Coaches react to Haaland’s hat-trick

Scout highlights the key takeaways from recent pre-season friendlies for Fantasy Premier League managers.

Erling Haaland (£15.0m) forced Fantasy managers to immediately revise their starting XIs after scoring a hat-trick in Manchester City’s 4-2 win over Chelsea.

The Norwegian’s popularity has fallen in recent days after he was substituted at half-time in his last two summer matches due to a muscle problem.

But Haaland has risen to 37 per cent ownership thanks to his treble which, coincidentally, came against the team he is due to visit on the opening weekend of the 2024/25 season.

Highlights from Manchester City’s win over Chelsea

Haaland produced 16 points at Stamford Bridge last season, scoring twice and providing an assist in a 4-4 draw. With a home clash against Ipswich Town in Gameweek 2, his recent performance is a great reminder of his potential for big Fantasy captaincy hauls from the start.

While Haaland enjoys a rise in ownership, Cole Palmer (£10.5 million) is going in the opposite direction.

The Chelsea midfielder – who has yet to take part in pre-season due to his efforts with England at UEFA EURO 2024 – is down three per cent.

Curiously, Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m) has been deployed as the Blues’ centre-forward, having previously been selected as a number 8 by Enzo Maresca.

Despite the void, the Frenchman has been Chelsea’s best player under the new manager, with three goals and one assist in four appearances. This has helped Nkunku cement his place as the mid-priced midfielder for many managers, with over 17 per cent ownership.

Both Chelsea and Manchester City also have in-form midfield options on a budget to add to their sub-£6.0m options.

From Man City Oscar Bobb (£5.0m) matched Haaland’s five goals, scoring twice and providing three more assists, while Noni Madueke(£5.5m)’s two goals and one assist have come in his last two matches.

Salah consistently on the rise

The idea of ​​joining Haaland and Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) continues to gain momentum after the Egyptian made an attacking return for the third consecutive match.

Salah’s assist for Curtis Jones‘ (£5.5m) in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Manchester United took his tally to one goal and two assists in his last three appearances for Arne Slot’s side.

Salah assist for Jones vs Man Utd

That all-round potential for attacking returns has seen the Reds talisman take almost 35 per cent ownership and it seems only a matter of time before he overtakes Newcastle United Anthony Gordon (£7.5m) as the second most popular midfielder in Fantasy.

Salah’s lack of international commitments over the summer is a key factor to consider when assembling his midfield.

Currently, five of the six most sought-after midfielders were involved in England’s EURO 2024 squad – Palmer, Gordon, Crystal Palace Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) from Man City Phil Foden (£9.5m) and Arsenal Bukayo Saka (£10.0 million).

While Salah begins the season with a full pre-season, it remains to be seen whether England’s star squad will be immediately deployed to start for their clubs in the first gameweek.

Liverpool’s very favourable mid-term run adds to the Egyptian’s appeal, offering him every opportunity to thrive as an armband option. According to Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), five of his opening six appearances have seen him score just two, which includes a visit to promoted Ipswich Town in Gameweek 1.

The Reds are another team offering in-form midfielders on an affordable budget.

Fabio Carvalho (£5.0m) took the opportunity to impress new manager Slot, scoring goals in consecutive clashes against Arsenal and Manchester United. Diogo Jota (£7.5m) secured his place in the starting line-up in the first season of the post-Jurgen Klopp era, providing two assists against the Red Devils as Liverpool secured their third consecutive win.