Best Southampton FPL Players

Firstly, a quick introduction. I’m Sam (otherwise known as @FPLPricey on Twitter), and amongst other weaknesses, I am a lifelong Southampton fan. Hopefully, my unhealthy obsession with FPL paired with my knowledge of the club I love puts me in a strong position to provide you all with helpful insight into the ‘Saints’ through the lens of the Fantasy Premier League.

Anyone with even a passing interest in FPL or Southampton would probably be able to tell you that last season wasn’t a particularly fruitful one for our players in terms of their FPL performance, with one notable exception (more on that later). However, with new ownership in place & the promise of a squad refresh over the summer, we should not disregard Southampton players ahead of the 22/23 season.

Taking a deeper look into teams who underperformed in the previous season provides managers with a key advantage, as you’ll often get the jump on those who have immediately overlooked these assets completely. In many cases, players are significantly underpriced, providing a golden opportunity to pick up some hidden gems at a bargain rate – especially when the clubs in question are bottom-half regulars in the first place…such as Southampton.

With this in mind, the focus for this article will primarily be to determine if we can find value in the Southampton squad, helping us unearth some potential diamonds priced well below their actual value – helping us pad out our squad to help us afford to fit more of the expensive assets into our teams in the process.

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Link to all Our FPL Team Analysis Series for all 20 PL Teams from our team correspondents

Southampton Fixture Analysis

Gameweek:	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
SOU	tot	LEE	lei	MUN	CHE	wol	BRE	avl	EVE	mci	WHU	bou	ARS	cry	NEW	liv

Southampton fixtures (CAPS home/Small away)

Southampton’s opening run of fixtures is arguably among the worst in the league, playing 3 of last season’s top 6 in the opening 5 matches, including an away trip to Tottenham to kick off the campaign. Whilst this means there will be little-to-no FPL appeal for the first 5 matches, it does mean we can give their assets a watching brief and thoroughly analyse the system and how the players fit into it before making a decision around GW6, when their fixtures take a considerable upturn.

Southampton FPL fixtures for 2022/23 Season

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Southampton Formation/Tactics

Hassenhuttl attempted to become slightly more pragmatic during the 21/22 season, aiming to use our deeper squad to switch to a more conservative formation at times. Despite this, without a doubt our most favoured line-up constitutes of a 4-2-2-2, using 2 deep-lying central midfielders, 2 wide CAM’s and 2 forwards – with one often dropping in slightly to link up with the midfield.

The system relies heavily upon a high press off the ball, aiming to win possession back in the opponent’s half and counter-punching with pace. This is a tactic which causes even some of the best teams trouble in any given game, however, Southampton’s issue in previous seasons under Hassenhuttl has been players becoming exhausted over the more congested fixture runs during the campaign.

From an FPL point of view, there will probably be minimal interest in Southampton’s defensive assets from the start. However for what it’s worth, I’d expect Bazunu to claim the number 1 spot at the back over McCarthy (either immediately or phased in over the first few weeks) and line up as a back 4 of Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu & Perraud from the off. Bella-Kotchap will likely get a look in eventually, but as long as Bednarek stays with us this season, I’d expect a fairly consistent back line to begin with.

Ward-Prowse has an undisputed claim to one of the 2 central midfield roles, however, Romeu will have considerable competition from new signing Romeo Lavia from Man City, who is highly touted. I’d expect minutes to be shared between the two, to begin with, but Lavia will have been given assurances of long-term gametime in order to prize him away from the champions.

The two wide CAM roles have several potential suitors, but my belief is that Stuart Armstrong & new signing Joe Aribo will form our strongest and most regular pairing. However, don’t be surprised to see minutes given to Mohamed Elyounoussi, Nathan Tella (both of which may also play in the front two), Moussa Djenepo, Nathan Redmond & perhaps even Theo Walcott. With all of these options on the table, relying on one of these to be a consistent performer as an FPL asset will be difficult to begin with.

The front two spots will be primarily contended by our only two out-and-out forwards, Che Adams and Adam Armstrong. However, Tella & Elyounoussi may also be handed roles up-front at times.

Southampton Predicted Lineup for 2022/23 Season

Southampton Transfer Window

As mentioned already, Ralph & the ownership group had a bit of a project on their hands going into the summer. An ageing (& underperforming) squad, with a couple of players out of contract, left the side requiring a bit of an overhaul. Below is a list of our summer business to date.

INCOMING:

Gavin Bazunu (4.5m) – Goalkeeper
Armel Bella-Kotchap (4.5m) – Defender
Mateusz Lis (4m) – Goalkeeper
Romeo Lavia (4.5m) – Midfielder
Joe Aribo (5.5m) – Midfielder

A Little bit more on all the Saints new signings here Along with new signings of all the PL Clubs.

