Deadline Day Deals

Gaston Ramirez doubled Southampton's record transfer fee.

The transfer window has officially closed and numerous deadline day signings are made. Here are some of the moves that can shake up the fantasy game:

• Andy Carroll (Liverpool to West Ham, loan): This deal was done on the night before deadline day actually. Perhaps the pony-tail can reignite his form there, but I don't really think he can score over 15 goals and justify his high price tag.
• Charlie Adam (Liverpool to Stoke): I don't know how he can fit into Stoke's system. The lad is too bad to function as a defensive/holding midfielder, while Jonathan Walters should continue to take the offensive midfielder spot.
• Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea to West Ham, loan): The Israeli returns to his former club after five years. His addition complicates the Hammers midfield line-up, reducing the value of the whole midfield unit due to rotation fears.
• Christian Benteke (Genk to Aston Villa): Scored 19 goals in 37 games for Genk last season. Not too bad and should be a good back-up forward for the Villans. He has little value fantasy wise unless Paul Lambert decides to play 4-4-2 and the forward duo — Gabriel Agbonlahor and Darren Bent — injure more often than not.
• Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United to Fulham): Great business. He is unlikely to become a sub, so Mladen Petric's playing time could be sacrificed.
• Clint Dempsey (Fulham to Tottenham): Surprise it is. Liverpool were unwilling to add £2m to their £4m valuation to get the striker's service, which subsequently sent the American to White Hart Lane. Poor decision by Liverpool, though it isn't a good move by Tottenham either by sending out Van der Vaart and getting a less impressive replacement.
• Ashkan Dejagah (Wolfsburg to Fulham): A replacement for Dempsey. He had once scored 8 league goals in one season, but that was five seasons ago.
• Javi Garcia (Benfica to Manchester City): A replacement for Nigel de Jong. Not much fantasy value here though, despite his high transfer fee.
• Pablo Hernandez (Valencia to Swansea): This could be interesting. Bought as a replacement for Scott Sinclair, the lad has consistent goal and assist records at Valencia.
• Hugo Lloris (Lyon to Tottenham): Great capture which effectively means the end of Brad Friedel's fantasy usefulness.
• Maicon (Inter Milan to Manchester City): An experienced right-back they've gotten. If he's price £6.5m or below he would be the best place to look at City's defence.
• Stephane M'bia (Marseille to QPR): Can play both as a defender and midfielder. Perhaps he can strengthen the Rangers' porous defence.
• Bryan Oviedo (Copenhagen to Everton): A young guy with little productiveness on offence. Will become a benchwarmer most likely.
• Gaston Ramirez (Bologna to Southampton): The Saints are going all in by doubling their transfer record fee on him. Definitely will lead the attacking line-up, but it remains to be seen how effective can he become in a club with limited talents to feed him the supplies.
• Scott Sinclair (Swansea to Manchester City): Do not see his value here yet, unless Roberto Mancini somehow believes he is better than Samir Nasri or David Silva.

Can't wait to get more? Like FPLZ official Facebook page to get the latest updates regularly!

Park Ji-Sung to QPR: Great Prospect Awaits?

Park with his new boss Tony Fernandes.

Queens Park Rangers continue their revolution under the ownership of Tony Fernandes as the ambitious boss has made yet another big move by taking in Manchester United's Asian superstar, Park Ji-Sung.

In fact the 31-year-old South Korean is expected to take over the captain armband of the team soon with Joey Barton, the ex-captain, being stripped off his captaincy earlier due to his disciplinary problems.

So what can we expect from Park in the fantasy world? Based on Park's previous statistics, he has scored 27 goals and 22 assists for Manchester United in 205 appearances - an average of 1 goal in every 7.6 games and 1 assist in every 9.3 games. Not very productive to be honest.

However, if we take into account the fact that Park featured quite frequently as a sub and further consider that he has to make way stars like C. Ronaldo, Rooney and Nani during his career at Old Trafford, we can believe that he will better the figure at Loftus road.

But can he improve his production to a level that it is profitable to get him in Fantasy Premier League? Time will tell.

Robin Van Persie Rejects Contract Extension

Van Persie is following the footsteps of Henry and Fabregas to become the next captain to leave Arsenal.

Not a very good news for fantasy managers: Robin Van Persie, who scored a whopping 269 points in Fantasy Premier League last season, announced yesterday on his website that he will not sign a new deal with Arsenal.

Depending on where he will go this might be a huge loss for FPL managers. A loss of an automatic captain pick. A loss of a player who is capable of replicating a C. Ronaldo-esque fantasy performance. A loss of a fantasy jewel who will only appear once or twice each decade.

Clubs like Juventus, Manchester City as well as Manchester United are all on the race to bid for the Dutch forward who only has another year left in his contract. FPL managers will hope that he will remain in the Premier League if he does leave this summer.

