FPL pre-season watch: Hat-trick hints at Richarlison revival

A hat-trick from Richarlison (£7.0m) against Singapore side Lion City Sailors has hinted at a return to form for the Brazilian in 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League. 

The Tottenham Hotspur star has been reclassified as a midfielder in FPL this season, after being listed as a forward last campaign.

See: FPL position changes for 2023/24 

He currently sits in under two per cent of Fantasy squads after scoring a single goal in 2022/23, Spurs' final season with Antonio Conte at the helm.

But his second-half showing in Wednesday's 5-1 victory suggests he could be revived under new head coach Ange Postecoglou.

Highlights of Spurs' win

Richarlison delivered hauls of 153 and 165 points for Everton in 2018/19 and 2019/20 but has failed to hit those heights since moving to Spurs.

He was among 11 changes made at half-time by Postecoglou, replacing Harry Kane (£12.5m) as the lone forward.

Having seized his opportunity with his second-half treble, Richarlison will be pushing Dejan Kulusevski (£7.0m) for the role on the front right side of Spurs’ 4-3-3 formation this season.

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Giovani Lo Celso (£5.0m) is also emerging as a contender for a regular role under Postecoglou. 

The midfielder’s second-half strike in Singapore means he is the only Spurs player to score in both of their summer matches. 

Kane was also on the scoresheet thanks to a converted penalty, while Son Heung-min (£9.0m) and James Maddison (£7.5m) were among those named in the starting XI.

Alvarez and Foden impress again

Elsewhere, Kane’s fellow premium forward Erling Haaland (£14.0m) was also overshadowed by differential team-mates in Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Bayern Munich. 

Midfielder James McAtee (£4.5m) and centre-back Aymeric Laporte (£5.0m), who are both owned by under 0.5 per cent, were the scorers.

Haaland once again shared minutes with Julian Alvarez (£6.5m) as the lone forward, playing a half each as Pep Guardiola made multiple changes at the break.

Alvarez’s assist for his side's opener means he has been involved in a team-leading three goals over their two matches. He delivered a goal and an assist against Yokohama F. Marinos earlier in the week. 

Alvarez's role in McAtee's goal

Phil Foden (£7.5m), the most-popular midfielder in Guardiola’s squad in Fantasy with an ownership of 13.6 per cent, has supplied an assist in each of those encounters. 

Also in this series

Part 1: Salah and Nunez becoming deadly duo
Part 2: Young's role boosts appeal of Tarkowski
Part 4: Saka essential while Jackson stars again
Part 5: Almiron and Eze making strong claims