03 Jan, 2025

FPL Spotlight: Gameweek 20

Make sure you check out the FPL Player Rankings series to keep up to date with the best FPL assets.

The FPL Spotlight shines brightly on different players at different times throughout the season. This is a series tackling the most hyped FPL assets at the moment. We’re here to help you judge whether they are worthy of their price tag and the hype.

Green Light = Player I strongly recommend owning

Amber Light = Solid option with potential downsides

Red Light = Not a player I would recommend owning

Cody Gakpo (FWD):

Price: £7.3m

Ownership: 7.0%

Gakpo has now cemented himself as a member of Arne Slot’s preferred starting front three alongside Diaz and Salah. He has played most of his minutes from the left-wing and has been in fine form of late as. The Dutchman has started 8 of Liverpool’s last 9 Premier League games, scoring in 5 of those 8 starts. He has repaid his manager’s faith by scoring key goals in Liverpool’s brilliant recent run. He scored a towering header against Real Madrid, the opener against Man City and got Liverpool level against Leicester with a brilliant curling strike into the corner on the stroke of half time.

Gakpo has 5 goals from 3.3xG this season despite only starting 10 games. He can score goals from lower xG chances with his great ball striking ability but has also scored tap-ins from smart movement at the back post. with He is 78^th percentile for attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League with 0.33xG per 90.

Liverpool lead the league in xG by nearly 3.0 total xG over 2^nd place Chelsea, as well as Big Chances Created, having created 13 more than 2^nd placed Chelsea. They also create the highest quality of chance in the league – ranking 1^st in xG per shot. Simply put, Liverpool are in a league of their own as an attacking force and may be the best attacking side in Europe.

Liverpool have a very nice run of fixtures coming up over the next 6 Gameweeks, playing 4 of the bottom 10 teams in xG conceded – Man United (H), Brentford (A), Ipswich (H) and Wolves (H). Liverpool could feast in some of these matchups. Gakpo’s good form and consistent minutes right now is especially enticing given Cunha is suspended, Jackson has gone a little cold, Watkins vs Duran is up in the air and the output of many of the in-form cheap Forward options has begun to slow down. At only 7.0% ownership Gakpo could provide a high-quality differential that could swing fantasy mangers seasons in the right direction.

Judgement: Green Light

Gabriel Jesus (FWD):

Price: £6.9m

Ownership: 8.4%

Jesus is seemingly rediscovering the player he was at Man City and when he first joined Arsenal since Saka got injured. He is carrying Arsenal’s forward line of late and is a lock to make Arteta’s preferred starting XI, having started the last 3 league games as well as Arsenal’s EFL Cup quarter-final victory against Palace. He has a staggering 6 goals and 2 assists in that run of games. He gave a poignant interview after his hattrick in the EFL cup game against Palace, passionately stating the level of player he has and can be and how much he can help this Arsenal team. Mentality is huge in sports and Jesus has backed up that impassioned speech with great performances and goals.

Jesus is averaging 0.44xG per 90 which is high quality output – that ranks higher than pivotal FPL assets such as Semenyo, Son, Gordon, Mateta and Sarr to name a few. He is averaging 3.2 shots per 90 which is 73^rd percentile for all Premier League forwards. These are the kinds of numbers that do indicate his form can continue if he continues to be this ruthless in front of goal.

5 of Arsenal’s next 7 games come against sides in the bottom half of the league in xG conceded. These games against Brighton (A), Spurs (H), Wolves (A), Leicester (A) and West Ham (H) provide a great platform for Jesus to continue rewarding FPL managers that took a gamble on him and will all come before Saka returns. Jesus will be pivotal in Arsenal attempting to keep pace with Liverpool throughout this period and looks very much like Arsenal’s focal point in attack. At 8.4% ownership, and as we discussed before, many of this season’s best Forward options faltering, Jesus could be a great option to own over the next couple of months.

Judgement: Green Light

Morgan Gibbs-White (MID):

Price: £6.4m

Ownership: 3.5%

Gibbs-White became a forgotten about player due to an injury that kept him out for a 4 week stretch earlier in the season. After having a slow start upon return to the starting XI, he has been in scintillating form since Gameweek 15, returning 2 goals and 3 assists in that period. Forest have won all 5 of those games since Gibbs White has found form, after the consensus was that they had faltered and would now stay among that clutter of mid table teams. They now sit 3^rd in the league after Gameweek 19.

While Wood is the focal point of finishing Forest’s attacks, everything runs through Gibbs- White. He has scored 3 goals from 2.1xG, with a post-shot xG of 3.4xG which shows just the kind of precise finishing ability the young Englishman has in his locker. He also, despite missing nearly 5 entire 90’s, has 3.31xA which ranks 20^th in the Premier League. That ranks ahead of much higher owned FPL players that we value for, among other things, their chance creation abilities such as Kulusevski, Hall, Robinson, Rogers and Semenyo. This is quite an astonishing level of chance creation for a player in the team ranked 15^th in xG this season.

Forest’s fixture list over the next 5 Gameweeks does look appealing for attacking players, facing Wolves (A), Southampton (H), Brighton (H) in that period. This would be the period you would want to own Gibbs-White where he can provide quality output for a non-premium price-tag for a team that is flying right now. Forest’s fixtures, from an attacking perspective get much tougher from Gameweek 25 onwards where they will face teams in the top half of the league in xG conceded in 7 out of 8 Gameweeks – you will likely want to move on from Forest attacking assets. But for now, he is a solid option that could provide value for money and a good differential until Gameweek 25.

Judgement: Amber Light

Rayan Ait-Nouri (DEF):

Price: £4.8m

Ownership: 6.5%

Ait-Nouri is a good player, but I do not believe he is a worthwhile FPL asset in this team. Do not be fooled by 2 assists against a Spurs side missing 4 out of the 5 members of their starting back five.

Looking at a larger sample, from Gameweek 10-19, Ait Nouri only provided 2 attacking returns and 2 clean sheets. This was despite having very favourable fixtures – only playing 2 teams in the top half of the Premier League table. And now Matheus Cunha is suspended for 2 games – making Ait-Nouri attacking returns even less likely. While nothing to completely sneeze at, his 2.71xGI on the season is not a number that trumps being 14^th in xG conceded or screams that more attacking returns are due.

To add to some of these negatives, Wolves have a murderer’s row of fixtures coming up. Their next 9 Gameweeks are against teams in the top half of the table including Forest (H), Newcastle (A), Chelsea (A), Arsenal (H) and Liverpool (A). FPL managers are best advised to look for other options within a similar price range to Ait-Nouri – check out our Transfer Wizard to look at the best options.

Judgement: Red Light

To check out our complete guide to the Assistant Manager chip, available from Gameweek 24, click here

By Ahsan Ejaz

Last updated: 03/01