If he does depart from the Emirates, this will mean strikers Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski will play prominent roles upfront for the Gunners next season, though it remains a myth whether they can reproduce the height that Van Persie has set up previously.

Meanwhile, FPLZ season preview will be up pretty soon so stay tuned!

Reviews on Deadline Day Deals

Per Mertesacker is the best deadline day deal in my opinion.

Some reviews on notable deadline day transfers:

1. Arteta (£8.1m) - He actually took a pay cut to join Arsenal. Is expected to become the new playmaker of the team and steal some set piece duties of Van Persie. Pick.
2. Mertesacker (£6.0m) - A very solid buy by Arsenal. Should take defence to another level but is rather expensive. Watch.
3. Santos (£6.5m) - Too expensive for an Premier League unproven defender with a rather leaky side. Avoid until he shown great offensive capabilities. Avoid.
4. Benayoun (£6.9m) - Not too sure about his position as a starter or a benchwarmer. If it's the former, he will resemble a great fantasy bargain with his creativity. Watch.
5. Hutton (£5.0m) - Should become first choice RB of Villa, but with no discount compared to Stephen Warnock. Pick.
6. Jenas (£5.5m) - Pretty cheap for a midfielder who is capable of breaking 100-point ceiling. Watch.
7. Dann (£5.0m) - The former Birmingham defender joins Blackburn to bolster their defence, but it remains to be seen how is it going to be improved. Watch.
8. Yakubu (£5.5m) - He's getting older, but with limited options upfront at Blackburn, he can be a steal if he somehow finds his form. Watch.
9. N'gog (£5.4m) - Don't know how it he going to get his place with K Davies and in-form Klasnic upfront. Needs to wait for his chance. Avoid.
10. Meireles (£7.4m) - A surprise move. 50-50 on him whether to replace in-form Ramires or Mikel for a starting spot. Watch.
11. Drenthe (£6.0m) - Former Real Madrid left-back is expected to take a spot in midfield, but I don't see how is he going to contribute much in offence. Avoid.
12. Grygera (£5.0m) - An experienced defender who can play in both CB and RB. Pretty hard to predict where he stands in Fulham's defence. Watch.
13. Ruiz (£7.0m) - The new Fulham striker has some decent scoring record and is expected to share goal burden with Zamora and A Johnson. Watch.
14. Coates (£5.5m) - A big threat for Carragher's CB spot. Should replace him sooner or later. Watch.
15. Bellamy (£7.5m) - Expect a supersub role for him. Apparently overpriced. Avoid.
16. Hargreaves (£5.0m) - One of the worst deals in my opinion. Avoid.
17. Santon (£4.5m) - Surprisingly cheap for a former Inter defender. Expected to be a direct replacement for Jose Enrique. Pick.
18. Wright-Phillips (£6.4m) - May give immediate impact to QPR's attack. Pick.
19. Puncheon (-) - Great talent that should perform well alongside Barton, Taarabt and Wright-Phillips. Fantasy impact remains a question. Watch.
20. Crouch (£6.9m) - Fits nicely into Stoke's system but will not be too productive in my opinion. Watch.
21. Palacios (£4.9m) - Historically a good defensive midfielder but not a good fantasy midfielder. Avoid.
22. Bendtner (£6.4m) - Should be pairing up with Gyan to provide greater dimension to Sunderland's offence. Watch.
23. Parker (£6.5m) - Good time to arrive as Van der Vaart will out for some months. Pick.
24. Adebayor (£8.0m) - Has good scoring record and should shine with offensive-minded Tottenham. Pick.

Missing some? Kindly inform me. Thank you.

Barton to QPR: How Will He Affect Taarabt?

Joey Barton is the first move by the ambitious Tony Fernandes.

The most important signing by QPR in my opinion. The bad boy, Joey Barton, has joined QPR for a lucrative £80,000 a week contract.

Barton had been a strong fantasy force last season with his precision crosses. His skill and experience will definitely help QPR in their survival battle?

He will compete with Taarabt for the ace position. Will Barton's addition make Taarabt more competitive? We shall see.

Sebastian Coates Set to Join Liverpool - Liverpool Are Really Serious

Coates with his trophy of Best Young Player of Copa America 2011.

It's still not official, but I think there's hardly anything to stop that from happening. Sebastian Coates, the best young player of Copa America 2011, is set to join his compatriot Luis Suarez to hunt trophies for Liverpool.

The 20-year-old centre-back has caught a lot of attention following his fantastic tournament last month. Coates is expected to be bought with £12m and will fill up the void left following the departure of Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

He will be Dalglish's sixth signing of the summer and Liverpool looks more and more likely to battle for a ranking better than fourth.

