Holly Shand is back with another round of FPL tips – this week focusing on the best mid-priced differential Saka replacements for Gameweek 18.
With news that Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is set to be out for weeks with a hamstring injury, it’s time to part company with the Gunners star boy. So who are the best mid-priced differential options?
Best Mid-Priced Differential Saka Replacements
Diogo Jota vs Leicester City (H)
Diogo Jota is high on my shopping list ahead of FPL Gameweek 18, with Liverpool having one of the best games of this round of fixtures, at home to promoted Leicester City. Liverpool have scored 13 goals in their last four league games, while the Foxes have conceded ten in the same period.
Jota is still pushing for his first league start since early October, where he sustained a rib injury. That opportunity could well come in this game. Minutes makes Jota a mouth-watering prospect, with three goals and three assists from just seven starts in this campaign.
Most managers own and will captain Mohamed Salah in this game, with some even considering using the Triple Captain chip, and so adding an additional Liverpool attacker to your ranks is the smart play. If you don’t have the appetite for the punt, by all means consider Luis Diaz too.
Heung-min Son vs Nottingham Forest (A)
Spurs remain an important attack to be invested in. Despite some tough results in recent games, they have racked up 11 goals in the last four gameweeks. They have scored three or more goals in a game on ten occasions and lead the way for goals scored this season (39).
Swapping from Saka to Spurs captain Heung-min Son ensures that you stay invested at a similar price point, with Son also on penalties for his club. The South Korean has 11 goal involvements for the season, including two goals and two assists in the last four gameweeks.
Minutes is a slight concern, with an early substitution and a benching in this spell of games for Son. He’s not the only Spurs midfielder to choose from, with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski alternative routes into this potent attack at a cheaper price point.
Phil Foden vs Everton (H)
While a sale of Bukayo Saka could bring Manchester City striker Erling Haaland back into the premium conversation, there’s also his team-mate Phil Foden to consider in midfield. The playmaker has started consecutive games, playing 90 minutes and scoring two goals.
Manchester City are on a dismal run of form though, with just one win and one draw from their last eight Premier League games. However, they have the fixtures in which to turn this form around, with Everton the latest visitors to the Etihad, before facing Leicester City and West Ham.
Potential owners will be encouraged by his goal in the final moments of the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa last time out, his first goal of this season. We need him to find his clinical finishing from the 2023/24 season, where he finished the campaign on 19 goals and eight assists.
