Author: Chris Perarnau

Whilst Stoke City have been enduring a far from ideal start to the Premier League season, there is one particular member of Mark Hughes’ squad that has been thriving despite his team’s struggles. Expectations have perhaps weighed heavy on the shoulders of Xherdan Shaqiri since becoming Stoke’s club-record signing back in 2015 – largely due to his Champions League and treble-winning exploits at Bayern Munich – and for whatever reason he’s found consistency hard to come by in the Premier League. Yet, whilst the Potters may find themselves at the wrong end of the table this season, just six points adrift of...

Of all of the big-name summer signings to arrive in the Premier League before the start of the 2017-18 campaign Alexandre Lacazette has proven to be one of the more frustrating cases since being announced as an Arsenal player. The arrival of the 26-year-old, signed from French outfit Lyon in a club-record deal worth £46.5 million, was a serious message of intent from Arsene Wenger after years of failed pursuits. And it took just two minutes for the Frenchman to make his mark on the Premier League in the opening match of the campaign, getting in front of his man...

Tottenham have been on the rise since Mauricio Pochettino replaced Tim Sherwood as manager, but they are currently suffering from poor form and that could have major implications on Draft Fantasy. During the draft period before the start of the season, Spurs’ players were at the top of a lot of manager’s wish-lists as they have been excellent both in attack and in defence during recent seasons. However, during the last few weeks, they haven’t been scoring enough points to warrant their position in your squads and it is reaching the time to consider offering them out in trade...

Manchester United are emerging as the most serious threat to their local rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. The two sides meet at the weekend and Jose Mourinho’s men have to win if they are going to seriously challenge for the league title. After the derby, United have a kind run of fixtures over the Christmas period and their players will have huge Draft Fantasy value as a result. The one player to make a real name for himself recently has been Jesse Lingard and he could be a great pick-up for your team if...

Eden Hazard is quickly reaching his peak after missing the start of the season through injury and he now looks to be one of the best Draft Fantasy options heading into the festive period. At the time of writing, the Chelsea attacker has 55 points in the game. Considering he has been building up his match fitness and started only seven matches, this is an impressive return for the Belgian international. On Saturday, he looked to be the best player on the pitch as Chelsea earned a point at Anfield. The 26-year-old was given a free role in front...

The Premier League could be set to get that little bit livelier once again after Zlatan Ibrahimovic defied initial expectations and returned from the sidelines for Manchester United a fortnight ago. It was thought that the recovery time for his cruciate knee ligament damage, picked up during the Europa League quarter-final win over Anderlecht in April, would leave him out of action until 2018. Nonetheless, in typical Ibrahimovic style the 36-year-old returned to full fitness two months ahead of schedule and he made his first Premier League appearance of the season as a late substitute in the victory over...

Paul Pogba returned to Premier League action at the weekend to great effect as he delivered an excellent midfield performance to help Manchester United come from behind to beat Newcastle United. His comeback has major Draft Fantasy ramifications across the pitch at Old Trafford, with a number of players now looking better to own as a result. In the six competitive fixtures that the midfielder has played in this season, United have won five of them. They are a much better team when they have the Frenchman in the line-up and that showed on Saturday. The 24-year-old contributed a...

Arguably one of the most erratic footballers to grace the Premier League in recent seasons, Manchester United’s Marcos Rojo made his long-awaited return to the field on Wednesday night. The Argentine international had been side-lined since the end of April after suffering cruciate ligament damage but made his comeback just seven months later in the 1-0 defeat away at Swiss side FC Basel. Despite the fact that a late Michael Lang goal subjected United to their first defeat of the Champions League group stage, delaying their potential progression to the knock-outs until the final round of fixtures when CSKA...

It is no secret that Manchester City have been a dominant force across all competitions so far this season, not least because of their frightening strength in depth in the opposition third of the pitch. However, for all the talk of Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Kevin de Bruyne and co. there has also been a noticeable improvement in their defence, with John Stones right at the heart of City’s turnaround. The 23-year-old has been a majestic figure in the middle of the back-line, leading Pep Guardiola’s side to seven clean sheets in 12 Premier League games – or nine...

Bournemouth are in the midst of a mini-revival after a below-par start to the Premier League campaign, with Saturday’s win over Huddersfield Town their third in their last four top-flight games. Victories over Stoke City, Newcastle and most recently the Terriers have afforded boss Eddie Howe some breathing space after a disappointing start to the year left them down at the wrong end of the table. Their latest set of three points – secured via a dominant 4-0 win at the weekend – would have served extra encouragement not least because it signified the return to top form of...