Meanwhile, Aquilani is now at Milan and is close to completing a one-year loan deal with AC Milan.

Nasri Left for Manchester City - What's Left At Arsenal?

Nasri to follow the footsteps of his ex-captain Fabregas to quit Arsenal.

Done deal. Nasri is going to Manchester City following a £24m bid from the Eastland club.

The attacking midfielder is having a great season last year with Arsenal, but a contract breakdown with the club has angered the French to head for an exit. Not really a good news for fantasy managers though, as he will disrupt the current "comfortable" midfield order at Manchester City. Who will become the scapegoat of bench with Nasri's arrival? Or will he be benched as supersub instead? We'll know that for the coming weeks.

His departure will further worsen Wenger's squad crisis. With players including Song, Wilshere, Rosicky, Diaby, Frimpong, Gibbs, Koscielny, Djourou and Gervinho all either unavailable or doubtful, it seems impossible for them to escape from a defeat at Old Trafford on this coming Premier League weekend. Manchester United players should become super stud picks.

Chelsea Welcomes Mata - Malouda's Position At Threat

Juan Mata to come and conquer the Premier League.

A strong reinforcement for Andre Villas-Boas. Mata, 23, has joined Chelsea following a successful £24m-26m bid for the Valencia's ace.

It is clearly the first big deal by Chelsea this season and the arrival of the Spanish should help AVB to settle better in the Premier League after a not so good start at England for him.

It is clear that Malouda's position will be in the most threat as Mata is a natural left-winger. Replacing an M by another M?

Now Chelsea can completely focus on Modric's deal to complete an M&M move. The Croatian refused to play during the game against Manchester United in order to force through a transfer.

I believe Mata will be priced around £9m-10m in fantasy.

Goodbye Fabregas: A Big Loss for Fantasy Premier League

Fabregas is happy as his move to Barcelona is close to completion.

The prolonged saga has finally ended. Arsenal's ex-captain, Francesc Fabregas, is ready to join La Liga champion FC Barcelona after the club reached an agreement with Arsenal (finally).

The record holder for Arsenal's first team youngest appearance and youngest first team goalscorer wants to return to his mother club since last year, and after an extended war with Arsenal, Wenger has no choice but to let him go.

The Spaniard's departure is a big loss for FPL managers as he is one of the fantasy commodity with "big gun" status, capable to score over 200 points provided he is fit to play for 90% of the season. Hopefully players such as Ramsey and Wilshere will be able to step up and replace Fabregas' role in providing ammunition to Van Persie.

You will not be forgotten, Fabregas.

Oxlade-Chamberlain to Arsenal; Obertan to Newcastle

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Another future buy by Wenger... Where's signings for immediate demand?

Two transfers involving very young players. First and foremost, Arsenal has completed the purchase of winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton for an initial fee believed to be around £5m. He should make no immediate impact though, and it's surprising to see Wenger continue to purchase for the future instead of now when he position as Arsenal's manger will be in danger should he continue the Gunners' title drought.

Meanwhile, Newcastle swoop yet another quality buy this season - Gabriel Obertan. Currently 21, the former Manchester United winger is expected to make an immediate impact at Newcastle, particularly when Ben Arfa is 75% not playing for Newcastle first game of the season according to FPL's status. At £5.0m, he represents another great buy from the low price range.

Lee Chung-Yong to Miss Next Season; Joey Barton On Transfer List

Two budget fantasy midfielders are on the headlines these two days:

Chung-Yong Lee
To miss this whole coming season after breaking his leg.

1. Chung-Yong Lee, the second-most popular Premier League Asian after Manchester United's Ji-Sung Park, is forced to miss this coming season after breaking his leg in a friendly against Newport County.

Joey Barton
On the transfer list now.

2. Joey Barton, the second-most popular budget fantasy midfielder after Charlie Adam last season, was put on the transfer list after a dispute with the club owners regarding contract extension. He is even told that he can leave on free.

We might lose both budget fantasy midfielders for this very new season. Bad news.

Aguero Officially A Manchester Citizen

Sergio Aguero
He is expected to lead City's front line next season.

Manchester City finally splashed some big money this season after completing a £38m move for Athletico Madrid's ace Sergio "Kun" Aguero.

The Argentinian has been a major force for the Spanish side since he joined them back in 2006, averaging more than 20 goals per season. He has always been a hot commodity in the transfer market, with his hefty price tag a big obstacle to move.

Well now City gets his service. Will that at least make Carlos Tevez's less unhappy to stay? Hopefully they will form a deadly partnership.

Villa Welcomes Charles N'Zogbia - Darren Bent Need Not Worry About Short of Supplies

Charles N'Zogbia
The solution for post-Young/Downing era.

Yes, quite a big news to fantasy managers. French international, Charles N'Zogbia joins Aston Villa with an estimated fee of £9.5m.

