Pre-Season Lessons, £5.5m Underpriced Gem, Set and Forget Pick

With the new Premier League season on the horizon, building the right squad for Gameweek One and beyond for the equally important Fantasy Premier League season is also of utmost importance for many. The challenge of beating your friends with your squad of 15 could lead to bragging rights – or even more, depending on what you’re playing for.

Given that you are limited in how many players you can have per team, as well as by price, players need to get creative and utilise talents from multiple clubs. And Aston Villa is a great team to lean on. With Unai Emery performing wonders at Villa Park, you have a team bound to impress – but with players that don’t always come at a premium.

With that in mind, we are going to look at what pre-season has taught FPL players about the Villans and guide you on some possible decisions heading into the new campaign.

Pre-Season Lessons

It was a mixed bag for Unai Emery’s men in pre-season, playing eight games and winning just three. Perhaps the biggest talking point was that they kept just two clean sheets — against Roma and Villarreal. Emery’s side shipped three goals against both Marseille and Hansa, and conceded twice in matches versus Frankfurt and Nashville.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of Emi Martinez, with many suggesting he was waving goodbye at the end of last season. The two-time Yashin Trophy winner has been linked with the likes of Manchester United, and though he remains with the squad, it is clear that if he goes, there will be problems defensively.

Villa also appear a little sparse. Just three new signings have come in — Evann Guessand, Yasin Ozcan and Marco Bizot. On the surface, the trio aren’t players you’d imagine will unseat any of the current starters, and with loanees Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio not returning, it may open the door for other players to feature who were perhaps left to the side while those stars were there.

Underpriced Gem – Donyell Malen

Donyell Malen’s arrival at Villa Park last season was overshadowed by the additions of Rashford and Asensio, but with those two gone, the Dutchman may fancy his chances of being a little more involved this campaign. His record of three goals in 14 Premier League games doesn’t look all that impressive, but with the current state of the squad, he may have a more prominent role — which could also increase his productivity.

It has been a fruitful pre-season for the 26-year-old too. With two goals and three assists to his name, he may be in the right form for the start of the term. While kicking things off against Newcastle — who also haven’t strengthened much — is no easy task, Villa don’t face a side that finished in last season’s top six for another eight games after. That may give Malen the opportunity to feature in matches where he can expect chances to be created for him.

At £5.5m and listed as a midfielder despite playing in Villa’s attack, Malen could provide an added goal threat while not taking up any of the attacking slots — and leave enough of your budget to splash out on bigger stars with even more productivity.

Set and Forget Pick – Ollie Watkins

While Ollie Watkins’ form over the last couple of seasons has been tremendous, usually the set-and-forget pick would go to Emiliano Martinez. A top goalkeeper who will keep enough clean sheets but also may be called into action frequently, he would be a safe bet throughout the season. But, as touched upon earlier, we don’t know what his future looks like — and even if he stays at Villa, will his head be in the right place?

Watkins has averaged a goal a game in pre-season and is one of just two players in Europe’s top five leagues to rack up 50+ goals and 25+ assists over the last three seasons. While Viktor Gyokeres, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko have added more depth and quality to the attacking options that have lacked a tad in recent years, it’s safe to stick with the reliable £9m man and let him do his thing.