OUTGOING:

Fraser Forster – Goalkeeper
Shane Long – Forward
Harry Lewis – Goalkeeper

Gavin Bazunu – 4.5m, Goalkeeper (6/10)

Gavin Bazunu ~ Southampton FPL player to target for 2022/23 Season

The first position in need of surgery was between the sticks. For far too long now, McCarthy & Forster have been competing for the number 1 spot in goal, with neither ever firmly locking the place down due to questionable performances & errors in judgment. Although Forster had some strong performances in his locker, he was always an unlikely candidate for a contract extension once it expired over the summer. This was due to a mixture of his age, and the sheer expense of his wages. It was clear that a promising young goalkeeper was required. Introducing Gavin Bazunu, a highly talented Irish keeper signed from Man City, after impressing on loan at south coast rivals Portsmouth.

There is a lot of excitement around the young Irish international, with many Saints fans hoping that the club have finally found their long-term first-choice goalkeeper. He comes into the 22/23 FPL season at a favourable 4.5m valuation, which certainly brings him into consideration for our sides. Whilst I wouldn’t recommend taking a punt on him from the start, I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a serious option once the fixtures turn in Southampton’s favour.

He has a reputation for being a superb shot-stopper, which should amount to plenty of save points when considering the amount of attempts on goal his side are likely to concede. If (big if) he’s able to keep any clean sheets, we’re likely to be looking at double-digit hauls akin to Ramsdale & Martinez of seasons past.

Kyle Walker-Peters – 4.5m, Defender (5/10)

Kyle Walker-Peters – 4.5m ~ Southampton FPL player to target for 2022/23 Season

Admittedly, there may not be too much interest in Southampton’s defensive assets from the start. Last season’s FPL 4m gem, Tino Livramento, will sadly miss the beginning of the 22/23 season due to a long-term ACL injury – and comes into the game at the 4.5m mark anyway, dampening his appeal over his teammates considerably even once he does return.

However, if one of our backline does stand out, it would probably be Kyle Walker-Peters. Of Southampton defenders in 21/22, KWP finished with the highest xGI (5.04), an underperformance of 1.04 vs his actualised returns of 1 goal & 3 assists.

Whilst his returns rarely set the world alight, he is undoubtedly our first-choice full-back and has played on both flanks in order to rotate between the other options whilst maintaining his place. Amongst his defensive teammates, only Salisu picked up more minutes (2980) than KWP did in 21/22 (2644).

Jan Bednarek – 4.5m, Defender (4/10)

Jan Bednarek ~ Southampton FPL player to target for 2022/23 Season

An outside shout could be Jan Bednarek at 4.5m. In FPL terms, he’s probably most famous for his record-breaking -7 return in a 9-0 defeat to Man United in the 2020/21 season, after scoring an own goal & then being sent off later in the match. However, the Southampton CB does have a decent eye for goal, scoring 4 last season.

He is a considerable threat from set-pieces for the Saints, and with Ward-Prowse being one of the best dead-ball specialists in world football at the moment, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a combination of ‘GOAL: Bednarek, ASSIST: Ward-Prowse’ a few times this season. One important reason I’m not too bullish on Bednarek as an option is the rumors circulating his future at the club, with a number of sizeable European sides eyeing up a move. It also doesn’t help that Southampton were amongst the poorest defensive sides in the league last season.

James Ward-Prowse – 6.5m, Midfielder (7/10)

James Ward-Prowse ~ Southampton FPL player to target for 2022/23 Season

Undoubtedly, Southampton’s captain is currently our most important player in the side. His masterful set-pieces, both direct and indirect, serve as a potent threat & a key aspect of where many of our goals come from. JWP has now notched over 150 points in both of the past 2 seasons, registering 15 attacking returns in each. Putting last season into sharper focus, JWP hit double digits for goals for the first time in his PL career, perhaps adding to his underlying appeal as we approach the 22/23 campaign.

However, when looking at these returns in detail, it strikes you instantly that 8 of these goals came from set pieces: 4 penalties & 4 free kicks. As a saints fan, I can tell you that I would be shocked/disappointed if he didn’t bag at least 2/3 goals from direct free kicks again this season, however, predicting when these will come is very difficult. The same can be said for penalties as well, meaning as an FPL asset Ward-Prowse is a hard player to accurately determine when attacking returns will come for him. His Non-Penalty xGI per 90 last season was a very uninspiring 0.25, which summarises this issue perfectly.

This isn’t to say he’s a bad FPL pick whatsoever. In fact, if you are able to stick with him over 38 gameweeks without switching him out of you side, I have no doubt he will bag another 140+ points once again and serve you well. However due to the aforementioned unpredictability of his returns, he can be an extremely patchy FPL asset, and an extremely frustrating player to own. Picking him for a run of good fixtures will prove irrelevant, as he is almost as likely to return in some of his more difficult matches. Personally, I’d probably advise only picking Ward-Prowse if you plan on holding onto him for the long-run.

