FPL Gameweek 5 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell

How different this season already feels! @FPLFocal has pulled out a gem of a stat!

After 4 Gameweeks:

• 2025/26 – 32 clean sheets, 94 npxG
• 2024/25 – 18 clean sheets, 109 npxG
• 2023/24 – 14 clean sheets, 122 npxG

That’s right: clean sheets are up, attacking output is down.

Still not convinced? Let’s glance at the top scorers across the first 4 GWs:

• GW1: Ballard, Semenyo
• GW2: Timber, Pickford, Pedro
• GW3: Guéhi, Senesi
• GW4: Zubimendi, Van de Ven

6 of those 9 names are defenders or goalkeepers. And overall, 2 of the top 5 and 5 of the top 10 highest scorers are defensive picks.

So… is “Big at the Back” sneaking back into fashion? 11 million FPL managers are sweating over it and many such existential questions. But let’s not spiral into existential dread — time to cut through the noise with this week’s BUY-HOLD-SELL picks

So, let’s start with our BUY-HOLD-SELL article for this GW, sponsored by …. Well, nobody. We are poor, but you can help here if you want 😊

Link to all our FPL GW5 blogs including scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, best forwards, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL GW5 Transfer Tips: Two Players to BUY

Antoine Semenyo (£7.5m) – MID, Bournemouth – 41.5% TSB

The Bournemouth talisman is simply unstoppable. Among midfielders, Semenyo ranks 1^st  across virtually every attacking metric:

• Shots, Shots on Target, Shots in the Box
• Big Chances, xG, Goals Scored
• xGI, Goal Involvements
• xPts, Bonus, FPL Points

It’s not just volume — it’s efficiency. He’s central to Bournemouth’s every attack, consistently finding space in dangerous areas, and converting chances at an elite rate. His underlying numbers scream “sustainable,” not just a purple patch. With fixtures still kind and ownership already ballooning, going without Semenyo feels riskier by the day.

Note: Semenyo also took the penalty last week which confirms that he is on penalties for Bournemouth when Kluivert(have not yet started a single game in PL this season) is not there on the pitch.

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Micky van de Ven (£4.7m) – DEF, Spurs – 31.4% TSB

Last week, we sang the praises of Spurs’ goalkeeper Vicario. The essence applies here too: Spurs’ defence is quietly turning into an FPL goldmine.

Since the UEFA Super Cup, Spurs have conceded just 1 goal across all competitions — a remarkable turnaround. Van de Ven has been at the heart of this resurgence, combining assured defensive work with goal threat.

Fixtures? Oh yes: Brighton, Leeds, Wolves — all languishing in the bottom half, all with blunt attacks. At £4.7m, van de Ven offers not just clean sheet potential but bonus magnetism too, thanks to his high BPS style of play. If you want a slice of Spurs newfound defensive steel, he’s the value route in.

Further Read: FPL GW5 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups

FPL Gameweek 5 Transfer Tips: Two Players to HOLD

Florian Wirtz (£8.3m) – MID, Liverpool – 17.6% TSB

Yes, four blanks in a row is painful. Yes, FPL Twitter is baying for his head. But scratch beneath the surface and Wirtz still passes the eye test and the stat test.

In Liverpool’s midweek Champions League tie vs Atlético, he led the team for:

• Touches in the opposition box (7)
• Chances created (5)
• Big chances created (2)

The underlying intent is crystal clear — he’s in the right positions, pulling the strings, and it’s only a matter of time before it converts into FPL points.

And who’s up next? Everton. It’s not been the Everton defence from last season, as seen from their defensive ranks this season:

• 14th for Expected Goals Conceded and Big Chances Conceded
• 17th for Shots Conceded
• 20th for Clean Sheets Odds in GW5

This is the perfect “last chance” fixture before you even consider shipping him. Hold your nerve.

Further Read: FPL GW5 – Fixtures & Players to Target for Gameweek 5

Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) – FWD, Crystal Palace – 12.1% TSB

Almost 92,000 managers have already dumped Mateta. Don’t be one of them.

Here’s why: Palace face West Ham next — and West Ham’s defence is statistically the worst in the league. They are dead last (20th) for:

• Big Chances Conceded
• Shots on Target Conceded
• Goals Conceded

And 19th for Shots in the Box Conceded.

Mateta himself is humming along nicely. Among FWDs, Mateta is ranked:

• 2nd for Shots on Target
• 3rd for xGI
• 3rd for Big Chances

The stats say he’s not just a placeholder, he’s a ticking time bomb of returns. If you sell him before West Ham, you might be defeating the whole purpose why you bought him in the first place.

Further Read: Top FPL GW5 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of GW5 Deadline

FPL Gameweek 5 Transfer Tips: Two Players to SELL

Matz Sels (£5.0m) – GKP, Nott’m Forest – 14.5% TSB

This isn’t just about Sels — it’s about Forest’s entire backline. They massively punched above their weight last season. According to Understat, Forest overperformed their expected points by 15. In simple terms: they weren’t as good as their results suggested.

So what we’re seeing now isn’t a sudden collapse, but a regression to the mean. Forest are no longer riding their luck; they’re playing at their true level.

And the defensive numbers are grim:

• 15th for NPxGC
• 16th for Shots in the Box Conceded
• 17th for xGC
• 17th for xCS
• 18th for Goals Conceded
• 19th for Big Chances Conceded
• 20th for Shots on Target Conceded
• 0 Clean Sheets so far

On top of that, morale has nosedived after being dumped out of the EFL Cup by Swansea City.

Sels may not be an immediate fire sale — he’ll still make saves and could nick the odd bonus — but with Forest’s defensive structure crumbling, there are safer, more reliable routes in goal elsewhere. Think of this as a soft sell: if you’ve got a transfer to spare, moving on makes sense.

Further Read: Best FPL GW5 Midfielders to Target Based on Stats & Fixtures

Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m) – MID, Man Utd – 19.2% TSB

Bruno has given us next to nothing this season. Strip away the penalty against Burnley, and there are no goals, no assists. United as a whole are floundering: one league win, dumped by Grimsby in the EFL Cup, and just hammered 0-3 in the derby.

Even worse, under Amorim, Bruno’s heat map shows him deployed deeper than last season — less penalty box action, more sideways distribution. That’s death for FPL returns.

And up next? Chelsea — one of only three unbeaten teams in the league this season, boasting one of the stingiest defences. The ceiling looks low, the floor looks terrifying. Time to sell, free up cash, and invest elsewhere.

Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL GW5

FPL GW5 Predicted Lineups, Injuries & Press Conference Updates
FPL Gameweek 5 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell
2025/26 FPL Chip Strategy Guide – First Half of the Season
FPL GW5 – Fixtures & Players to Target for Gameweek 5 
FPL GW5 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis and Matchups
Top FPL GW5 Differential Picks to Target Ahead of GW Deadline
Best FPL GW5 Midfielders to Target Based on Stats & Fixtures
FPL Fixture Swing Analysis – Best Fixture Runs to Target

Link to all our FPL GW5 blogs, including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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