Open Thread: Making Moves
Bale. Bale? BALE!?!?! Bale. /shrugs.
Let’s get this out of the way. Yes, spend your WW1 on Gareth Bale. Who could possibly still be coming that’s better than the Welshman? No one. Notably I do not feel like Sergio Reguilón is the same kind of no-doubter - minor competition for minutes, playing for Mourinho, etc - so if you’re sitting on WW2 I might just pass on him and pray someone else pops in the next 2+ weeks.
And I’m not using a top three waiver on Thiago, but anything below that you’ll need to asses your team’s needs and the depth of your league. 8-team league? Hard pass. 12-team league where you have Foden / Trossard/ Felipe Anderson as your depth? Yeah, I’d want to add him as a low-floor, low-ceiling regular who I can slot into my MID3/4 and get 6.5-8.5 points. If that’s not doing it for you, pass - it’s what Thiago would do.
As always - this is the open thread for every one. Thanks to all of you for being part of the team. If you want to read all my stuff you will need to upgrade to a paid subscription, including two articles this week on transfer targets, West Ham, Everton, Newcastle and more
What these arrivals do is provide some level of clarity around other assets: Ben Davies? Good bye. Gini Wjnaldum? Samesies. Go forth, ask an answer questions:
Q: I currently have Castagne, Wan-Bissaka, Enda Stevens and Kyle Walker-Peters. I wanted to wait for Sancho but seems moot at this point.
A: Is Reguilon an upgrade over KW-P? Sure. Do we know how often and in what tactical role he’ll actually be utilized? Not really and that’s concerning given the premium you’re paying to add him. He's 23 and a phenomenal talent. Jose doesn't exactly have a great track record there and we're banking an awful lot of this being one of 'his guys'.
Q: if you knew 100% Sancho was actually coming, would you still take Bale over Sancho?
A: I would take Bale over Sancho if I really liked my team. If I felt like my team needed a consistent upgrade Sancho takes it by a nose. There are a lot of reasonable questions to be asked about Bale's homecoming (Mourinho, tactical role, meshing in the locker room and on the field) but none more so than injury. I'm on record hating Ole as Sancho's manager in the long term, but in the short term I think he plays him often which FPL managers will love. An unreasonable question to ask is if Bale will be a productive fantasy player when he's on the pitch. He will be. He's a boss.