Stuart Armstrong – 5m, Midfielder (7/10)

Stuart Armstrong – 5m ~ Southampton FPL player to target for 2022/23 Season

Arguably our most under-priced asset coming into the 22/23 season. After an injury-ridden 21/22 season, Armstrong has understandably been set at a reduced price, having only picked up 3 attacking returns last year. However, his pedigree over a number of seasons suggests he is capable of performing far beyond the numbers of other 5m midfielders, having gotten 11 returns the season before last. He operates as one of Southampton’s 2 wide CAM’s in a 4-2-2-2 system, and when fit is undoubtedly in our strongest line-up. If he can maintain fitness, 5m is an incredible value for a player who averages 0.29 xGI per 90.

Joe Aribo – 5.5m, Midfielder (6/10)

Joe Aribo – 5.5m ~ Southampton FPL player to target for 2022/23 Season

Aribo is an exciting signing for the saints, coming from Rangers after a successful spell in Glasgow. Aribo can play either as a CM or a CAM, but early signs suggest he’s been signed with the intention of playing him in one of our 2 CAM spots. Overall, he scored 8 and assisted 6 times in 31 appearances in the league last season, and despite these being pretty decent numbers anyway, I have reason to believe these provide a slightly false reading. In that time, he played 23 of those matches in the CAM role I expect him to line up in for Southampton, in which he picked up 5 goals & 5 assists – almost a return every other match. The Nigeria International comes with plenty of pedigree, and at 5.5m could prove to be fantastic value at some point this season, rivaling the likes of Neto, Gordon & Ramsey at that price point.

Che Adams – 6.5m, Forward (5/10)

Che Adams – 6.5m ~ Southampton FPL player to target for 2022/23 Season

Sadly, I reckon Che has been slightly overpriced coming into the 22/23 campaign, making him a bit of a non-option from the start. Having racked up just slightly north of 100 points last season, I would have liked to see him come into the game at 6m, giving managers a bit more of a decision to make. Most Southampton fans were expecting him to kick on after a promising 20/21 season, in which he bagged 9 goals & 7 assists. However, Adams fell victim to Hassenhuttl’s indecision of what constituted our strongest starting XI last year, only managing 11 attacking returns in 2,034 minutes on the pitch.

One key factor that may bring Che Adams back into the FPL conversation for 22/23 is the fact Southampton currently have very few options up front, with only himself and Adam Armstrong registered as out-and-out forwards at time of writing. As mentioned, if Adams was able to pick up 11 returns from little over 2,000 minutes last year, I’d be excited to see what he can manage if he can nail down a spot in our starting XI, having registered a fairly promising xGI per 90 of 0.41 last year – joint highest amongst Southampton players.

Certainly, one to keep an eye on.

Adam Armstrong – 5.5m, Forward (5/10)

Adam Armstrong – 5.5m ~ Southampton FPL player to target for 2022/23 Season — **Adam Armstrong scored in the first pre-season friendly**

For different reasons, I’m probably equally drawn to Adam Armstrong as I am to Che at the moment. Our 21/22 summer signing didn’t bed in particularly well on the south coast last season, only registering 2 goals & 3 assists in a campaign that saw him restricted to just 1,409 minutes on the pitch. Considering he matches Che Adams for xGI per 90 (0.41) during that time, he might consider himself fairly unlucky not to have managed more returns, under-performing by 1.40 in xGI vs actualized returns. As mentioned in the case of Che Adams, Southampton currently have limited options in our front-line, meaning we may see Adam Armstrong being used more regularly this season. If this is the case, 5.5m could end up being a bargain if he can regain the form that saw him score 28 Championship goals in a Blackburn shirt back in 2020/21.

Thanks for reading the blog, do follow me on my Twitter @FPLPricey, Instagram @FPLPricey for my FPL and Southampton content.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of the 2022/23 FPL Season

Link to all our 2022/23 Pre Season articles including transfer tracker of all new signings, all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!

Link to all our FPL Forwards, FPL Midfielders, FPL Defenders, and FPL Goalkeepers series of blogs including the best 4.0 million defenders, and 4.5 Million midfielders.

Link to all Our FPL Team Analysis Series for all 20 PL Teams from our team correspondents

If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.

All our Best Pre Season Reads:

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Fixture Analysis

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FPL Pricey

Hey everyone! Sam here, otherwise known as FPL Pricey across social media. I'm proud to become a writer for All About FPL for the 2022/23 season, where I will primarily aim to shed a light on my home town club Southampton. I have been FPL-obsessed since a young age, and enjoy using a hybrid methodology of detailed statistics & eye-test to inform my decision making.

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