The likely departure of Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur will have major repercussions on 2023/24 Fantasy Premier League.
From a club perspective, Kane’s exit gives Richarlison (£7.0m) the chance to establish himself as Spurs’ lone forward under their new head coach Ange Postecoglou.
Listed as a midfielder in Fantasy, the Brazilian had a poor 2022/23 in Antonio Conte’s final season at the helm, managing only one goal and five assists.
But Spurs’ recent pre-season displays suggests Richarlison could be a big success under the Australian.
They scored five goals in two of their final three summer friendlies, which included a hat-trick from Richarlison while he was playing as a forward against Singapore side Lion City Sailors.
Notably, Spurs have a very favourable schedule from Gameweek 3 onwards.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of their subsequent three matches, against AFC Bournemouth, Burnley and Sheffield United, score only two.
Kane’s departure also strengthens the appeal of investing in Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) as a second big-hitter alongside Erling Haaland (£14.0m).
Kane had recorded his best-ever campaign in Fantasy last season, finishing only nine points behind Haaland on 263 points.
His sale now means Salah is expected to be the closest rival to the Manchester City forward in 2023/24 Fantasy.
The Liverpool star was the most productive of any Premier League player over the summer. He was involved in nine goals, scoring two and assisting a further seven.
That continued Salah's form from the end of the previous season, when a change of formation helped revive his output. Indeed, he was the top-scoring player in Fantasy from Gameweek 30 onwards, averaging 7.8 points per match over his final 10 fixtures.
Rotate Haaland-Salah armband?
Owning both Haaland and Salah can be a very strong tactic in 2023/24.
Over 86 per cent of managers have selected the Norwegian and many plan to simply captain him each Gameweek.
But with both big-hitters in their line-up, managers can make their armband decision according to the fixtures.
This tactic can prove very profitable as early as Gameweek 2.
While Haaland is at home to a traditionally stingy Newcastle United, Salah provides a ready-made alternative for Liverpool’s match with Bournemouth at Anfield.