Fantasy Premier League

Alli can reward Fantasy following

By The Scout 21 Jul 2017

The most-owned midfielder in FPL has the scoring power to justify his popularity, says The Scout

The Scout names the third premium midfielder to watch out for in Fantasy Premier League.

Dele Alli (Spurs) £9.5m

FPL managers are on the move for Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli (£9.5m).

He already boasts an ownership of 38.7%, making him the most popular midfielder in the game.

That transfer surge is inspired by a return of 225 points last season. Only Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez (£12.5m and 264 points) ranked higher for his position.

Alli thrived in a central support role alongside Christian Eriksen (£9.5m) in manager Mauricio Pochettino’s 3-4-2-1 formation.

Although he trailed Eriksen for shots on goal, by 94 to 133, it is Alli’s ability to drift into dangerous areas that is key to his points potential.

He registered 22 "big chances" in 2016/17.

That was joint-top with Sanchez for midfielders and only six fewer than team-mate Harry Kane (£12.5m and 28), the Premier League's top scorer.

Alli played all but one of his side’s 38 Gameweeks. He scored 18 goals, up from his return of 10 in 2015/16.

The England international converted 19.1% of his shots on goal, again an increase from 13.5% the previous season.

By comparison, Eriksen scored eight goals and took 6% of his chances.

Alli’s improved eye for goal had a major impact on his FPL output.

His points-per-match average jumped up to 6.1, from 5.0 in his debut Fantasy campaign.

The opening schedule hands Alli the chance to make an early mark.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR), six of Spurs’ first eight matches score no more than two.

While the 35%-owned Kane remains a top target up front, Alli’s price tag has caused a stir.

He is an obvious option for those seeking coverage of Spurs’ goal power, allowing Kane to be overlooked in favour of alternative big-ticket strikers such as Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku (£11.5m).