West Ham United travel to Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace in their first Premier League match away this season. Both clubs are currently winless. Last Word on Football brings you three West Ham players to consider for FPL Gameweek 2.
Three West Ham Players to Transfer in for FPL Gameweek 2
Lucas Paqueta – Midfielder (£6m)
Lucas Paqueta is a star player for West Ham, and another incentive to add him to your FPL side is due to his impact in the Villa game. Despite the loss, it became apparent that he is on penalties for this season, scoring from the spot to equalise.
On top of this, Paqueta is a consistent starter for the Hammers. Last season, he played a total of 43 matches for the club, scoring eight times and gaining seven assists. 31 of those matches came in the Premier League where he earned a total of ten goal contributions, and came in the UEFA Europa League, scoring on four occasions. The last time that Paqueta failed to start in the Premier League came away to Arsenal in December last season.
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Moreover, the Brazil international only costs £6 million in FPL. For comparison, this is less than other players at West Ham such as Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse, with the latter failing to start for the Hammers against Villa in the opening match of the season. This shows how Paqueta is not only affordable but as reliable as other, more expensive players.
However, a warning for managers should be his possible suspension, as Paqueta gained a total of ten yellow cards in the Premier League last season. He could also receive a ban from football for other reasons.
Mohammed Kudus – Midfielder (£6.5m)
A second West Ham player to consider is the Ghanaian sensation Kudus. The Ghana international joined the Hammers last season, where he obtained 14 goal contributions in 33 Premier League matches and scored five times in nine appearances in European football. It was in the latter where his side reached the quarter-finals, narrowly missing out to Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.
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At £6.5 million, Kudus is a cheaper option than other players in the league, but as prolific, meaning he is much more value for money. Despite him only gaining two points last match week, the Hammers’ attack usually flourishes when he is involved in play. This means Kudus should be gaining better points on average than other more expensive players. Kudus is a highly selected player, with more managers selecting him than Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne and Rodri, Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, and teammate Jarrod Bowen.
Max Kilman – Defender (£4.5m)
A final option for your FPL comes in the form of newly signed defender Max Kilman, who joined West Ham from Wolves this summer. In doing so, he has reunited with Julen Lopetegui, his manager for the latter end of the 2022/23 Premier League season. The Hammers may not have kept many clean sheets last season, only keeping five, which was the sixth worst in the league last season, however, with a greater emphasis on attacking football this season instead of inviting pressure, they may be more solid at the back.
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Despite only 0.8% of FPL players picking him for their teams, he is by far the better option than any other of the West Ham back line. This is evident as he has a very high Transfer In percentage. On top of this, he obtains the highest Influence, Creativity and Threat statistics out of any other defender at the club. It may be a risk placing a West Ham defender in your FPL against a Palace side with high ambitions this season, however, the risk could pay off.
