In this mini-series, we’re looking at the dormant picks in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) who will be returning to action soon.
These are the players who had dropped off the FPL radar due to spells on the sidelines, be it through injury or suspension.
Having already looked at Ivan Toney (£7.9m), Kevin De Bruyne (£10.2m), James Maddison (£7.8m) and Pervis Estupinan (£4.9m), this time it’s the turn of Pedro Neto (£5.6m).
WHY HE’S BEEN OUT
The Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder was on a brilliant streak of assists until his October hamstring injury. He provided an attacking return in eight straight matches from Gameweek 3, making his way into a million FPL squads.
Even now, his eight assists have only been bettered by one player so far – Ollie Watkins (£8.9m).
He pulled up with a problem during Gameweek 10’s draw with Newcastle United, missing nine matches.
“Expectations on Pedro will always be high because of the quality he has and I’m sure he enjoys that expectation. But from our point of view we have to handle him coming back and pick the right moments until he’s to speed fully.” – Gary O’Neil
Thankfully, the most recent round of matches saw Neto make a 10-minute cameo versus Everton, finding time to have a goal ruled out for offside. But managers may want to wait until purchasing, as boss Gary O’Neil plans to ease the 23-year-old back into proceedings.
WHOSE SPOT WILL HE TAKE?
Over the immediate weeks, Neto will likely replace Hwang Hee-chan (£5.7m) while the latter is away at the Asian Cup. It’s a simple switch that also keeps Pedro Sarabia (£4.7m) starting – an alternative cheap midfielder with three assists from his last five.
O’Neil advocates fluid systems, saying in recent times that formations are “just starting points.” He spoke in detail to Sky Sports about Wolves’ ability to defend in a 4-4-1-1 before setting up in a 3-4-3 when with the ball.
By starting both Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m) – who has now departed for the African Cup of Nations – and Toti Gomes (£4.4m), he has two versatile left-backs who can aid such fluidity.
“Whether we play with a back four or five seems to be a big thing here. I understand why, because this club have had a five for a long time. I’d like to know what people thought we were against Newcastle [back in Gameweek 10] because we were neither or both — or a bit of both — all the way through the game. The game is moving towards a place where there are not so many set formations.” – Gary O’Neil
Forward Matheus Cunha (£5.8m) sometimes drops deep to help win the ball back, therefore leaving Neto as the furthest man upfield, offering a pacy outlet in transition play.
WILL HE IMPACT HWANG UPON HIS RETURN?
Once his South Korean team-mate returns from international duty – whether it be Gameweek 24 or beforehand – they’ll probably be the two attackers playing off Cunha.
Above: The average on-pitch position of Hwang, per Gameweek
Pre-injury, Neto had established a chemistry with Hwang, assisting him for three goals. But such an absence has shifted the latter from left-sided to right-sided since Gameweek 11.
Although his total number of penalty area touches, goal attempts and big chances have improved, there was a better rate of productivity when the Portuguese winger was around.
Above: Comparison of Hwang stats before (left) and after (right) Neto’s injury
It means Neto is a large part of why Hwang has become the fifth midfielder to reach 100 FPL points in 2023/24.
FPL RECORD SO FAR
Signed as a teenager in 2019, Neto’s first Premier League campaign was about gaining experience and it wasn’t until 2020/21 that he exploded onto the FPL scene. Five goals and eight assists from 31 appearances but he also picked up a long-term knee injury in April.
| Season | Starts (sub) | Minutes | Goals | FPL assists | Bonus points | FPL points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 13 (5) | 962 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 |
| 2021/22 | 5 (8) | 459 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 |
| 2020/21 | 30 (1) | 2,549 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 124 |
| 2019/20 | 9 (20) | 920 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 57 |
The same issue took up over half of the following season but there was still enough goodwill to see him heavily hyped during 2022/23’s pre-season.
Priced by the game at £5.5m, over 1.4 million started Neto for opening games with Leeds United and Fulham, only to see him blank in both. Soon ditched en masse, an autumn ankle injury robbed him of another four months of pitch time.
As a result, the FPL community has been restricted to flashes of Neto’s brilliance and let’s hope he can avoid injuries at least between now and May.
FPL PROSPECTS
Meanwhile, Wolves have grown in confidence over the season. One win from the first six preceded home wins over Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – the latter starting their current run of three successive victories.
In only two of their 20 matches in 2023/24 have they failed to score.
Inserting Neto into this line-up offers an exciting differential to those about to replace Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) and Son Heung-min (£9.8m), although the next four fixtures rank fairly low on our Season Ticker.
It’s not until Gameweek 26 that investment looks much more enticing. Attractive fixtures, Hwang back in town and hopefully Neto’s match fitness will have caught up.
The hosting of Sheffield United takes place on EFL Cup final weekend, where popular names will have a Blank Gameweek. Then, should their Gameweek 29 meeting with Bournemouth not be cancelled for the FA Cup quarter-finals, it could catch the attention of managers using a Free Hit.
By Gameweek 10, only Salah, Watkins and Erling Haaland (£13.9m) had more attacking returns than Neto. Big chances were rare (one) but at least he ranked joint-fourth for chances created (25).
Those wanting to squeeze in premium attackers alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) may find it essential to accompany them with multiple cheap, productive names like Neto, Hwang, Cole Palmer (£5.6m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£4.8m).
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