Transfer recommendations ahead of Gameweek 13: Short-term punts, bonus point hoarders and hidden gems

CLUB football comes thick and fast for Dream Team managers once the current international break is complete.

At least four clubs are set to pull double duty every Gameweek until the turn of the year.

The festive period is always a crucial juncture in the Dream Team calendar and so it’s imperative gaffers get their strategy right over the next two months.

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Let’s take it one step at a time, starting with some transfer recommendations for Gameweek 13.

Dream TeamNot to be underestimated[/caption]

Dominic Solanke (£3.2m)

We start with an outside-the-box, short-term punt in the form of Bournemouth’s No9.

Solanke has scored or assisted 63.6% of the Cherries’ league goals so far this season and has 82 Dream Team points to his name as a result.

The ex-Liverpool striker’s striker form may have gone unnoticed by Dream Team bosses because Andoni Iraola’s side had generally underwhelmed prior to their 2-0 win over Newcastle just before the international break.

Solanke scored both his side’s goals in that win to bank 15 points in one fell swoop – only Erling Haaland (£7.7m) notched more all players in Gameweek 12.

This Saturday, Bournemouth travel to Bramall Lane to face a Sheffield United side that have scraped together five points since promotion.

Gaffers who like to tailor their team to the fixtures could do a lot worse than backing Solanke, who features in just 0.5% of teams and is level with Darwin Nunez (£4.5m) and Julian Alvarez (£4.3m) in terms of goals scored this term, in hope of some short-term gains.

The main drawback is that Bournemouth will obviously not be action midweek when the European competitions resume.

It all depends how vulnerable the Blades will be this weekend – they have the worst defence in the league right now.

Simon Adingra (£2.8m)

GettyBright spark[/caption]

Another huge differential here as the Brighton winger appears in only 0.6% of teams.

The Seagulls face Nottingham Forest on Saturday before a trip to AEK Athens on Thursday night and while they have struggled of late as a collective, Adingra’s individual form has caught the eye.

The 21-year-old has plundered 26 points across the last two Gameweeks with his show-stealing display against Ajax in Amsterdam being the crown jewel of his campaign to date.

With Kaoru Mitoma (£3.9m) having seemingly joined Solly March (£3.6m) in the treatment room, Adingra is expected to be a central figure for Brighton this coming Gameweek and recent form suggests he’s capable of providing healthy returns.

Gameweek 13 is the first of four consecutive double Gameweeks for De Zerbi’s side.

William Saliba (£3.7m) and/or Gabriel (£4.2m)

GettyArsenal have kept it tight at the back[/caption]

A more mainstream suggestion now.

No top-flight team has kept more clean sheets than Arsenal in 2023/24 and so backing their defenders is a logical ploy generally.

Saliba is the optimum option but with an ownership of 36.2% he seemingly falls under the category: too obvious to mention.

Ben White (£4.4m) is actually the Gunners’ top-scoring defender and second only to Kieran Trippier (£5.4m) among all assets in his position but the Englishman is an injury doubt – Mikel Arteta should provide an update later this week.

As things stand, pairing Gabriel with Saliba could be a profitable tactic for the coming weeks.

Arsenal play Brentford this weekend, who pack a punch going forward, but a Champions League home game against Lens in midweek has to be considered a favourable match-up as the French outfit have scored just 13 goals in 12 league games this term – although Arteta’s men did lose in the reverse fixture.

Looking ahead, Arsenal play Wolves and Luton in Gameweek 14.

Eberechi Eze (£3.6m)

Bonus ballerRex

A similar logic to the Solanke recommendation also applies to this suggestion.

Crystal Palace’s No10 is a passionate hoarder of bonus points and he has the luxury of a fixture against Luton this weekend – the Hatters have only recently escaped the relegation zone via Everton’s points deduction.

Eze has banked 15 points in 122 minutes of action since he returned from injury and, more broadly, he averages 7.1 points-per-game this season.

Bukayo Saka (£6.5m), James Maddison (£4.2m) and Jarrod Bowen (£5.2m) are the only midfielders with better averages at this stage and the latter pair are both injured.

Again, the Eagles don’t have European commitments to bolster their schedule but Eze is perfectly capable of a double-digit haul in his only outing of Gameweek 13.

Pretty much any West Ham midfielder

Bowen may be unavailable but James Ward-Prowse (£4.2m), Lucas Paqueta (£3.9m) and Mohammed Kudus (£4.2m) are all perfectly viable options.

The Hammers face 20th-placed Burnley on Saturday and Backa Topola on Thursday – a double-header ripe for returns, surely?