Managers in Fantasy Premier League will be looking for the next Son Heung-min when player prices are revealed soon for the 2024/25 season.
The Tottenham Hotspur star suffered a big £3.0m drop in price last summer due to a disappointing 2022/23 campaign.
The South Korean was valued at £9.0m at the start of last season and bounced back in style. With 17 goals and 10 assists, Son earned 213 points, the third time in the last four seasons that he has surpassed the 200-point mark.
Mohamed Salah looks likely to drop from last season's hefty price of £12.5m after producing 211 points in 2023/24, the lowest total in his seven seasons with Liverpool.
Despite that relatively disappointing campaign, the underlying numbers highlight the Egyptian’s huge goal threat. Salah’s 92 shots in the box, 33 big chances, 114 shots and 54 shots on target were all more than any other midfielder in Fantasy.
Indeed, those latter two totals ranked second only to Erling Haaland among all players in 2023/24.
Salah’s team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold may also go down in price in the Reds’ first season under Arne Slot.
At £8.0m, the right-back was the most expensive defender in 2023/24 Fantasy. But he managed just 122 points, his lowest tally since establishing himself as a first-team regular in 2018/19.
Although he was limited to 28 appearances due to injury, Alexander-Arnold’s all-round attacking potential was obvious. His 18 big chances created and 47 shots placed first and second respectively in his position in Fantasy.
If he is moved into central midfield by Slot, there’s every chance the 25-year-old can get back to his very best in 2024/25.
Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier is another premium-priced defender who could be cheaper in Fantasy this time around.
The right-back cost £6.5m at the start of last season, having finished as the top-scoring player in his position in 2022/23, when he amassed 198 points thanks to one goal, nine assists and 16 clean sheets.
Trippier actually surpassed that attacking output last campaign, scoring once and supplying 10 assists. But long-term injuries to goalkeeper Nick Pope and centre-back Sven Botman, who each made just 15 starts, meant his clean-sheet count plummeted from 16 to six.
While Botman is still out of action with an ACL injury, Pope's return to action combined with Newcastle’s lack of European involvement can make Trippier an appealing pick at the back once again.
There would also be no surprise if Manchester United’s Luke Shaw dropped from his cost of £5.5m.
The left-back managed a mere 31 points in his 12 starts across 2023/24, combining one assist with four clean sheets.
That compares poorly with his first season under Erik ten Hag in 2022/23, when he produced one goal, four assists, 12 clean sheets and 20 bonus points.
Further up the field, Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku and Brentford’s Ivan Toney could also earn a small price drop from last season.
Having produced 36 goals and 21 assists in his final two seasons for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Nkunku was listed at £7.5m in his debut campaign for the Blues. Yet he was restricted to just 11 appearances due to injury, scoring three goals to collect 29 points.
If Nkunku can secure the lone forward role under new head coach Enzo Maresca, he could become a popular pick for managers’ frontlines in Fantasy.
Toney also has the all-round potential to make a strong challenge for a place in managers’ squads.
The England star was suspended for half of last season and struggled to justify his £8.0m valuation after his return, returning just 57 points thanks to four goals and three assists.
But a look at his last full Fantasy campaign in 2022/23 highlights Toney’s ability. He scored 20 goals and supplied four assists to earn 182 points, a total bettered only by Haaland and Harry Kane among forwards.
