The Hard Tackle picks the replacements for Nick Pope in your FPL teams, with the Englishman picking up a shoulder injury.
The festive period is arriving, and games are coming thick and fast at the start of a busy December. Gameweek 15 kicks off 48 hours after the last round of fixtures ended. So, FPL managers are in a rush ahead of Tuesday night’s transfer deadline. One subject in particular is bothering many punters.
Nick Pope is out for the foreseeable future after sustaining a shoulder injury this past weekend against Manchester United. The Newcastle United mainstay might even require surgery on the affected area, meaning it might be a long-term layoff.
Pope features in 11.4% of the FPL teams, meaning nearly a million managers will frantically scour the options to replace him. As always, differentials might be the way to go for them as they look to beat the competition and get ahead of the curve in the busy period.
So, we have procured a list of five goalkeepers you should consider if you want to replace Nick Pope from your FPL teams. Some of these players might surprise you, considering you might have their defensive teammates in your squads. But goalkeepers might be the most nailed-on assets during the festive period.
Martin Dubravka
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. Martin Dubravka will be Nick Pope’s replacement for the next few months after coming in for the Englishman during the game between Newcastle United and Manchester United this past weekend.
So, the Slovakian goalkeeper can become an automatic choice to fill Pope’s void in your squads. In addition, at £3.9m, Dubravka is an attractive option, especially considering he might be a nailed-on asset for Newcastle United for the next few months.
The former Manchester United loanee features in only 1.9% of the teams, meaning you can get ahead of the curve by bringing him into your squads. With Newcastle United having a promising run of fixtures, he is an appealing prospect for FPL managers.
Martin Dubravka (£3.9m) is approx 35% towards a price rise
46,000 managers have transferred him IN for GW15 #FPL https://t.co/Jp86ZkbQoO
— @FPLPriceChanges (@FPLPriceChanges) December 4, 2023
David Raya
The next option on our list hails from Arsenal, and we are surprised he features in only 5.3% of the teams. We are talking about David Raya, who incredibly features in much fewer teams than Aaron Ramsdale, who he has benched at Arsenal.
The Spaniard is now the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for Arsenal, a decision that has not gone down well with Ramsdale. He is also one of Arsenal’s cheapest defensive assets, considering the most nailed-on defender — William Saliba (£5.5m) — costs £0.6m more than him.
While Saliba can deliver the odd offensive haul with his eye for a goal, Raya can get you save points. So, the trade-off is not that bad for FPL managers. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures are attractive, with Liverpool being the only tricky opponent during the festive period.
Caoimhin Kelleher
This pick might be somewhat risky, considering the player in question will not feature for Liverpool much (if at all) at the turn of the year. So, he will only be a short-term solution to replace Nick Pope, which works for you if you have immediate plans to play the second wildcard. We are talking about Caoimhin Kelleher.
The Irishman will feature in the next few games for Liverpool after Alisson Becker picked up a hamstring injury last month against Manchester City. Kelleher, like Martin Dubravka, costs only £3.9m, making him an appealing short-term target.
The 25-year-old features in only 1.7% of the teams, making him a solid short-term differential. So, if you have another starting goalkeeper in your squad, it might be worth your time to bring in Kelleher for the next few gameweeks.
Guglielmo Vicario
The next pick comes from Tottenham, who will soon have a strong defensive unit, with Cristian Romero returning from suspension. While Micky van de Ven is still a few weeks away from recovering from a hamstring injury, Romero’s return will fortify the Tottenham defence.
So, investing in Guglielmo Vicario might be worth your time if you do not want to keep another defensive asset from the North London club. The Italian international features in only 7.8% of the teams, although his price (£5.2m) might drive away potential investors.
But with Newcastle United being the only top-six opponent for Tottenham until the end of the year, the North London giants should fancy their chances of keeping a few clean sheets. So, Vicario can get you handy points in the coming weeks.
Neto
Our list ends with an option that might not be attractive at first glance, considering this player comes from a team that might be in the relegation dogfight this season. We are talking about Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto.
The Cherries have struggled for large parts of the 2023/24 season thus far. But results have picked up in the last few weeks, helping Bournemouth rise to 16th in the Premier League standings after losing just one of the last five games.
Neto’s resilience between the sticks helps, and he can get you a gamut of save points. Costing just £4.5m and featuring in only 1.4% of the FPL teams, the former Barcelona stopper has the perfect package to be a low-cost solution. But managers might only resort to signing him if they do not bring in Martin Dubravka.
