In this article…
It happened again! Another Haaland blank, back-to-back. With the best asset in FPL not firing, it has opened alternative doors and avenues to play and win. Let us discuss the fallout from GW7 and what this means for your teams. This is the best place to find all the critical information you need to know, to continue your march towards top spot in that work league!
You can also follow our Fantasy Premier League Football Tips throughout the season for gameweekly insights and opinions.
The 24/25 season is well underway, and our experts are continuing to roll out their Premier League predictions, so now is the perfect time to get involved. We will remain across all the action on the continent, the EFL, and in Scotland in our various football betting tips & predictions, with fresh tips available here on Andy’s Bet Club every day.
⚔️ Gameweek 7 Review – 53 Points (46 Average)
The march on continues! Only slightly above average but the more GW’s you attain this, the higher your overall rank. Trent (8pts) scored well but could have been higher, his attacking hauls are coming. Elsewhere, the defence was poor, and all remaining defenders conceded with only Lewis (4pts) helping the cause. Midfield has been the main source of my points this season and continued with Saka (16pts) and Mbeumo (8pts) doing the business. The remaining attacking players all blanked but with Haaland also blanking, the overall score didn’t have to be high for a green arrow. The key is captaincy, this GW I chose wrong but nail that and you’re sitting pretty.
📋 Gameweek 7 Transfer Recap
Each week so you know @FplVeteran is doing the demanding work for you, we revisit key decisions from last weeks review. This GW we revisit my transfers In, and I continue my red-hot form! 1 goal, 3 assists and 3 bonus points ensured our predictions are correct and critical for you to win those work and friends league.
| In | Points |
| Solanke | 5 |
| Foden | 2 |
| Saka | 16 |
| Total | 23 |
✅ The Best 3 Transfers IN for Gameweek 8
🇳🇴 Erling Haaland – Man City (£15.4m, 73%)
Yep, I get it, I am stating the most obvious thing in FPL this season and possibly ever. But there have been many managers like me that have not owned Haaland up until now and now is the time to include them.
Apart from being a scoring machine, there are even more reasons to ensure he is in your team for the next minimum two GWs. To the disgust of many Haaland owners, this marked the second time in a row he has blanked and Haaland has never blanked three times in a row. He plays Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth, and Brighton in the next four. Wolves and Southampton sit 19th and 20th in the table having conceded a combined 36 goals in 14 games, often losing by more than 2 goals. GW8 specific, in the last 3 matches against Wolves he has an insane 7 goals, including 4 in their last meeting. There are not many players that have scored 5 goals in Premier League history in a single game and that day he was substituted to his dismay, this time however he won’t be substituted early and there is a real chance he hits 5!
🏴 Dominic Calvert-Lewin – Everton (£6m, 6.0%)
This player has been on the radar of many content creators and top managers for a few weeks now, over 10,000 in fact have already decided to transfer him in and get ahead of the curve. This number will grow during the International Break(IB) due to the fixtures and the lack of other attacking outlets Everton have. They play Ipswich and Southampton in the next three fixtures and require to score goals and pick up points now, more than ever. Everton have steadied the ship with hard-fought draws against Newcastle and Leicester and a win over Crystal Palace with Calvert-Lewin blanking in all three, but Everton always take time to find form and the same goes for Calvert-Lewin. One of the best ways to gain rank is to bring in players who are underperforming before a dramatic increase, and I see him rewarding your faith with a huge up tick in form and plenty of points. My advice, don’t break up your team to include him, but seriously consider him.
🇨🇲 Bryan Mbeumo – Brentford (£7.4m, 26.0%)
Penalty taker, a midfielder who plays as a striker, and involved in 80%+ of Brentford’s goals. All the reasons to bring him in are there and either way you look at it, for £7.4M that is value you just can’t ignore.
Up next is Man Utd but the current saga over at Old Trafford changes this into a current good fixture, especially for a free-scoring, good-form Mbeumo (after which he has a great fixture run anyway). 7 goals in 6 games with 2.3 shots per game I like the look of and he has already entered my squad a number of weeks previous. He is another player you can just leave in your teams to hoover up points, sit back and relax. At this point he could be a set and forget for the entire season.
