The Scout highlights the main takeaways for managers in Fantasy Premier League from the latest pre-season friendlies.
Interest in Son Heung-min (£10.0m) looks set to rise in Fantasy after his starring role in Tottenham Hotspur’s fourth successive pre-season victory.
The South Korean scored twice and supplied an assist for Dejan Kulusevski’s (£6.5m) strike as Spurs clinched a 4-3 win over Team K League in Japan.
Son now has three goals and an assist over his last two outings yet remains very much a differential in Fantasy, with an ownership of just over 10 per cent.
Son's second goal v Team K League
The link-up between Deki and Sonny 🤤
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 31, 2024
Our captain at the double in Korea! 💫 pic.twitter.com/OHtx1M2Mt0
However, his displays under Ange Postecoglou suggest many managers will be thinking twice over going without him for the start of the season.
Son produced eight double-figure hauls in the previous campaign, thanks to 17 goals and 10 assists.
Spurs face promoted Leicester City and host Everton over the first two Gameweeks, lifting Son’s prospects as a big-hitting captain option.
Son’s appeal could also be boosted by the fitness concerns surrounding Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (£15.0m).
The Norwegian was replaced at the break for the second match in a row as Man City drew 2-2 with Barcelona. After the match, manager Pep Guardiola said: "Erling is not comfortable. We don't want to take risks. But sooner or later he has to take a step with training and minutes.
"The season is there, around the corner. He has niggles, muscular, we don't want to take a risk and lose him for three weeks or a month. That would be a problem."
After scoring in his first two summer outings, Haaland has steadily climbed to 36 per cent ownership. But his record-breaking cost of £15.0m means that millions will surely reassess their plans if he continues to struggle for fitness, with many moving funds into their midfields.
Isak and Murphy extend fine form
While Haaland struggles for fitness, Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£8.5m) strengthened his position as the go-to forward for managers’ opening forward lines.
The Swede’s opener in a 4-1 win over Urawa Red Diamonds means he has scored in all three of the Magpies’ pre-season matches.
It’s fair to say those performances have not gone unnoticed, with Isak’s 55 per cent ownership making him the most-popular player in the game.
Similarly to Son, he faces a promoted club in the opening Gameweek of 2024/25, as Eddie Howe’s side entertain Southampton.
His team-mate Jacob Murphy (£5.5m), meanwhile, has the form to offer outstanding value in Fantasy from the outset.
The winger struck twice to take his tally to four goals and two assists – those six goal involvements are more than any other player in Fantasy across the summer action.
