Who are the best replacements for Salah and Son in Fantasy?

Managers in Fantasy Premier League have big decisions to make as they seek to replace Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) and Son Heung-min (£9.8m).

Liverpool’s Salah and Tottenham Hotspur’s Son are the top-scoring players in Fantasy but they are now leaving their clubs to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Asian Cup respectively. They will miss Gameweek 21 and may not return until Gameweek 25, depending on their nations' progress in the two tournaments.

Both depart in fine form, further highlighting the major impact their absences will have on Fantasy managers.

Salah has been the top-scoring midfielder over the last six Gameweeks with 45 points, while Son’s three goals and three assists put him joint-second over the same period, just three points behind the Egyptian. 

Encouragingly for Fantasy managers, a trio of midfielders – Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (£5.6m), Spurs’ Richarlison (£6.9m) and Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise (£5.9m) – have all matched the 42 points of Son in that period.

Richarlison’s fortunes have been transformed since being moved up front recently, with his total of five goals ranking top among Fantasy midfielders over the last six Gameweeks.

Palmer has matched Salah's exact output of four goals, two assists and seven bonus points over the same period.

Meanwhile, Olise has also scored four goals and collected eight bonus, the most of all these players mentioned. He was ruled out of last Thursday's FA Cup with a hamstring injury but does not play again in the Premier League until Saturday 20 January. 

Top-scoring FPL midfielders last six Gameweeks

Who has the greatest goal threat?

The underlying statistics immediately show how similar Son and Olise have been for goal threat in these last six Gameweeks.

They have each had 18 shots and three big chances, while they are near-identical for both shots in the box and shots on target.

Although Palmer has matched those 18 shots, his goal threat has mainly been from distance, with just five shots in the box compared with the 14 of Olise.

Richarlison’s role up front has helped him to seven big chances, top among all midfielders, while he has matched Son’s 15 shots in the box.

Richarlison's GW20 goal v AFC Bournemouth

Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) has disappointed his 58 per cent backers with a single goal in this run, but the Arsenal winger's statistics at least offer encouragement to those owners; his 20 shots in the box are just one fewer than Salah's.

Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho (£4.8m) could appeal to managers looking for a budget enabler to free up funds for a move back to Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (£13.9m).

The Argentinian ranks third for both shots and shots in the box, scoring twice.

Goal threat in last six Gameweeks

Who is the most creative?

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Pascal Gross (£6.4m) and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard (£8.4m) have been the top creators in midfield over the last six rounds of matches, each producing 22 key passes. 

Olise once again features among the top five performers here, supplying 17 goalscoring opportunities for his team-mates.

Phil Foden (£7.8m) also catches the eye, matching the three assists and four big chances created of Gross.

The Manchester City star earned his season-high haul of 12 points in the last Gameweek, supplying both assists in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United. He is now City's top-scoring player in home matches this season, earning 61 points in nine appearances.

Foden's weekend brace against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup, meanwhile, took his tally to four goals and two assists in his last four outings in all competitions.

Foden's second GW20 assist v Sheff Utd

Son’s team-mates Dejan Kulusevski (£7.1m) and Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) are also viable options, with the latter matching the South Korean’s three assists over the last six Gameweeks.

Johnson is among only six midfielders who have recorded double-figures for both shots in the box and key passes in this period, along with Salah, Son, Saka, Olise and Anthony Elanga (£5.0m).

Elanga has emerged as a crucial figure in Nottingham Forest’s resurgence under new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

The winger has produced attacking returns in all three of their matches under the Portuguese, earning 22 points thanks to a goal and three assists. 

Most key passes last six Gameweeks

Who has the best fixtures?

Assessing each side’s schedule in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) across Gameweeks 21-24 can help managers refine their list of targets.

Brighton, Chelsea, Fulham and Sheff Utd fare the best, with three of their next four matches scoring only two in the FDR.

Man City, meanwhile, host Burnley and Everton, with the fit-again Kevin De Bruyne (£10.2m) sitting in only three per cent of squads.

De Bruyne made an immediate impact as a late substitute in Man City’s 5-0 victory over Huddersfield in the FA Cup, supplying an assist for Jeremy Doku’s (£6.5m) late strike. Nonetheless, Pep Guardiola has already confirmed he plans to ease De Bruyne back into action after his long-term absence, and a handful of substitute outings are initially expected.

Gross certainly has the best immediate schedule. According to the FDR, each of his next three matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Luton Town and Palace score only two.

Meanwhile, West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) has enticing fixtures against Sheff Utd and Bournemouth in the next two Gameweeks but may be facing a spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury at the end of Sunday's FA Cup tie against Bristol City.

Liverpool’s encounters with Bournemouth and Burnley in the next four Gameweeks could bring Luis Diaz (£7.3m) into contention on the back of his goalscoring display against Arsenal at the weekend.

The Colombian impressed after being moved to Salah’s usual role on the right late on in the 2-0 FA Cup win. Diaz looks a more secure option than Diogo Jota (£7.8m), who, similarly to Man City's De Bruyne, is likely to be eased back into action with more minutes off the bench following a spell out with injury.

Most fixtures scoring 2 in FDR GW21-24

So, who are the best Salah and Son replacements?

Olise’s all-round statistics are so impressive there is a case for looking at him as a long-term pick, providing he recovers from his hamstring complaint. 

Although he doesn’t have the kindest match in Gameweek 21, away to Arsenal, the Eagles star has scored and earned nine points against Man City and Chelsea in each of his last two road trips, underlining his “fixture-proof” appeal.

Palmer, Bowen and Richarlison are also very strong picks who can thrive in the short-term and beyond.

Palmer hosts Fulham next on the back of four double-figure hauls in 11 starts since securing a regular role in Gameweek 7, while Bowen, providing he shrugs off an ankle issue, will visit Sheff Utd as the second top-scoring player in away matches this season. As the focal point of Ange Postecoglou’s attack, Richarlison has one blank in his last five starts.

Elsewhere, Gross’s kind run of opponents could offer value for many Gameweeks, with both Foden and Diaz more appealing as short-term solutions.

Foden’s immediate starting role doesn’t seem under threat but there’s no doubt the availability of De Bruyne and Doku will ultimately lift the likelihood of rotation among Man City’s attackers sooner rather than later.

Liverpool’s cup win at Arsenal suggests their attackers can still thrive in the absence of Salah and Diaz’s impact on Sunday looks encouraging for the Colombian's starting role and confidence going forward.

View all the latest FPL tips ahead of Gameweek 21 in Fantasy Premier League