The English Premier League is set to restart on June 20th, and we couldn’t be more excited! Its been a long few months without our beloved Fantasy EPL, and a lot has changed since Leicester beat Aston Villa 4-0 on 9th March. This two part article provides Team Updates for all 20 EPL clubs, and how these may effect your Draft Premier League plans.
Premier League Team Updates
The second of our Draft Premier League Team Updates articles looks into the recent changes at the final 10 Premier League clubs. We’ll be looking at the latest goings-on at Manchester City through to Wolves! You can find Part One of our Premier League Team Updates here.
These updates are relating to the latest injury and fitness news, as well as some of the latest off-field news that you may have missed over the last few months. Please let us know if we’ve missed anything – there’s been a lot going on!
Manchester City
Manchester City have no current injuries noted, as per Premier Injuries. This means that Leroy Sane looks set to feature during The Citizens’ final 10 games of the season. The German winger has not featured so far this season, so now has some time to get back to match fitness. Sane’s future is still very much up in the air though, as he looks set to leave the club after this season. Aymeric Laporte also looks set to feature during the run-in, after succumbing to injury once again shortly before the season suspension. Kevin De Bruyne missed Manchester City’s Gameweek 29 defeat to rivals Manchester United, but he’ll be back and raring to go.
Elsewhere, with club legend David Silva leaving the club when his contract expires in the summer, expect him to be given a good send off. The Spanish playmaker should see a fair amount of game time, as City are likely to have little to play for in the Premier League. Kyle Walker has also been in the headlines in recent months, after reportedly breaking the UK Lockdown on several occasions. Walker was reported to have hosted a party involving sex workers, and also traveled across the country to visit his family at different addresses. We’re not sure how this will impact Walker’s minutes, but he’s a poor Fantrax asset in any case. This could open the door for Joao Cancelo, but to be honest, we don’t trust the Manchester City defence!
Manchester United
The big news at Manchester United for the Premier League Team Updates is that Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba will be fully fit for the final nine games of the season. Rashford suffered a serious back injury on 11th January against Norwich, and hasn’t been seen since. It was feared the Englishman would miss the rest of the Premier League season, and potentially Euro 2020. Now that the plans for both competitions have changed, the young forward has a chance to re-build his fitness during competitive fixtures. If Rashford is a free agent in your Draft League, you need to take a punt on him.
And likewise for the much maligned Paul Pogba. If he was dropped by a fellow manager prior to the suspension of the league, you need to take a punt on him. It is well documented that the Frenchman is unhappy at Manchester United, and he’s likely to leave the club in the near future. However, the Red Devils need him to perform well on the field to prove he’s still worth a large transfer fee. Hopefully Pogba will find some form and fitness during the Premier League restart!
Newcastle United
The main news surrounding Newcastle United for this Premier League Team Updates is surrounding the impending takeover of the club. The Magpies have long been linked with new owners, as retail mogul Mike Ashley put the club up for sale in 2017. The takeover bid is from the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, but the Newcastle fans are urging the move to be blocked. This news is likely to hang over the club for the next few months, and will probably cast a shadow over the on-field displays. The Magpies have also been sensationally linked with a move for top class manager Mauricio Pochettino to replace current manager Steve Bruce!
In terms of injuries, Newcastle have plenty of them! But it remains to be seen who will still be injured for the Premier League restart. Jetro Willems and Paul Dummett will certainly miss the rest of the season as they were not registered in the revised 25 man squad in February. Ciaran Clark and Martin Dubravka and should be back though. Dubravka in particular is an interesting one, as he’s one of the top scoring goalkeepers and was likely to have been dropped prior to the league suspension. Andy Carroll is not noted as currently injured, but he’s incredibly hard to trust as a Draft Premier League asset
Norwich City
Not too much to report in our Premier League Team Updates for bottom of the league Norwich City. Sam Byram suffered a serious injury back in February, and isn’t likely to be fit for the restart. Onel Hernandez also suffered an injury in February, but looks set to be fit enough for the restart. However, it remains to be seen how much game time the tricky winger will be afforded. Swiss defender Tim Klose has missed the whole season so far through injury, but he should be fit again now. And fellow defender Christopher Zimmermann will be fit after missing The Canaries’ last few games with a minor injury.
