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Looking For A Fantastic Fantasy Bargain
It's that time of year when we all take an hour out of a working day to compile a Fantasy League team for the forthcoming season. And because we're nice, F365 is even willing to suggest a few bargains who could provide better value for money than the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba...
Darren Bent
Fantasy League Price: £6.4m
The words 'Darren Bent' and 'bargain' don't sit easily alongside each other but last season's £16m flop is worth considering to lead your side's attack because there's an ever-growing likelihood that he will be leading Tottenham's attack at the start of the season - and feeding off Dos Santos, David Bentley, Luka Modric and, possibly, Andrei Arshavin. Even Marcus Bent would score regularly with that sort of service
The Better Bent came close to leaving White Hart Lane earlier in the summer for either Everton or Sunderland but, with Dimi Berbatov hankering for a move to Manchester United and Roman Pavlyuchenko rejecting a move to North London, Juande Ramos could have little option but to begin the season with Bent as his one-and-only striker. Eleven goals in pre-season can't have done his chances any harm either.
Dean Ashton
Fantasy League Price: £6.3m
Another striker who is relatively cheap and enjoying a fine pre-season is West Ham striker Dean Ashton. The occasional England striker endured a miserable 2007/08, even losing his club place to Carlton Cole, but a return to fitness should herald a return to goals as well. The onus will certainly be on Ashton with Craig Bellamy expected to miss the start of the season after damaging his hamstring en route to abusing Ipswich Town fans at Portman Road.
His Fantasy League price-tag is also considerably more sensible than the reputed £20m Spurs are supposed to have bid for him earlier this week...
Nicolas Anelka
Fantasy League Price: £7m
At £7m, Anelka isn't cheap and his record at Chelsea last season - one league goal in fourteen appearances - doesn't exactly inspire confidence. However, as Anelka has recently been telling anyone who would listen, he was rarely, if ever, played as a striker by Avram Grant after moving south from Bolton. But with Didier Drogba ruled out of the opening weeks of the season and Andriy Shevchenko unwanted, Anelka will begin the season as Chelsea's main man. His attitude may be questionable, but his quality isn't. Expect a bucket-load of goals.
Come to think of it, with Ronaldo still in plaster and Drogba's knee problem longstanding, Anelka isn't a unwise outside bet for topscorer either...
Denilson
Fantasy League Price: £3.5m
Denilson is too similar to Cesc Fabregas to be a viable long-term partner for the Spaniard in Arsenal's midfield but that doesn't mean he will not feature regularly as Mathieu Flamini's replacement at the start of the season. Arsenal face relatively soft opposition during the opening weeks means that Arsene Wenger can bide his time before purchasing the defensively-minded midfielder he has admitted the Gunners require. That in turn should result in Denilson enjoying some rare league starts - by all accounts, he has been the stand-out player in the Gunners' pre-season outings.
Carlos Vela
Fantasy League Price: £6.1m
Another Arsenal youngster who should be under consideration is Carlos Vela, the Mexican forward who has been recalled from a three-year loan spell in Spain after finally being granted a work permit. With Eduardo out of action until Christmas (at the earliest), Vela will begin the season as cover for Robin van Persie. Given that the Dutchman has only managed 30 starts in the past two seasons due to a never-ending series of injuries, Vela could be a busy lad in 2008/09.
David Ngog
Fantasy League Price: N/A
Who he? Ngog's arrival at Liverpool this summer hardly set the pulses racing - in part because his record at former club Paris St Germain was on the underside of underwhelming - but the youngster was excellent in the recent pre-season thrashing of Rangers and those of a cunning mind have already reasoned that he could turn out to be Fantasy League bargain. Why? Because every Premiership team can name seven substitutes next season and Ngog's pace may well mean he inherits the coveted role of 'Impact Player From The Bench' recently vacated by Peter Crouch...
