FPL INJURY SCOUT: AVAILABILITY, NEWS, SUSPENSIONS AHEAD OF PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN

After a fortnight of filler football that is the international break, Fantasy Premier League returns with a bang in Gameweek 4.

With any luck, fantasy managers reading this will already be sitting pretty at the top of their leagues with grins plastered across their faces. But the season is young enough that there's ample time to launch a resurgence - and there's no time like the present.

The international break is a welcome distraction for some football disciples, while other league loyalists rue it as a mere distraction. And there were a number of injury developments that occurred over the past fortnight to leave fantasy tacticians foaming out the mouth.

It may be a tad premature to pull the trigger on the first wildcard of the campaign, but that doesn't mean your team can't get ahead through the usual channels. With that in mind, Mirror Sport provides the lowdown on fresh injuries, suspensions, price changes and which transfers could turn your team's fortunes in an instant.

Injury news

Arguably the hottest piece of FPL team news fresh off the press is the possibility that Erling Haaland (£15.2m) may not play against Brentford on Saturday afternoon. That's after it emerged on Friday that the most expensive must-have in this year's game has been granted compassionate leave following the death of a close family friend.

There's yet to be confirmation on whether Haaland plans to take City up on the offer, meaning there's little sense in removing the player just yet. The reality of the matter may not become clear until after Saturday's 11am deadline, so it seems pragmatic to leave Haaland in if you have him and prioritise substitutes in case he doesn't feature.

City have several other developments, too, with Nathan Ake (£5.4m) facing weeks on the sideline after he was was stretchered off in the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Germany. However, Phil Foden (£9.4m) and Savio (£6.5m) have been "really good" after returning to training over the break, according to manager Pep Guardiola.

The other major development in the title race was the news that Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard (£8.4m) is out for the time being following injury while away with Norway. He joins Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m), Mikel Merino (£6m) and suspended Declan Rice (£6.4m) on the Gunners absentee list, which could affect how much stock managers place in Arsenal for Sunday's north London derby.

Speaking of the north London derby, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou was glad to have both Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) and Micky van de Ven (£4.5m) back in training, with both now at least in contention to play on Sunday. However, the news wasn't as good for Yves Bissouma (£5m), who is a doubt after suffering injury in Mali's recent win over Eswatini.

Elsewhere, Harvey Elliott (£5.3m) is expected to be out for six weeks after he suffered a fractured foot while away with England's under-21s. Liverpool manager Arne Slot could include summer signing Federico Chiesa (£7m) to help add an option out wide, though investing in the Italian at this early stage may be a step too far.

Manchester United have a debut of their own to consider as Manuel Ugarte (£5m) looks to feature at Southampton in Saturday's early kick-off. In the late fixture, Cole Palmer (£10.6m) and Wesley Fofana (£4.5m) appear to be available for Chelsea's trip to Bournemouth despite pulling out of international camps over the break.

Transfers

Given the uncertainty around Haaland and Arsenal's injury woes travelling to Spurs, it would be logical to invest heavily in Liverpool stock ahead of Nottingham Forest's visit. The Reds and City are the only teams yet to drop a point this season and are looking to back up their home-and-away double over Forest last term.

If a striker alternative is on the menu, £7.2m Darwin Nunez could be a tasty morsel given he was suspended for Uruguay and rested over the break. However, that selection comes with risk considering Slot hasn't used the player prominently so far this season, with 'midfielders' Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota (both £7.6m) hoovering up the points in his absence.

Brighton players may also be of interest at home to Ipswich, who have conceded seven goals across their first three league games this season. Kaoru Mitoma (£6.6m) is looking inspired once again after scoring or assisting in each of the Seagulls' last two outings, while Danny Welbeck looks a snip at £5.7m as he averages almost eight points per game thus far.

Welbeck's attacking partner Joao Pedro (£5.7m) is the most transferred in player ahead of Gameweek 4 as managers clearly feel he'll make an impact against the Tractor Boys. Aston Villa's Amadou Onana (£5.1m) also features among the most introduced players this week, with fans fancying him to make an impact against former employers Everton.

Price changes

Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and Rico Lewis (£4.7m) are the latest players to see their prices take a bump in the Premier League. However, for the most part, the international break has brought little else but price plummets across the board.

Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has dropped to £5.3m as he battles to come back from injury, while Chelsea winger Pedro Neto has also dipped down to £6.4m. Nunez's lack of activity in the first few weeks of the season has seen his valuation fall to £7.2m, though that could present a chance for profit if caught at the right time.

Elsewhere, Niclas Fullkrug continues to see his value suffer and can be bought for £6.8m ahead of West Ham's trip to Fulham on Saturday. Meanwhile, United attacker Joshua Zirkzee has reverted back to £7m after a quiet couple of weeks, and Newcastle's Anthony Gordon is now down to £7.4m

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2024-09-13T14:01:34Z dg43tfdfdgfd