Managers in Fantasy Premier League have flocked to Kevin De Bruyne (£10.7m) for Gameweek 22 after he demonstrated his potential for explosive hauls in Gameweek 21, notching 12 points during a 21-minute appearance at Newcastle United.
More than 1.7million managers have transferred in the Belgian as he now prepares for tonight’s enticing home match against Burnley.
Not only is that number a high for the season, it’s also the third-highest Gameweek total on record.
Most-bought players in a Gameweek
| Player | Transferred in by | Gameweek | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronaldo | 2.21m | GW4 in 2021/22 | 13 |
| Son | 1.99m | GW5 in 2020/21 | 13 |
| De Bruyne | 1.71m | GW22 in 2023/24 | – |
Encouragingly for De Bruyne’s new owners, Cristiano Ronaldo and Son Heung-min (£9.7m) both produced 13-point returns when they were bought en masse.
Ronaldo scored twice at home against Newcastle United in Gameweek 4 of the 2021/22 season, while Son registered a goal and an assist in Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-3 draw with West Ham United in Gameweek 5 of 2020/21.
But what marks De Bruyne out compared with his rivals is that of the 10.1m transfers made ahead of the Gameweek 22 deadline, a staggering 16.9 per cent were used to recruit him.
This far exceeds the 7.6 per cent and 11.8 per cent for Ronaldo and Son in their respective Gameweeks.
Indeed, no player has received a greater share of the transfers since records were kept.
GW22 most-bought players
| Player | Transferred in by (000’s) | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| De Bruyne | 1,709 | – |
| Jota | 459 | – |
| Haaland | 435 | – |
Diogo Jota (£7.9m) has been the second most-bought player for Gameweek 22 after he equalled his best return in Fantasy with a 19-point haul away to AFC Bournemouth in Gameweek 21.
Liverpool entertain Chelsea on Wednesday evening.
Impressively, Jota has been involved in over half of his side’s goals when on the pitch this season.
Erling Haaland (£14.0m) completes the top three recruits, with more than 435,000 anticipating that he’ll play some part in the contest with Burnley.
Pep Guardiola revealed on Tuesday that Haaland will return to the Man City squad for the first time since Gameweek 15.
The Norwegian scored twice against the Clarets in the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season.
GW22 most-captained players
| Player | Captained by (000’s) | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Haaland | 3,134 | – |
| De Bruyne | 1,626 | – |
| Saka | 688 | 10 |
| Alvarez | 629 | – |
| Watkins | 626 | 7 |
Three Man City players have been included among the top five captains, with Julian Alvarez (£7.0m) joining Haaland and De Bruyne.
Alvarez, who turns 24 on Wednesday, will be hoping to celebrate his birthday in style at the Etihad Stadium, especially because he could see his playing time curtailed following Haaland and De Bruyne’s return to fitness.
Elsewhere, Bukayo Saka (£9.1m) and Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) put their indifferent form behind them as they rewarded the combined 1.3m who handed them the armband.
Saka scored just his second goal in eight Premier League appearances and collected the maximum three bonus points in Arsenal’s win 2-1 at Nottingham forest. His 10-point return was his first double-figure haul since Gameweek 6.
Meanwhile, Watkins netted his first goal in five home matches as Aston Villa lost 3-1 to Newcastle United.
Despite enduring a tricky run of late at Villa Park, Watkins has racked up 13 attacking returns in home matches over the season, a tally equalled by only Mohamed Salah (£13.1m) among all players.
Top 100 managers’ GW22 captains
| Player | Captained by | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Foden | 24 | – |
| De Bruyne | 24 | – |
| Saka | 10 | 10 |
| Jota | 9 | – |
| Richarlison | 9 | – |
In Gameweek 22, differentials could play a crucial role in the race to be crowned FPL champion as the leading 100 managers split their captaincy choices among 17 different players.
The most-popular picks are De Bruyne and his team-mate Phil Foden (£8.0m), who have each been backed by 24 members of this elite group.
Foden has blanked just twice in eight starts at home this season, notching a goal, three assists and 26 points across his last three outings at the Etihad Stadium.
Among the plethora of alternatives, Richarlison (£7.0m) has been captained by nine of the top 100 managers.
Listed as a midfielder in Fantasy but playing as a forward over the last six matches, he’s racked up 49 points over that period, the most of any player.
Spurs play Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday.
A total of 32,537 managers have played their Triple Captain chip in Gameweek 22, and two of those used it on Fabian Schar (£5.2m), earning a massive 51 points from the Newcastle defender alone after his two goals against Villa.
Also in this series
Part 1: Gameweek 22 bonus points
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
