Seasons may come and go but for a fantasy football player, the game goes on. Pre-season for clubs and managers is research time for the rest of us and in the spirit of this, here’s the first in a new series to give you all a quick club by club overview. First up, Arsenal.

The new Liverpool? There’s an increasing, ‘this year is our year’ feeling encircling the club and with this being the first season in 20 years that Arsenal aren’t in the Champions League, those with that feeling may be right. This coming season, Arsenal will be looking to right the wrongs of last season and push on further in the league, I foresee the Europa League being a bit more of a stretch of the legs for the fringe players of the squad which should leave the first team fresher for an assault on the league, but what does all this mean in regards to this coming season’s Draft Fantasy Football? 

Goalkeepers

The sale of Wojciech Szczesny to Juventus is almost complete, David Ospina is being linked with a move abroad so that really does leave Petr Cech unchallenged in goal for another season. The 35-year-old stopper hasn’t looked as good as he once was but with an improved and more experienced defence in front of him, look for Cech to up his points total of 128 from last season.

When to draft though? It’s the seemingly impossible to answer question for draft football. I held back on goalkeepers last season and I ended up with Tom Heaton and Lee Grant, who had phenomenal seasons. For Cech, I expect him to be a 4th round pick, I’d gamble and wait maybe one or two more rounds but that’s just me.

Defenders

Arsenal with a fully fit Koscielny have a formidable defence on their day, just look at the team’s performances with him off the pitch against Bayern Munich last season. Bellerin looks to be staying on even with Barcelona flashing a bit of thigh at him, the increased game time for Rob Holding seemed to do him wonders at the tail end of the season and may just see him as a more regular starter opposite Koscielny and Mustafi, under the assumption Arsenal stick with the 3-5-2 wing backs formation, while Kolasinac could very well have a breakout season equalled to Marcus Alonso’s of Chelsea last season.

Koscielny, with his importance to the Arsenal team now obvious to everyone will be a high pick. Depending on your inclination for defenders, I’d say he’ll be gone in either the 3rd or 4th round, the same can be said for Mustafi. Bellerin and Kolasinac should be very high scoring defenders and the more brash members of your leagues could quite happily snap them up in the 2nd round.

Midfielders

The key question here is simply, Will Alexis Sanchez stay? It’s looking more likely that Sanchez will depart Arsenal this summer which will leave a huge hole in the Arsenal team. If the Sanchez departure drags out to deadline day then that leaves us questioning on whether to draft him in the first round of picks or not. Last season, my friends and I refused to pick up Diego Costa as it looked certain that he was off, Costa then became the second highest scoring striker last season and in our league, he went as a 7th round pick. If Sanchez goes than Ramsey, Walcott, Ox (who himself may leave) and Iwobi will surely get more game time and increase on their poor points returns of last season. Ozil on the other hand, does look likely to stay and if he performs like he did in the 15/16 season than he is well worth an early pick up.

Sanchez, if he stays, he’s a 1st round pick-up but if the rumours of him leaving go down to the wire, I expect a gamble on him in the 5th round. Ozil, I expect him go in the 2nd round. Ramsey, Walcott and The Ox…possibly rounds 6-10.

Forwards

This is where it gets really exciting and represents our first true new signing gamble for the season; Lacazette is now a Gunner. We all know him from at least 3 seasons of transfer rumours surrounding him but Lyon were now willing to sell and if he can replicate his form from Ligue 1 in the Premier League than Lacazette could well be one of the pick-ups of the season. Olivier Giroud looks like he’ll be plying his trade at Goodison Park, Perez looks to be off, Walcott can’t be trusted as a lone striker so that leaves Danny Welbeck almost unopposed as a backup/strike partner for Lacazette, providing he can stay injury free.

Lacazette, I think will go in round 1. He’s a sexy new name and strikers are precious in this game, especially with so many teams still opting for 1 up front. Giroud, if he completes his move to Everton may well go 2nd or 3rd round as well with the same being said about Welbeck.

Wildcard

Alex Iwobi. Still known to many as just the nephew of Premier League legend Jay-Jay Okocha, Iwobi has been threatening to really break out the last couple of seasons; with options in midfield possibly opening up, this could be the season where Iwobi truly shines. He’s well worth thinking about when it comes to creating your shortlists.

Conclusion

Going into the new season, for us draft manager’s, Arsenal appear to offer us some important high scoring defenders, with a midfield that could go either way depending on the transfer dealings of the club but the cherry on top and surely a 1st round pick has to go to Lacazette. He should be challenging for the top points scoring striker for the 17/18 season.