By
Jack Woodfield
Before we begin, a moment's applause for Gameweek 25. That was spectacular. Bournemouth's 3-0 upset win at Chelsea, Phil Jones' performance art defending, Nacho Monreal's failed acrobatic clearance, Mohamed Salah's stubborn insistence on further rewarding his FPL owners. There were life-affirming and soul-crushing moments in ubiquity.
But there is little time for reflection. There are important matters to discuss ahead of GW26. We have an influx of January transfers to assess, including Deadline Day arrivals, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the highest-priced option at £10.5m. Subsequently, some new names appear in the Essentials and Differentials Collections.
Essentials Collection
Alexis Sanchez
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I've had a frothy mouth for days contemplating acquiring Alexis Sanchez for GW26. His so-so Premier League debut for Man United against Spurs was overshadowed by Phil Jones' first-half breakdown, but the Chilean will now want to hit the ground running on his Old Trafford debut, and fixtures don't get much more welcome than this.
Huddersfield travel to Old Trafford looking to arrest a four-game losing run, and the omens aren't good. Against the top six this season the Terriers have lost 5-0 to Arsenal (in which Sanchez scored), 4-0 to Spurs, 4-0 and 3-0 to Liverpool and 3-1 to Chelsea.
While Huddersfield won the reverse fixture against Man United in October, David Wagner's side appear a confidence-sapped outfit right now. They looked terror-stricken for most of the first half against Liverpool in GW25, while Man United have lost just one league game in nine.
Phil Jones
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His own goal, yellow card and all-round baffling display against Spurs notwithstanding, the Sanchez logic applies with Jones.
Prior to their first-half collapse at Spurs, United had amounted four straight clean sheets, with Jones collecting maximum bonus points in two of those games. No team this season has conceded less than Man United at home, and only Brighton and West Brom have scored fewer goals on the road than Huddersfield.
Jordan Ayew
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Having previously scored one league goal in 18, Jordan Ayew now has four in eight. He has collected nine bonus points in those games.
The Swansea striker is the in-form budget option and is playing a key role in the Carlos Carvalhal recovery mission - the Swans have lost once since he took the reins. Now united with his brother Andre, the brothers Ayew could be ones to watch.
https://twitter.com/OfficialFPL/status/958559734377918470
Daniel Sturridge
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In all likelihood, Daniel Sturridge will have injured himself before this preview exits copy editing. But if West Brom can unearth a fit Daniel Sturridge then his loan deal will be of benefit not just for him and West Brom, but us FPL bosses.
At £7.9m, upcoming home games with Southampton and Huddersfield mark opportunities for the former England star to collect instant returns.
Differentials Collection
Theo Walcott
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In my
GW24 preview, I touted Theo Walcott to make an instant impact at Everton. Two goals and one assist later, Walcott now travels to his old stomping ground of 12 years with an inevitable drive to prove Arsene Wenger wrong for dismissing him. Given Arsenal's defensive struggles (no clean sheet in eight), Sam Allardyce's new-look Everton aren't welcome opponents for the Gunners right now.
https://twitter.com/OfficialFPL/status/958945533783085056
Kenedy
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Newcastle fans' protest may have stolen the headlines in GW25, but Kenedy came close. His debut against Burnley comprised hitting the post with an excellent effort, winning a penalty that Joselu spurned, and setting up Jamaal Lascelles' second-half goal. At £4.7m, the new Magpie's bandwagon is on the road.
Leonardo Ulloa
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Brighton fans likely weren't alone in welcoming back Leonardo Ulloa to relevance. The striker's exile at Leicester since their title win has been hard to watch. He's a good striker, and a loan back at Brighton will see him get plenty more minutes and compete for a starting berth with Glenn Murray. Brighton have good fixtures, and Ulloa costs just £4.8m.
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