Arsenal FPL Season Preview

With just one week to go until the 2020/21 season gets underway, it’s crunch time for Fantasy Premier League managers looking to finalise their Gameweek 1 squads. Arsenal come into the season as an intriguing team FPL wise, boasting one of the game’s top options as well as a number of value picks in several positions. The biggest concern with Arsenal is uncertainty, with Arteta graduating from the school of Pep rotation, but starting the campaign against Fulham and West Ham, they remain an attractive prospect for fantasy teams.

Must Own:

When creating a Gameweek 1 squad it’s difficult to label many players as must own but Arsenal have one in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The star man has been listed as a midfielder for this season granting him an extra point for each goal as well as for each clean sheet. If he was listed as a midfielder last season he would have finished on 237 points – second only to Salah. With Arsenal’s fixtures to start the season, coupled with the fact both Manchester clubs will miss the first Gameweek, Aubameyang is a must own for the first two weeks at least, offering a good captain option as well. Despite having the largest price tag in the game at 12.0 million, he offers a great value for the whole campaign where he’s expected to score over 20 goals but he also offers the flexibility to switch to the likes of Sterling, De Bruyne, Salah, Mane and Fernandes at no cost. He’s a must own!

Other Options:

Whilst Arsenal’s defence has been questionable over recent years, it looks as if it is improving all the time under Arteta, to the point that Arsenal defenders are viable options. The premium player in this position is Kieran Tierney coming in at 5.5 million. The Scotsman looks nailed on to start the season and with the signing of Gabriel Magalhães, Tierney should find himself at wing back where he can translate his pinpoint crosses into attacking returns. He’s on the more expensive side but with his attacking quality and Arsenal’s improving defence, there’s no reason why Tierney can’t emerge as the best option from his price range.

Another promising defensive option is William Saliba, priced at just 4.5 million. The young defender looks set to play a large role this season, slotting in on the right side of defence. With Rob Holding linked with a loan move to Newcastle, Saliba should start the season on the right of Arteta’s 3 man defence although with him not starting the Community Shield, there is a slight doubt as to whether he’ll be thrown in for the first game or two. For only 4.5 million Saliba is worth the risk regardless and it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a regular starter.

An outside choice for the start of the season is Bukayo Saka at 5.5 million. The teenager started the Community Shield against Liverpool on the right wing, putting in an impressive display and registering an assist for Aubameyang’s goal. If he gets the minutes, Saka will produce attacking returns. The issue is that both Pépé and Willian are also fighting for the same spot and whilst they haven’t featured so far, there’s always a chance they take Saka’s minutes when the season starts.

Keep An Eye:

The goalkeeping situation at Arsenal is something to monitor. Both Leno (5.0 million) and Martinez (4.5 million) enjoyed impressive spells between the sticks last season and it is currently unclear who will line up in goal away at Fulham. It looks as if Arsenal are capable of 12 to 15 clean sheets next season and with both goalkeepers being strong shot stoppers, save points will rack up alongside the clean sheets. Leno was on equal footing to Newcastle’s Dubravka, in terms of FPL points last season, until his injury so it’s likely Arsenal’s number 1 keeper would finish around the 140 point mark. For the price both would be good options, especially Martinez who comes in slightly cheaper – we’ll just have to wait and see who emerges as first choice.

Both Willian and Pépé will be good options at various points of the season, it’ll just be a case of getting the timing right on FPL. Willian showed his quality last season with 9 goals and 9 assists on the way to his highest ever fantasy total of 168 points. Whilst he’s not a player to get in for the whole season, having Willian whilst he’s in form is sure to be a good differential as he can go on a run of stringing several attacking returns in a row together. The same is true of Nicolas Pépé. The Ivorian was more inconsistent last season but came in with multiple double digit hauls at various points and looked to be a lot more settled at the end of the season. The key for Pépé, as well as Willian, is consistency, both in terms of performances and selections, so both are players to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Avoid:

Arsenal centre forwards should be avoided. In Arteta’s system, the striker’s job is as much to create space and opportunities for Aubameyang as it is to score themselves which limits their FPL points. Priced at 8.5 million, Lacazette is likely to be Arsenal’s main centre forward for the season, and he could well get over 10 goals and 10 assists, but his price is too high in comparison to other strikers in the league, such as Jimenez and Ings who are also priced at 8.5 million. Eddie Nketiah is Arsenal’s other option for that role and his 6.0 million may make him a viable option should he get a run of games in the team but his lack of experience and the way the team is set up makes him a less attractive option.

My Picks:

For my team I’ve chosen to go with Aubameyang, Tierney and Saliba. Aubameyang I’ve talked about as being must own and his flexibility to be changed to another big hitter is very desirable. Tierney is the safest Arsenal defensive option to start the season and with the opening fixtures hopefully he can get an attacking return or two alongside some clean sheets. At 4.5 million Saliba seems like a great option. The only concern is over whether he starts or not but for his price, he is worth the risk.

Adam Perry - 04/09/2020