FPL stats: Salah rewards biggest captaincy backing for 95 Gameweeks

More than 3.5million Fantasy Premier League managers were rewarded for handing Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) the captain's armband as he recorded his EIGHTH double-figure haul of the campaign - just one fewer than he managed in the whole of last season.

Salah scored twice and collected two bonus points as Liverpool edged out Southampton 3-2 at St Mary's Stadium.

It was his biggest backing since Erling Haaland (£15.1m) arrived in the Premier League.

The last time he was captained by so many was 95 Gameweeks ago, in Gameweek 31 of the 2021/22 season, when 3.86m managers selected him for double points.

GW12 most-captained players

Salah's impressive form has seen managers shift funds to midfield, as the ownership gap between him and Haaland continues to narrow.

In Gameweek 9 there was a 35 per cent difference in favour of the Norwegian, but that's now down to less than three per cent. In that time, over 1.6m have sold Haaland and the same number have bought Salah.

And that trend looks set to continue following Haaland's fifth blank in seven matches. The Manchester City forward had seven shots in the box, his second-highest total in a match this season, but none found the back of the net as Pep Guardiola suffered the joint-heaviest home defeat of his career, as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur.

Since Saturday, Haaland has been sold by a further 400,000+ Fantasy managers, three times more than the next most-sold player.

Barren runs

Haaland isn't the only player going through a dry patch.

With a third successive blank, Cole Palmer (£10.9m) is experiencing his worst period since making his first start for Chelsea in Gameweek 7 last season.

Despite creating three chances and having two shots as the Blues beat Leicester City 2-1 Palmer emerged empty-handed from the contest. It doesn't get any easier, either, as next up he faces Aston Villa, a team he blanked twice against last season.

There was better news for owners of Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) as he managed to break this own poor spell. Watkins scored for the first time since Gameweek 8 as the Villans drew 2-2 at home with Crystal Palace.

Who are the most-bought players?

Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) was the most-popular signing in Fantasy ahead of Ruben Amorim's first match in charge of Manchester United.

Hopes were high after back-to-back double-figure hauls following the departure of Erik ten Hag, but that run ended as the Red Devils drew 1-1 at Ipswich Town.

Nonetheless, the underlying stats offer some comfort to his 777,000+ new owners. The Portuguese registered three shots and three key passes, both team-leading totals, in the draw at Portman Road.

GW12 most-bought players

Goals in each of his three previous appearances prompted more than 583,000 to snap up Alexander Isak (£8.5m) for Newcastle United's home match versus West Ham United.

Since returning from injury in Gameweek 8, the Swede has had eight shots on target and seven big chances, compared with just two shots on target and two big chances over the first five Gameweeks.

Although he had five shots in the box against the Hammers, he wasn't able to extend his scoring streak to a fourth match, finishing with a disappointing two points as the Magpies lost 2-0.

Top of the Fantasy defender standings going into Gameweek 12, Virgil van Dijk (£6.3m) was the go-to replacement for the stricken Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6.9m). 

The Liverpool full-back missed the encounter at St Mary's Stadium with a hamstring injury, as expected. However, his Dutch team-mate was unable add to his six clean sheets, registering his lowest score this season, with a disappointing one-point return.

Who are the most-sold players?

With three blanks in four appearances ahead of Gameweek 12, Spurs duo Dominic Solanke (£7.7m) and Brennan Johnson (£6.7m) joined Haaland and Alexander-Arnold among the most-sold players.

Fantasy bosses felt a trip to the Etihad Stadium wasn't the fixture for them to improve those records - but they were proved wrong as Spurs defied expectations.

Solanke supplied an assist while Johnson scored after coming on to replace Son Heung-min (£9.9m) in the second half.

Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m) may be the most-bought player overall this season, with a league-high price rise of £0.9m since the start of the campaign, but he was dumped by more than 360,000 managers for Gameweek 12, and he went on to blank in Brentford's goalless draw at Everton.

Those sales may increase heading into December with Thomas Frank's side facing just two teams rated at two in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR) over the next 10 Gameweeks.

GW12 most transferred-out players