Looking to seal a dominant title win, perhaps a fourth in a row? Or desperately hoping to avoid roaming the streets in fancy dress as punishment for a season to forget? Well, Fantasy Premier League’s latest chip may well be your answer for the remainder of the campaign.
The brand-new Assistant Manager chip will allow FPL players to select a current Premier League manager to earn points based on wins, draws, goals and clean sheets. It will be available to use as early as Gameweek 24, which arrives on 1st February. Unlike other chips, however, the Assistant Manager will be locked in for three successive gameweeks, so timing is more important than ever.
Like the players, managers also cost money. You won’t get a fresh cash injection, but the prices range from £0.5m to £1.5m – while you can also use your transfer allowance to change the manager while the chip is active.
Whilst it may sound as simple as choosing a manager likely to enjoy a three-game winning run, where there is risk, there is reward. Any manager in charge of beating a side five places above them will earn 10 bonus points for a win and 5 bonus points for a draw on top of the points earned after such results, as you can see below.
|
Assistant Manager points breakdown |
Per result |
|---|---|
|
Win |
6 points |
|
Draw |
3 points |
|
Goals |
1 point per goal |
|
Clean sheet |
2 points |
With that said, we’ve taken a look at the best candidates to use your Assistant Manager chip on and when to implement them in the coming months.
5
Nuno Espirito Santo (£1.1m)
Nottingham Forest
If you’re looking to keep things safe and avoid any risks, then Nuno Espirito Santo is among the strongest options to pick when it comes to the Assistant Manager chip.
Nottingham Forest have shocked the rest of the Premier League by racing into the top four in the current campaign and setting course for Champions League football in a run that seems unlikely to end anytime soon.
With eight games without defeat and seven wins in all competitions during that run, Forest are no longer just a flash in the pan, they’re a serious top-four contender who could only boost your quest for FPL glory.
What’s important to note too is that the Midlands giants kept five clean sheets during that recent eight-game run, and three of those would earn key FPL points if earned in consecutive Premier League games.
An ideal time to use Espirito Santo in this situation could be towards the end of the campaign in GW34 when Forest have Brentford at home, Crystal Palace away and Leicester City at home – all of whom may have sealed their fate by the time the end of April arrives.
4
Mikel Arteta (£1.5m)
Arsenal
Having just found a way past Tottenham Hotspur to get back on track, Mikel Arteta is one to watch for the Assistant Manager chip. The Spaniard has fairly favourable fixtures compared to others as his Arsenal side look to complete a sensational title comeback and steal in ahead of Liverpool.
Whilst they’ve been far from their best defensively in recent weeks, no side has conceded fewer goals than the Gunners throughout the current campaign so far.
Select Arteta at the right time, and any clean sheet points could quickly prove worthwhile. The only question that remains is when exactly to use the Spaniard over the coming months.
Taking a look at the fixtures, the best bet could be between GWs 33-35, when Arsenal travel to struggling Ipswich Town, play host to Crystal Palace and square off against Bournemouth at the Emirates in three very winnable games.
3
Arne Slot (£1.5m)
Liverpool
Similarly to Espirito Santo, Arne Slot is among the safest picks for this chip, having lost just one Premier League game all season which ironically came against Nottingham Forest.
What’s more, only Forest have kept more clean sheets than Liverpool’s eight throughout the current campaign, and no side in England’s top flight has managed more than the Reds’ 48 goals.
The only reason not to select Slot could be the fact that he cannot play against a side five places above him – or even one as it stands, for that matter. So by selecting the Dutchman, you would miss out on any major bonus points.
However, as a safe option, Slot could be your man, and the best time to secure his services is likely to be in GW30 when they play Everton at Anfield – which often ends in a rout – Fulham away in their trickiest fixture of this particular run and then West Ham United once again back at Anfield.
The Cottagers may provide a spanner in the works, but the Reds then go on to face three of the so-called big six in their final six Premier League games of the campaign in a run you’ll want to avoid.
Alternatively, activating the chip immediately in GW24 will see you enjoy Slot’s assistance for four games, with Liverpool’s game in hand against Everton handing managers a guaranteed double gameweek.
2
Ruben Amorim (£0.8m)
Manchester United
Hear us out on this one, as this is where the risk factor could come into play and make all the difference in your push for FPL glory.
Whilst Ruben Amorim has endured a fairly disastrous start to life at Manchester United, he has earned a victory over Manchester City and a draw against league leaders Liverpool.
In the context of United’s season, those results haven’t gone too far, but in the context of FPL, those results would have earned Amorim 18 points versus Manchester City and 10 against Liverpool.
Sat in the depths of the Premier League’s bottom half, there are plenty of sides sat five or more places above them that Manchester United will square off against in the coming months, and if the Assistant Manager chip is used at the same time as their potential resurgence, the points could make all the difference.
1
Graham Potter (£0.5m)
West Ham United
In between the sides fighting for the title who are likely to enjoy impressive winning runs and a Manchester United outfit hoping to turn a corner, Graham Potter may well be about to enjoy the ultimate new manager bounce at West Ham United.
And FPL players should take full advantage. Already, the former Chelsea boss surprised Fulham in a dramatic 3-2 victory, which may just signal the start of an improved run at the London Stadium.
Once again, like Amorim, the risk factor is in play here. With West Ham sat as low as 13th at the time of writing, there’s every chance that they will face up against sides five places above them or higher in the remainder of the campaign.
With that said, the best time to sign Potter could be from GW28 in early March when the Hammers host Newcastle United – which could end in as many as 10 bonus points given how the table currently stands – before they travel to Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers in two winnable games for Potter’s new side.
This would be made all the sweeter given Potter is among the very cheapest of Premier League bosses.