Fantasy Premier League

FPL Draft: Ndombele can profit from Mourinho arrival

By Neal Thurman 21 Nov 2019
Tanguy Ndombele

Draft expert Neal Thurman says the midfielder can become a key player for Spurs under new head coach

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It's always the same for Fantasy Premier League Draft managers after an international break.

We wait for updates on any minor injuries, or the chances that a player is fatigued due to extensive travel after featuring for his country.

At present, there are doubts over Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson for Liverpool's match at Crystal Palace, and their absence would certainly create some chaos, as well as opportunity.

News updates will come quickly between now and when matches kick off and the advantage goes to managers who stay informed and act quickly.

We'll also see the debut of Jose Mourinho as Tottenham Hotspur's head coach this weekend, which presents all sorts of possibilities of improved performances and/or revised roles for a group of players who, Son Heung-min aside, haven't been performing to expectations.

Heading into the Gameweek 13 waiver, here are my priority recommendations.

GKP: Tom Heaton (BUR)

It looks like Heaton has recovered from his calf injury and he has a tempting home match against Newcastle United. If you're looking for a longer-term solution, I expect Paulo Gazzaniga is available in your eight-team league and will benefit from at least a temporary bounce back under Mourinho.

DEF: Mason Holgate (EVE)

There's a slight chance that Holgate could lose his spot to Michael Keane but he played very well in the win over Southampton and it would be hard for Marco Silva to justify dropping him. With an injury-riddled Norwich City side heading to Goodison Park, Holgate is a nice short-term pick-up. On the Spurs front, I will be very interested to see who Mourinho starts in the wide positions. Whoever gets the call immediately becomes an attractive longer-term option.

MID: Tanguy Ndombele (TOT)

Ndombele feels like a very Mourinho-ish player so, assuming that whoever drafted Christian Eriksen didn't ditch him a week too early, Ndombele would be my choice as a long-term pick-up. I wouldn't object to someone opting for Lucas Moura either. If you're looking for a one-week only option then Ayoze Perez against Brighton & Hove Albion or Harry Wilson at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers would be my choices.

FWD: Divock Origi (LIV)

If Salah misses out due to his ankle issue then Origi seems likeliest to get the start and immediately becomes the priority target among short-term options. If it turns out that Salah is fit to play then Cenk Tosun has the potential for a big weekend against Norwich. My third choice would be Lys Mousset at home against Manchester United.

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