The big talking points for Norwich are surrounding two key players: Teemu Pukki and Emi Buendia. Both of these players were struggling somewhat with fitness during the winter. Pukki had niggling injuries, which have hopefully had time to fully recover now. And Buendia was in and out of the side due to a mixture of attitude issues and poor fitness. The Argentinean is one of the best Fantrax players out there, so hopefully he’s used his time away to good effect, and will come back strongly for The Canaries!
Sheffield United
Sheffield United have no reported injuries at the moment, so this Premier League Team Update will be brief! Star defender Enda Stevens picked up an injury just before the league suspension, but he’ll be back in the side on 17th June when The Blades face Aston Villa. Other than that, its a clean bill of health, and Chris Wilder will be hoping to pick up where he left off! Sheffield United are in contention for European qualification, which is simply amazing considering they were one of the favorites to get relegated this season.
Southampton
There isn’t too much to report at Southampton for our Premier League Team Updates. Midfield dynamo Moussa Djenepo will sit out the first three games of the restart, after being sent off for violent conduct during the last Premier League game. He’s one to keep an eye on, and potentially pick up on the waiver wire after a couple of games. Elsewhere, midfielders Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong were struggling with injuries prior to the league suspension, but they will be fit and ready to go for the restart. Get your claims in for these two if they were dropped by managers in your Draft League!
Tottenham Hotspur
Lots to report from Tottenham! The biggest news is the return to fitness of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, and Steven Bergwijn. These attacking assets were all pretty much ruled out for the season during the opening months of the year, but the Premier League suspension and subsequent restart has given them another chance! Kane and Son in particular are incredible assets, and are likely to be available on waiver wires when Fantrax leagues open up!!! Elsewhere on the injury front, Moussa Sissoko, Ben Davies, and Juan Foyth should be over their injury troubles that were reported a few months ago. However, youngster Troy Parrott has recently succumbed to injury.
In terms of players acting badly over the last few months, Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko have had to apologize for training together despite the UK Lockdown. Aurier was actually caught breaking the COVID-19 restrictions on several occasions! Even manager Jose Mourinho was caught in the act, as he was pictured holding a one-on-one training session in a park with the struggling midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.
Watford
Perhaps the biggest news with regards to these Premier League Team Updates is surrounding club captain Troy Deeney. There have been lots of reports about Deeney in recent weeks, after he refused to rejoin training due to health concerns. The big striker has also received hurtful comments regarding his son, after he decided not to return to training. This week it has been reported that Deeney is yet to return to training, but the club are expecting him to undertake a COVID-19 test very soon.
Gerard Deulofeu is not expected to return to play this season, after suffering a serious injury during The Hornets epic 3-0 victory over Liverpool prior to the league suspension. Defender Adrian Mariappa is one of three players and staff at the club that tested positive for COVID-19 a couple of weeks ago. There were six positive tests across all Premier League clubs. We wish Mariappa a speedy recovery, and hope to see him back on the field during Watford’s final nine games of the season. Looking elsewhere, Daryl Janmaat, Jose Holebas, and Isaac Success had been carrying injuries prior to the Premier League suspension, but all three are likely to be fit for the restart.
West Ham United
There isn’t too much to report for our Premier League Team Updates for West Ham. Ryan Fredericks and Andriy Yarmolenko were struggling with injuries prior to the league suspension, but they should both be back to full fitness now. January signings Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek performed well during their brief appearances for the club before the hiatus. We would highly recommend taking a look at acquiring these two Chaps when the league resumes! Bowen in particular was looking like a great asset for any Fantrax manager.
Wolves
Wolves have just two injuries noted as per Premier Injuries, with Jonny Castro Otto and Morgan Gibbs-White currently with question marks over their status. Hopefully regular left wing-back Jonny is ready in time for the restart. Fantrax star Adama Traore was struggling with a shoulder issue prior to the Premier League suspension, but the time away has hopefully given him time to let it heal. Expect Traore to be tearing up defences once again, and racking up those successful dribbles points! Wolves have been on great form this season, but their participation in the Europa League (if it resumes) is the only thing to think about here. Could they prioritize that competition and go for European glory?
Wondering who the best current Draft Premier League players are to target? Look no further than our Top 150 Player Rankings!
As the Premier League season is set to return, we highlight some key fit again players who will be fully fit and ready to go for the restart!
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