Now that team selection is in full swing and we are all starting to make our way back to fantasypremierleaguetransfers.com, one must seriously contemplate whether there are any new transfers worth adding to the team. This article will look at West Brom and see if there are any players worth considering, you might be surprised!
Ben Foster Signed a three-year deal
After being on loan for the 2011-2012 season from Birmingham City, West Brom is delighted to have recently signed a three-year contract with goalie Ben Foster. Foster who played 37 of 38 games last season had a rather impressive season finishing sixth overall when looking at “total score.” He, also along with Szczesny tied for the highest amount of bonus points (8). He is currently priced at £5.0 and has a 5.3% ownership.
Argentine midfielder, Claudio Yacob on a three-year deal too!
Most recently, West Brom signed the Argentine midfielder, Claudio Yacob on a three-year deal. While this 25 year old may show promise and potential, it is important to note that during his 2010-2011 season he only scored 3 goals and 1 assist in 27 matches those being 13 for Torneo Clausura, 12 for Aperto and 2 in International Friendlies. (Keep in mind that Dempsey scored 17 goals, Lampard and Van Der Vaart 11 and Bale 10 during a 38 week season. In regards to assists, Silva brought home 17, Mata 16 and Valencia 14). During the 2011-2012 season he appeared in 18 matches and had 1 goal and 1 assist. Despite the stats, head coach Steve Clarke is excited to bring him on board and/yet says the following:
“It will take him a little bit of time to adjust to the demands of the English game and he’s also got to learn our language, but we hope to have him up and running for the start of the season.”“Claudio’s got different qualities to the other midfielders we’ve got at the club and he should complement the squad very well.”
Yacob is currently priced at £5.0 and has a current ownership rate of .1%
Belgium winger Yassine El Ghanassy is on a season-long loan from Gent
Belgium winger Yassine El Ghanassy rounds out the group when looking at West Brom transfers as he is on a season-long loan from Gent. Ghanassy has scored 7 goals since joining Gent and making 37 appearances last season. Ghanassy who is quite often referred to as versatile, young and adaptable will be making his EPL debut with the Baggies although it could have been earlier during the January transfer window when City put in a £4.0 bid to get him. Gent obviously turned this deal down. When speaking about Ghanassy Clarke says the following:
“This is a big move for Yassine. We’ll have to be patient with him as he settles into a new country and gets to grips with the demands of the Premier League.”
“He is an exciting prospect who will add something different to our squad,” and, “We believe he has got the raw talent to make an impact here.”
El Ghanassy is currently valued at £5.0 and has .2% ownership.
So, let’s break it down:
Would you or should you bring Foster, Yacob or Ghanassy onto your team?
Based on the information above and the stats found on the following players (in comparison to all other options) my recommendation would be the following:
If you are looking for a decent goal keeper, Foster is a solid, okay option. He has a good track record and despite the fact that goalies very rarely bring in bonus points, he collected 8 last season.
If you are looking for midfielders at £5.0, Yacob and Ghanassy are not the strongest options as Routledge, Johnson and Surman are better candidates for your squad and have a record to demonstrate the ability to score and assist. Yacob and Ghanassy have potential and they are certainly ones to watch but based on the above and the comments made by Clarke, I would be most hesitant to give a spot to them.
Soon to follow,…a look at Stoke City!
Article by Beka Hanousek
Beka has written 41 awesome articles.
Never take Fantasy Football advice from a 3 year old. It'll only come back to bite you at the end! Follow Beka @bekachan
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Last season McAuley and Ridgewell were indeed good ff picks and if you recall they were also about .5 cheaper than this upcoming season. McAuley saw 9 CS and also scored 2 goals and while I don't have any West Brom players currently on my team, their defensive line is one I will closely follow.
If you do a search on this site and type in "Beka," you will see my articles entitled, "Fanatsy Football By Numbers." Last year indeed was my first year yet I managed to finish in the top 1.04% (1% if you round that out) and it was my pure fascination and joy of the game combined with "number crunching" that got me there. Being a woman and loving the game is just an added bonus in my opinion.
have a great season!
@bekachan
No knock on you -mind it- but it's very rare & thus weird to see any woman play FPL, let alone give advice about it.
Do you think WBA will sustain their defensive edge under the new manager? Ridgewell averaged 4.7 points per game last time around since moving to WBA from Birmingham. I dunno if I should consider him or not.