James Maddison (£8.1m) is (or was) the joint-fourth highest-owned midfielder in Fantasy Premier League with an ownership of 36.7 per cent at the time of writing.
Yet it is now confirmed that the 26-year-old has been withdrawn from the England squad and Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has said Maddison’s ankle injury “is a lot worse than we thought”. He will probably be out until the new year.
So FPL players who have Maddison in their team need to consider replacements. Who the best replacements are depends on your team, how many transfers you have and how much money is in the bank, but we will look to cover as many bases as possible…
If you have extra funds or two free transfers…
So you have a bit of room to manoeuvre? The best replacement if you don’t already have him is Son Heung-min (£9.7m). I won’t include Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) in the ranking as there is too big a price difference.
Son is playing as the No 9 and, despite Spurs’ tough-ish fixtures on the horizon (Wolves away, Aston Villa at home and Manchester City away), is worth the outlay. He is on track to be a successful club’s top goal and points scorer this season, especially since he will probably be on penalties.
I would have had Bukayo Saka (8.6m) as the next best choice but he is an injury doubt, so he is a bit of a risk now. Arsenal have fantastic fixtures all the way until Gameweek 22, starting with a plum home game against Burnley this weekend. Saka is also their regular penalty taker.
Bruno Fernandes (£8.3m) is another fine pick as Manchester United have one of their kindest fixtures of the season against Luton Town (H) next before then playing Everton (A) in Gameweek 13.
The playmaker is a great option for the upcoming festive period. There are two gameweeks left in November, then seven gameweeks in December. During this period, you will want as many nailed-on 90-minute men as possible and that’s exactly what Fernandes is. The Portugal international also has penalties in his locker. United have been poor this season but Fernandes has been their only attacker to get regular points, with three goals and two FPL-accredited assists.
Ranking:
- Son
- Fernandes
- Saka
If you have one free transfer and no extra funds…
Look no further than Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo (£6.8m). Yes, he has tough fixtures in the next two against Liverpool (A) and Arsenal (H), but he is a great long-term option and his underlying numbers have been phenomenal. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets returns in these two games.
He has the highest non-penalty expected goals (xG of 5.07) among FPL midfielders, is nailed on to start and he’s on penalties. At his price, he is a must-have from Gameweek 14 when Brentford host Luton, the start of a great run of fixtures.
He is exactly the kind of player we will need in December. The Cameroon international has played 90 minutes in every league game this season and has six goals and three assists.
Gabriel Martinelli (£7.7m) looks appealing now that his price has dropped. He is an alternative to Saka, who is a doubt for Burnley and is in the first XI for Mikel Arteta. Leandro Trossard (£6.5m) will take minutes off him but the Brazilian should play enough to merit inclusion and, with his upcoming games, is a decent pick.
Speaking of appealing fixtures, Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) and Kaoru Mitoma (6.5m) both have good long-term chances of racking up points.
Bowen is a 90-minute man and has been playing in a central attacking role for West Ham United. He looks to have regained the form he showed in the 2021-22 season, when he scored 12 goals and got 17 FPL assists. This season, he has seven goals and one assist already. David Moyes’ team play Nottingham Forest (H), Burnley (A), Crystal Palace (H), Tottenham (A), Fulham (A) and Wolves (H) in their next six games.
Mitoma has three goals and four assists and is Brighton’s most nailed-on attacker. This doesn’t mean he will start every game and we have already seen Roberto De Zerbi rotate this season to accommodate their European exploits. However, Brighton play Sheffield United (H), Forest (A), Chelsea (A), Brentford (H) and Burnley (H) in the next five gameweeks, so he could score really well over this run.
Ranking:
- Mbeumo
- Bowen
- Mitoma
- Martinelli
GO DEEPER
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If you need something cheaper…
In case you’re looking to find a cheaper midfielder so you can upgrade elsewhere, here are the best Maddison replacements.
Anthony Gordon (£5.7m) looks the best bet, especially after Callum Wilson (£7.9m) was substituted at half-time against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday with a hamstring issue.
Eddie Howe has used Gordon as No 9 in their last two games, against Arsenal and then against Borussia Dortmund when Wilson was taken off.
After the Arsenal game, Howe said of Gordon’s position: “He did it for Everton last year and that was when we watched him. I really liked him as a centre-forward. We had to protect Callum. We are going into two more hugely important games this week and if I run Callum into the ground, he’s not going to be able to perform.”
Alexander Isak (£7.4m) is still out with a groin injury so Gordon should continue at centre-forward if Wilson is out. Even if Wilson is fit, Gordon is still a fine pick in his usual position on the left.
Newcastle have a mixed bag of fixtures playing Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H), Manchester United (H) and Everton (A) in the next four, however, they should score in all these fixtures, having registered the second-most goals (27), backed up by an xG of 23.11 (second-best).
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£5.0m) and Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan (£5.5m) are also worth considering.
Palmer is on penalties but his next two are daunting — Manchester City (H) and Newcastle (H). At his price, he could allow you a big upgrade elsewhere, and Chelsea’s fixtures pick up from Gameweek 14.
Hwang has six goals and two assists and started the last five games, playing 90 in the last three. Wolves play Spurs (H), Fulham (A), Arsenal (A), Burnley (H) and Forest (H) in their next five.
Ranking:
- Gordon
- Palmer
- Hwang
GO DEEPER
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(Top photo: Alex Pantling via Getty Images)
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