We all know how good the lad is as a fantasy player. The change of club will not change much of his fantasy value; in fact it might make him even more valuable given Darren Bent's goal efficiency. His arrival ensures Darren Bent will continue to receive good amount of supplies after Downing and Young's departure.

Hope that this is not the last signing of Villa this summer. They still need to strengthen their squad to challenge for a better position.

Goodbye Tevez? - Big Loss for Premier League

Carlos Tevez
The Caveman returns to his cave.

Corinthians bid for Tevez has been circulating for weeks, but Mancini's clarification just made it close to complete. Apparently the Italian manager of Manchester City claimed that an agreement has been reached between two clubs across the continent regarding the sale of Mr Caveman.

Carlos Tevez has been an iconic figure for Premier League over the years, and was involved in two of the biggest transfer sagas in Premier League - the move from West Ham to Man Utd and then from Man Utd to Man City. His talent, his work rate and his efficiency has made him one of the most adorable player on the field.

Yet his commitment issues has made Manchester City feeling sick. Constantly addressing to the public his homesickness, Tevez has been wanting to go back to South America since last year. Now, the chance has come. Will he be gone for good?

All the best, Carlito.

Villa's Latest - Shay Given to Replace Brad Friedel

Shay Given
First team football finally.

Villa again involved in another transfer - fortunately this time for good. Shay Given, one of the most talented goalkeepers in Premier League, is expected to move away from Eastlands after Aston Villa agreed a fee for the Manchester City's outcast.

The Irishman has shown his great reflexes since his time at Newcastle United, with Manchester City splashing 6 million pounds to get him back at 2009. While Given did have a great time at Manchester for one-and-a-half years, the return of Joe Hart from an incredible loan spell at Birmingham made Given lost his place.

This is definitely a good deal for all three parties involved. In a fee around £3.5m this resembles a very good business.

Downing to Complete Liverpool Switch

Stewart Downing
To follow Ashley Young's step and escape from Aston Villa.

The Reds are busying with their Asia Tour currently, yet they never forget to continue strengthening the squad. Liverpool has finally been given the permission to discuss personal terms with Stewart Downing following the acceptance of £20m bid by Aston Villa.

The English are the final piece of Liverpool's starting XI position that needs to be desperately upgraded. The inclusion of Downing will give the Merseysiders much needed width from the flanks with his precision crosses.

Is Liverpool a good contender now for EPL title this season? Not too far I guess.

Riise Returns: Former Liverpool Player to Reunite With His Brother At Fulham

John Arne Riise
His time at Liverpool was fantastic.

Great news - Martin Jol has just confirmed that Fulham's bid for Roma defender John Arne Riise was accepted.

Honestly I am a fan of the Norwegian since his time at Liverpool. He's a natural left-footer, good at both ends, delivers good set pieces and is also gifted with powerful throw-ins - albeit not as great as Rory Delap's.

His arrival at Fulham means that he will play with his younger brother Bjorn Helge Riise - not as well known as his elder brother though.

Will Riise play as good as his time at Liverpool? I hope so.

O'Shea Joins Wes Brown - Will Sunderland Do Great This Season?

John O'Shea
Another big deal by Sunderland.

Shortly after the arrival of Wes Brown, Sunderland has managed to sign another Manchester United defender - this time by the name of John O'Shea.

O'Shea was another utility man at Old Trafford, being able to play at various defending positions. To secure his service is a very good business for the Black Cats.

Now let's see the list of signings by Sunderland - United duo, O'Shea and Brown; Connor Wickham, star striker from Ipswich; Craig Gardner, Birmingham's top-scoring player last season; Dong-Won Ji, a South-Korean forward... If they can't achieve a good result this season, I'm sure that Steve Bruce will be axed.

Wes Brown Transforms Himself From a Red Devil to a Black Cat

Wes Brown
He won't have to warm a lot of benches again, will he?

Sunderland are gaining themselves a good portion of transfer headlines as they confirmed the signing of Manchester United's utility defender Wes Brown.

Brown, 31, was with vanishing importance at Old Trafford due to the purchase of promising defenders such as Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. His move for Sunderland is definitely beneficial for all three parties involved.

May he find his second spring at the Stadium of Light. Your contribution to United will not be forgotten, Mr. Brown.

Charlie Adam Set to Join Liverpool

Charlie Adam
"Anfield here I come!"

After such a prolonged war between two Pools, the deal for Charlie Adam has finally been agreed.

It is rumoured that the former Tangerines skipper has to write a transfer request in order to push the deal through - in a fee of around £9m.

The deal will definitely further congest Liverpool's list of central midfielders which consist of Gerrard, Meireles, Lucas, Aquilani, Spearing, Henderson and more.