I'll try to get to most of the major ones:

Andy Reid (Sunderland) - Lacking much creativity in midfield, the plump Irishman isn't a bad addition if he can get and stay healthy.  He'll likely play behind Jones and whichever of Prica, Chopra or Murphy is in form with Whitehead and Richardson (when healthy) on either side of him.  This isn't an acquisition that will get them into the top half of the table but it is sufficient to allow them to stay up and give Roy Keane a little time to familiarize himself with players outside of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Alfonso Alves (Boro) - A potentially great move for Boro because it gets Aliadiere to the bench. He'll start opposite Sanli (when healthy) and upgrade Boro.  Now, if only they could figure out the center of their midfield, they'd be in good shape.  The defence is improving with Wheater emerging and Huth healthy.

Gary Cahill (Bolton) - I'm not sure why Villa gave him up and spent so much money on Davies but they have to Bolton's benefit.  Cahill will start in the center of defence and, along with Taylor, be critical in Bolton's push to stay up.

Jermain Defoe (Pompey) - I can't say I understand why Pompey would want Defoe over Benjani (well, actually, the real question is why they'd want Baros over either of the two but we'll get to that later).  With Benjani's future still up in the air, we'll have to see how this works out.  Defoe should be a preferred starter and good second tier striker (consider him a 12-15/season striker if he starts regularly).

Gilberto (Spurs) - You had to guess that Gilberto's arrival would mean that Chimbonda was on his way to Villa or Newcastle or somewhere else.  Hutton looked great on the right yesterday pushing Chimbo to the left where you'd have to imagine Gilberto is expected to play.  We'll have to see how this ends up but you have to guess that Gilberto will get the majority of the starts with Chimbo being the utility wing defender in preparation for leaving over the summer.

Jari Litmanen (Fulham) - An old hand brought in to try to help right the ship before it sinks (to the Championship).  Hard to see the venerable striker being a fulltime starter (or thriving in that role) but it wouldn't be shocking to see him contibute as a 30 minute sub trying to rescue draws from defeats and wins from draws.

Toni Kallio (Fulham) - Able to play both centrally and on the left of defence, Kallio sounds like the Finnish version of Carlos Bocanegra.  He will definitely bring depth but its hard to know how he'll fit in with Andreasen, Bocanegra, Volz, Hangeland, Konchesky, and Hughes.  My guess is that the holdovers (Bocanegra, Volz, Konch, and Hughes) will make way for the Scandanavians.

Anthony Gardner (Everton) - Cover at the center of defence.  That's about it.  Not expected to start regularly unless there are injuries or suspensions.

Erik Hagen (Wigan) - Apparently a much-hated figure in Noregian football the centre back is nicknamed "Panzer." He hasn't figured yet but if nothing else, he'll bring some grit to Wigan's back line.

Grzegorz Rasiak (Bolton) - A two-time Premier League washout.  He's tall and strong and scores regularly in the Championship.  Certainly, there is precedent for guys eventually finding their stride after a few tries.  Given Bolton's striker situation, he's certainly going to start and with Taylor on the wing he'll get some service.

Paul Stalteri (Fulham) - Yet another average defender who has arrived at Craven Cottage.  Stalteri is a right sided defender who can move up into midfield occasionally but really hasn't shown himself to be good enough at Spurs.

Wayne Routledge (Villa) - Speaking of guys who weren't good enough at Spurs, Routledge goes from being buried REALLY deep on the bench at White Hart Lane to being buried less deep on the bench at Villa Park.

Erik Nevland (Fulham) - Striker depth for the Cottagers and more company for the newly arrived Scandanavians.  There's nothing on his resume that would lead you to believe that the 30 year old is going to make a major impact.  He'll likely be a reserve.

Jimmy Kebe (Reading) - A right-footed winger, Kebe brings both pace and height to either wing.  With Hunt and Convey on the left, you have to assume he'll have a chance to establish a place for himself on the right.  He was playing on loan in the French Second Division until his transfer so you have to think he'll take some time to adjust moving up at least a couple of levels in competition.

Marek Matejovsky (Reading) - I didn't see Reading play yesterday but he's either coming to play on the right or in the center of midfield and there isn't much information to be had on him.  He started and is likely to continue to do so as Reading search for options to help them in midfield.

Milan Baros (Pompey) - My mind boggles at this one.  He couldn't keep his spot in the French League.  He has never produced much in the Premier League at Liverpool or Villa.  You just have to hope that Pompey got a good deal on him.

Marlon King (Wigan) - Before he got hurt last season, I really thought that he had a great chance to make an impact on the league along with Ashley Young.  The problem, of course, is that he's coming off of a knee reconstruction.  If Wigan manage to stay up, I think he'll be a great acquisition for next season but I'm guessing he's going to struggle moving up a division this season.

Rade Prica (Sunderland) - In search of a worthy partner for Kenwyne Jones, Roy Keane has managed to find a player who has never played for one of his former teams.  Wonder which assistant did the research.  He's played reasonably well so far and merits watching.