❌ The Best 3 Transfers OUT for Gameweek 8
🇪🇸 Pedro Porro – Tottenham (£5.5m, 29.3%)
3.7 points per match for a perceived highly attacking defender isn’t good, not even close. As an earlier owner, I was joyful with a clean sheet(6pts) and a goal(9pts) in his first two, but that is where it ended. In the last 5 games, he has only scored a measly 11 points. In isolation, that wouldn’t be the worst thing, many players especially defenders go through a poor patch of conceding goals but Tottenham seems to concede more often than not and more than one also. As I write this article, in a game they commanded at 2-0 up, they have capitulated and lost 3-2 at the hands of Brighton. Here in lies the main factor of Porro’s transfer out, you own defenders predominantly for clean sheets and possible attacking returns to supplement; Porro for a premium of £5.5M is not even close to either, transfer out at the earliest opportunity
🇪🇬 Mo Salah – Liverpool (£12.7m, 40%)
Agreed, it’s very risky, but there is a method to the madness. Firstly, after watching most of Liverpool’s games this season, I have noticed how wide Salah has been playing. You want wide attackers to get chalk on their boots and stretch the opponent’s backline but Salah was so wide he was in Row Z. Add the fact he was substituted at 70 minutes for European football cements the fact that 90 minutes for him are not a foregone conclusion. Not being able to own all the premium players at once requires us to hop on and off at (hopefully) the right times and I see this period as an opportunity. Data and numbers-wise, there are options away from the Egyptian king, in this instance below with Cole Palmer. More goals, more assists, more big chances created and £1.9M cheaper validates it’s not as straightforward a decision as we originally thought, there are alternatives. High risk for high reward and FPL Veteran when pertinent plays risky!
🇬🇭 Antoine Semenyo – Bournemouth (£5.7m, 11.0%)
With only one goal against Southampton and Leicester, Semenyo has not performed. Yes, he is a very high attacking midfielder supporting the striker but in a mediocre team that are significantly worse away from home, he has to go. To make matters worse, Bournemouth have the daunting task of playing Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Man City in the next three. Even the most optimistic cherries fan will tell you, there is a slim to no chance of any returns. With plenty more options in midfield, get rid of them ASAP, even If that requires a -4 hit to play a full starting eleven. If your current team setup allows, you could bench him for those fixtures but even then, it’s a waste of a spot.
Top Tip – We now have a 13-day international break (IB) until the next deadline. There will be players returning that are injured so do not lose patience and make transfers early. Even the top players get injured and if that is the case it could change your entire GW8 plans. The fixtures after an IB often are closer than expected, so if you have a close 50/50 decision, make sure you are 100% content with your decision.
🦸 Gameweek 8 Captaincy Selections
🇳🇴 Erling Haaland – Man City (£15.4m, 73%)
I have covered in my Transfers In section above all the reasons to get him in at all costs and he is the must captain also. Often in FPL we try to be clever and beat the masses, but this is the clearest time I have ever seen to not do this. Warning..do NOT go against the Scoring robot.
Alternative Captain Options
If you did want to do the unthinkable and go against the grain, there are a few I can point you in the direction of. Solanke at home V a poor West Ham side, Gordon at home V a leaky Brighton side and literally any Man City player that starts, the best of which are Foden, Gvardiol and Doku. If I had to pick the best from all of the above, for me a little biased as I own him but it’s Foden.
👁️ FPL Veteran’s Vision and Verdict
No Haaland round 2 paid off again! After the early kick-off, it did not look good with Salah blanking but my decision to give it one more week was a good one. We stick with the plan to finally bring in Haaland and Solanke, shaping what will be the core of our team for a longer stretch now of around 4-6 games. The no Haaland play has gone great but you have to pick and choose your spots and now is the time to settle down, bed in and continue the green arrows to shoot up the rankings. It might come as a shock to you but Salah will leave to free up funds for the Norwegian to enter the fray, it’s a tough decision but you just can’t have all the premiums.
Conclusion
For my final gameweek eight team and football insights/analysis throughout the 2024-2025 season. Look out for my International Break (IB) special, reviewing every team’s performance so far and my key decisions for a critical GW8. follow me on X @FplVeteran_ for daily fantasy football content.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
18+ please gamble responsibly.
