Why do I have 5 Free Transfers in FPL?

The sight of five precious transfers sitting in your Fantasy Premier League account is enough to make any manager pause and check their settings. Is this a glitch? Did you forget to make moves for several weeks? Thankfully, the answer is neither. This sudden wealth of transfers is a deliberate, emergency measure from FPL to help you navigate one of the most disruptive periods of the season: the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

In short, your total number of free transfers has been immediately topped up to the maximum possible count of five, and it’s a gift you need to use wisely.

The AFCON Dilemma

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, running from December 21st to January 18th, is the reason behind this generous boost. This continental tournament takes place right in the middle of the Premier League season, meaning a host of key players will depart their clubs for several Gameweeks.

From a fantasy perspective, the AFCON directly impacts Gameweeks 17 through 22. When you consider the sheer number of essential players involved—most notably premium assets like Man United’s Bryan Mbeumo and star forwards like Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr or Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye—the potential for points carnage on your squad can be huge. Although admittedly, FPL have probably gone slightly overboard with 5.

FPL’s solution is to effectively give you a mini-Wildcard without requiring you to use a chip. This influx of five transfers allows you to overhaul your squad depth and, crucially, offload your departing AFCON stars before they leave.

Not sure exactly which players it will affect? Then make sure you check out our comprehensive list on which players are heading to AFCON.

Planning Your Great Overhaul

This is a use-them-or-lose-them opportunity, as your free transfers will revert to the standard carryover system after this emergency period. Here is how you need to approach this temporary transfer surplus:

1. React to Early Departures: The tournament starts on December 21st, but some national teams require their players to join up early, potentially impacting Gameweek 16. The five transfers allow you to react quickly if your players depart sooner than expected, avoiding that irritating -4 point hit.

2. Mitigate Price Drops: When premium players like Bryan Mbeumo are sold by millions of managers, their price is almost guaranteed to drop. By having these extra moves, you can sell your affected stars early to secure their value and reinvest the funds immediately, before they potentially lose 0.2 or 0.3m.

3. Set Up a Chip Strategy: This transfer boost gives you immense flexibility. Instead of using your Wildcard chip to deal with the AFCON exodus, you can use these five free transfers to prepare your bench for a Bench Boost or your starting XI for a Free Hit in an upcoming Gameweek. You can now build a deep, 15-man squad capable of weathering the storm without wasting a valuable chip.

 

Ultimately, having five free transfers is FPL throwing you a lifeline during a chaotic time. It’s a temporary reprieve from the transfer limits that allows you to strategically manage a mass player absence. Use it to ditch your AFCON contingent, grab replacements who have strong fixtures, and set yourself up for a commanding run through the mid-season schedule. Don’t wait until the deadline; get planning now, because this is an opportunity that won’t come around again until the next major international break.

Make sure you check out our Game Week Tips Section for how to best make use of these 5 Free Transfers.