Eddie Johnson (Fulham) - We've already documented EJ's arrival at Fulham.  At this point, the biggest questions have to do with how much playing time he'll get with Brian McBride returning and Nevland and Litmanen both arriving.  EJ is certainly the only one of the above names with any upside but with Premier League status on the line, developing players for future years isn't exactly the priority.

Leon Andreasen (Fulham) - Danish player who plays either Centre Back or in a holding midfield role.  Fulham certainly have a lot of players who sound similar, Andreasen has already begun starting but I didn't see their match last weekend so I'm not sure which position he was playing.

Phil Bardsley (Sunderland) - Solid on the right of defence for ManYoo (a few times) and Villa (on loan last season).  He's not likely to compete for an England spot but he appears to have a solid future as a good-but-not-great Premier League right back.

Mauro Zarate (Birmingham) - Who knows what Birmingham have here.  He was on the path to great things after a strong debut in the Argentine league until big bags of money got in the way.  After a detour to Qatar he is back in the world of competitive football.  Will he be able to shake off the rust?  He and McFadden will compete to take time away from Gary O'Connor, Mikeal Forssell, and Cameron Jerome.

James McFadden (Birmingham) - We here at blog central, rightly or wrongly, like Faddy.  Now we'll find out if he is capable of being more than a nice change of pace off the bench as he is given the opportunity to start regularly at Birmingham.

Brede Hangeland (Fulham) - He comprises two Fulham trends in that he's Scandanavian (the new trend) but was born in Houston, TX (the old trend).  He is described as a centre back and will likely go into the mix with Bocanegra, Andreasen, Volz, Kallio, and Hughes. He'll likely start in the short term until he either settles in the English game or proves that he will not.

Antonio Valencia (Wigan) - A versatile winger, Valencia is likely to stay on the right wing with the presence of Kevin Kilbane on the left.  He will start and bring additional quality to Wigan's attempts to stay up.  He's won't get any/many kicks with Taylor around but if Taylor is out, he might be a good one to consider.

Wilson Palacios (Wigan) - Never a bad idea to take Arsene Wenger's recommendations and he was the one who recommended creative midfielder Palacios to Steve Bruce while Bruce was still at Birmingham.  Palacios brought Palacios with him to Wigan and he's likely to take the reigns as maestro of the attack as Wigan try to stay up.  He's a solid play-maker but it may take him some time to adjust to the style of play.  Look for more from him next year. 

David Murphy (Birmingham) - A badly needed right back for the Blues.  We'll see if he's the answer where one is critical but for now, he'll start as soon as he recovers from injury.

Lassana Diarra (Pompey) - Great acquisition for Pompey.  He may not be the wisest player with respect to his media comments but a clear upgrade at holding midfielder.  When Muntari and Utaka are back from ACN, Pompey will boast a significantly upgraded midfield with Diarra playing behind Muntari and in front of Campbell and Distin in the "Makelele Role."

Matty Taylor (Bolton) - Fantastic acquisition for Bolton who need an attacking spark with Anelka gone.  He'll push up into the left of midfield.  He missed a PK this past weekend but he'll continue to start and with Rasiak arriving, there may be someone on the other end of his crosses and free kicks.

Gretar Steinsson (Bolton) - The 6' 2" Icelandic Right Back has shown some promise early on in his time at the Reebok.  He looks like he will start regularly and will move forward at least occasionally.

Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea) - Not sure what the story is here.  With Carvalho suspended, Ivanovic didn't get the start and wasn't even on the bench.  Not sure if he's injured, not fit, or just not what Grant was expecting but after spending £9M, you'd think we'd see him sooner or later either on the right or in the Centre Back rotation with Alex, Terry, and Carvalho.

Manuel Fernandes (Everton) - What's old is new again and Fernandes is back to play midfield for the second half of an Everton season.  He's a winger and generally shows up on the left with Arteta patroling the right side.  He'll play based on the formation Moyes chooses - if AJ and Yakubu are present and in form he'll play less in favor of Cahill, Arteta, Osman, and Carsley but if Moyes goes with five midfielders, Fernandes will get his starts.

Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) - You know what you're going to get here.  Hard to see him not starting under any circumstances.  The only question is how productive he is once Drogba and Lamps are back from ACN/injury.

Martin Skertl (Liverpool) - He started on the right yesterday for Rafa but didn't look to be anything particularly special.  He'll likely be in the mix with Finnan and Arbeloa when all are healthy.

Laurent Robert (Derby) - I wouldn't ordinarily write about a Derby acquisition since they're doomed but if he gets himself match fit we've seen him be a productive fantasy player from the left wing before.  So far, he's been mediocre but give him another week or two and lets see how this goes.

Emanuel Villa (Derby) - If he hadn't scored in a substitute appearance yesterday, I definitely would have ignored him but anyone who can score on the road for Derby is worth at least mentioning.  We'll see if his goal puts him into a starting striker role next weekend - not like he can score any less than the guys who have been playing up there.

Jonny Evans (Sunderland) - Another member of the ex-ManYoo crew for Roy Keane.  He played once on the right side of defence but with Bardsley's arrival he'll settle in the middle of the park and he'll start at every opportunity.

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