TRANSFER MARKET ANALYSIS: THE GOOD, BAD AND THE UNDECIDED

Good morning and welcome to this week’s edition of this series I would be doing hopefully till the end of the season. Sorry for the hiatus, good to be back.

I call it the transfer market analysis; the good, bad and the undecided. Here I look at the top 5 transferred in and out players at the end of the last day of game week matches and TRY to work out if it will be a hit or miss. Those who I feel don’t clearly fall into any category fall into the undecided group.

Ill also be giving my reasons for calling it/them hits or misses and we can check out how wrong or right I was at the end of the week.

The table for the TRANSFERS IN is shown below.

Ive added an extra column to account for teams/player availability for gw26 and gw28 as they are the likely blank game weeks and should factor into our thinking.

This week’s transfers have drawn the mother of all surprises. We start with Liverpool’s Sadio Mane. Since leaving for AFCON, Liverpool hadn’t been the same. Little wonder he was hurried back after Senegal were eliminated and the streets were filled to welcome him when he returned. Duly justifying their faith with 2 goals against spurs and with leaky Leicester up next, it’s hard to see reasons not to buy. Still in the UNDECIDED category due to the fact that they could blank in gw26.

Gabbiadini’s

case is kind of funny. Without a fixture in gw26, one hard fixture in the next 2 after that and another possible blank plus the possibility of injury in the carling cup final game means there should be no reason to buy. The fact that 43,805 people have transferred him in shows that the number of casuals is surprising. A BAD call in my opinion.

The last time I wrote this piece, Lukaku was in the transferred out category despite facing easy run of games. A move I identified as a bad one then. This week, he is rightly in the transferred in category after dispelling his “ttroll” tag with a 4 goal display in his last home game, he welcomes a Sunderland side that just shipped in 4 goals and the fact that he doesn’t have facup or carling cup fixture, neither is he affected by the blanks makes him a GOOD essential purchase.

Chelsea duo, Costa and Hazard complete the top 5 and despite not particularly being on bang form, 3 easy fixtures and no gw26 blank means they are easy go to guys. Swansea may have become better lately but Stamford Bridge is a different place to be and I can’t look past both of them getting a haul or two in their next 3.

For TRANSFERS OUT, Ibrahimovic stems his tide of favours with managers as he tops the chart. Lack of explosive returns plus possibly 2 blanks in next 4 means its hard to blame the sellers. With kane, lukaku and costa all captain materials and with his price rapidly falling, it is no surprise though. A GOOD call.

Dele Alli joins him in losing favour with the managers. Favourite in the transferred in column previously, a run of blanks have made managers weary. With an easy home fixture against stoke next tho, I wouldn’t be in a rush to sell as those who sent Sanchez and Ibra awat last week despite having a good fixture can tell.

Its been coming tho, Sanchez had gradually been losing owners recently but despite punishing his sellers with a brace and max bps, it seems a GOOD call to sell as there won’t be a fixture to punish sellers with. A blank and then a trip to Liverpool is definitely the right bus stop for his owners.

Lallana’s run out of managers’ teams continues. 5^th, 1^st and now 4^th in my latest 3 editions of this article, there is no stopping. His poor form and emergence of Mane combine to justify the choice and then there is the matter of a possible double blank in gw28 and gw28 leading to a continous sale. A GOOD choice I would say.

The loss in form was predicted as he was deemed to have over performed but a home fixture against leaky Bournemouth followed by easy fixtures and sure games in gw26 and gw28 means selling Matt Philips is likely a BAD idea. He is still very involved in his teams attacks and with so few fixtures confirmed for gw28, he could help his owners up the ranks.  

That’s it. Remember, reasons stated here can change and the writer isn’t trying to discourage any buyers or sellers but trying to check out the timing of the transfers. As always, your input is highly welcomed.

*The ticker used is from the official premier league mobile app.

 NB: If Leicester’s facup tie needs a replay, it will be fixed for mid-week of gw26 and with their clash vs Liverpool set to hold on Monday, it could be shifted.