Az from FPL Blackbox provides his top transfer targets ahead of Gameweek 22, including Thursday night’s hat-trick hero.
Regardless of how your FPL team is shaping up around the season’s midway point, everyone will be seeking strategies to gain an edge over rivals and rise in their mini-leagues as January approaches and beyond.
So with that being said, let’s take a look at the top transfer targets ahead of Gameweek 22 (that aren’t Chris Wood).
FPL Gameweek 22 Transfer Targets
Anthony Gordon (£7.6m)
After a pretty slow start to the 24/25 season in which Gordon picked up just 2 attacking returns in the first 9 Gameweeks, it’s been an incredible recent run for the England international. 8 attacking returns in his last 9 games underlines his incredible consistency, which has spurred Newcastle on to mount their top 4 challenge.
Anthony Gordon has a G/A in each of his last 9 games for Newcastle.
5 goals, 4 assists. pic.twitter.com/oUEwvZKbVH
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) January 15, 2025
Playing in front of arguably the best midfield in the league (Tonali – Bruno – Joelinton), Gordon has license to get forward and has developed an incredible relationship with both Alexander Isak (£9.4m) and Jacob Murphy (£5.1m). Only three players have created more chances than Gordon since Gameweek 13 (Palmer, Enzo, Mbeumo, Isak) and only 4 players in his position have had more shots inside the box (Salah, Amad, Semenyo, Madueke). He’s also taking some corners and the occasional free kick.
What’s key for me is when you compare Gordon over this run to his stellar last season, all the key stats are up. Gordon is having more touches in the penalty area (average: 5.7 vs 4.9), more goal attempts (average: 2.8 vs 2.3), creating more chances (every 34 minutes vs 51 minutes), and crucially, scoring more FPL points (average 6.4 vs 5.2). A key player with good FPL pedigree, playing for the most in-form side in Europe, with good fixtures (Bournemouth, Southampton, and Fulham are the next 3). It would take a brave manager to go without him.
Cody Gakpo (£7.4m)
There’s been a lot to like about Liverpool’s start to the season, but outside of Mo Salah (£13.7m), it has been tough to know who exactly from their lineup makes a good accompanying asset.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) has been a bit disappointing, and Luis Diaz (£7.5m) has had good spells but also a few too many benching’s/blanks for my liking. Diogo Jota (£7.4m) has made a couple of cameos now, but Slot’s recent press conference where he revealed that Jota picked up a niggle in the last game and hasn’t trained yet is a concern.
This means that things might be set up perfectly for Cody Gakpo (£7.4m) to continue his bright spell in the team. The Dutchman has started the last 9 games (although has only completed 90 minutes on two of those occasions), registering 6 attacking returns over this period. Diaz is Gakpo’s biggest threat on the left, but the Colombian international has been enjoying a spell playing as the striker in the team. There is obviously risk when Jota is available, and Diaz and Gakpo likely revert back to competing on the left, but Slot may be reluctant to reduce Gakpo’s minutes too much given the impact he’s had on the team.
The stats are good for Gakpo. Amongst forwards, only a handful have a better xGI (Isak, Haaland, Vardy, Watkins), with 12 chances created being bettered by only Isak and Matheus Cunha (£7.0m). It’s Brentford, Ipswich, and then an exciting Double Gameweek on the horizon – a perfect time to invest if you believe the starts will continue, which I think will be the case.
Amad Diallo (£5.5m)
Hattrick hero for my own FPL team on Thursday night, Amad is seeing significant investment going into Gameweek 22.
He’s making a mockery of his price tag at the moment, comfortably outscoring many more expensive assets over the last few months, including Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m) who seems to be playing in a deeper role for the Red Devils.
Manchester United are struggling to break down teams and seem to be performing better against teams in the top half of the table where they are able to effectively counter attack, rather than impose themselves on the game. It was a poor performance overall against Southampton, with Amad saving the side with his heroics. His transition from bench fodder to talisman for the team should not be underestimated.
— Amad (@Amaddiallo_19) January 16, 2025
The fixtures are a bit mixed, with Brighton and Palace looking potentially tough tests at Old Trafford and then away trips to both Fulham and Spurs. However, when you consider the value of Amad at such a low price, it’s hard to build a case against him.
In terms of stats, eye-catching metrics since Amad broke into the team in Gameweek 11 are that he ranks 8th for touches in the penalty area of all players (highlighting the dangerous positions he often finds himself in), and perhaps most importantly, only Palmer, Isak, and Salah have more FPL points. All cost substantially more of your budget, of course, meaning that Amad is most likely the best budget option in the entire game.
