West Ham have bought in a manager with serious pedigree after David Moyes decided to walk out of the club after just six months in charge. Manuel Pellegrini is a proven Premier league manager having won the Premier league with Manchester City in 2014. The Chilean has completed a number of signings early in the transfer window and on course for a major overhaul of the squad this summer.
So who should you consider to bring into your fantasy teams from West Ham…
STAR MAN – Marko Arnautovic (£7.0m)
This is a straight forward choice. The Austrian is their prime goal threat having scored 11 goals and 6 assists in 31 appearances for the hammers. He particularly flourished under Moyes having moved from the flanks to the central striking position. He’s moderately priced at £7.0m this seas, but he’s no more the OOP (out of position) gem he was last season. Unless the hammers sign another forward, he should surely start as the lone striker or alongside Chicharito if Pellegrini deploys 4-4-2.
Either way, he could be the ideal third striker for your team especially when the fixtures turn kind towards the hammers from gameweek 12. With Austria not qualifying for the World Cup finals, Marko had a full summer’s rest and back fresh for the new season. He scored the only goal for the hammers in their first pre-season game and now has 4 goals to his name. Manchester City scored a whopping 156 goals in all competitions during it’s title winning season under the Chilean including scoring 6 against Arsenal and 7 against Norwich. Pellegrini like to play free flowing football and the goals will come.
HIDDEN GEM – ISSA Diop (£4.5m)
One of Pellegrini’s priorities was to find a quality replacement for the injury prone Winston Reid. And he responded by bringing in a 6.3 foot imposing centre back in the form of Issa Diop. Diop is a ball playing France U-19 Center-back, who played for Toulouse in ligue 1 last season. Known for his Aerial threat, the French man has an excellent CBI (clearance, blocks and interceptions) record in his short career. It’s no secret that the current FPL BPS system favours CBI.
He’ll be on the BPS radar every time the hammers keep a cleansheet and will be the main target and threat on set pieces. He could chip in a few goals along the season and could also definitely benefit from the BPS. Not a lot of risk at £4.5 considering his potential but he’s an excellent option later in the season when the fixtures turn in favor of the hammers.
BARGAIN- Jack Wilshere (£5.0m)
When fit, there’s no doubt that Wilshere is a delight to watch. This has not been the best of summers of him. He was dropped from the England squad for the world cup and was told by the new Arsenal manager that he was not part of the club’s future.
Perhaps he might be feeling there’s a point to prove. There won’t be lack of motivation but the question is if he’ll be fit enough to play throughout the season. That’s a big “IF” if you look back at his injury record. But if he does, then he’s a bargain at 5.0m. He could free up your cash to spend on big hitters elsewhere in your squad. Keep an eye on pre-season to get more insight on this, but he could play at 10 for the hammers till Lanzini is fit. If so, then he’ll be an excellent differential for your squad early on during the first few game weeks.
PREDICTED LINE UP
This is the predicted lineup when the hammers have a clean bill of health:
Fabianski
Fredericks – Diop – Ogbonna – Cresswell
Wilshere – Obiang
Yarmolenko – Lanzini – Anderson
Arnautovic
Pellegrini could go with Fredericks at RB to deal with the pace of Liverpool’s deadly front three.
Written by FPL Wolf (@FPLWolf)
