GW3 Transfer Suggestions: Cherki’s Rising, and the Le Fée Buy-Low Window

Two gameweeks of data, a wave of price changes already through the system, and a Gameweek 3 deadline that rewards moving early rather than reacting late. Here’s where the transfer market actually sits right now.

The best transfer this week isn’t always the player at the top of last week’s scoring table. It’s the player whose role just changed.

Bring In: Rayan Cherki (Man City, £7.7m)

Cherki has already risen in price off the back of his Crystal Palace brace, and City at home to Coventry is as good a fixture as the calendar offers. He’s cheaper than Bruno Fernandes and Cole Palmer while sitting inside the same attacking conversation, with City now boasting two viable captaincy sources from midfield rather than one. The obvious caution: his role is genuinely competitive with Phil Foden’s, so treat this as a strong short-term swing rather than a guaranteed season-long starter.

Bring In: Anthony Elanga (Newcastle, £6.1m)

Elanga has scored in both of Newcastle’s opening matches and has already risen in price twice. Home to Bournemouth this week is the first of three straight winnable fixtures before Leeds and Hull follow, and his productive link with Amar Dedic down the right was singled out by Matthias Jaissle directly this week. Ownership is still well under template levels.

Buy Low: Enzo Le Fée (Sunderland)

Le Fée’s price has been drifting down, but that was priced in before Habib Diarra’s six to eight week hamstring injury became confirmed news. With Diarra out and Simon Adingra sold to Ajax, Le Fée looks set to inherit Sunderland’s penalty duties outright. A cheap, set-piece-adjacent midfielder picking up a bigger route to points the same week his price is soft is exactly the kind of gap the market hasn’t caught up with yet.

Consider Moving On

Any Leeds defender is a hold-and-wait situation now that Joe Rodon is out for two to two and a half months. Jean-Philippe Mateta remains sidelined for Crystal Palace and his price is falling accordingly, so there’s little reason to keep him rostered while injured when Newcastle and Hull forwards are both in form at similar price points. Gyökeres continues to slide after a quiet start behind Arsenal’s front three; not an emergency sale, but not a hill to defend either if a transfer is already needed elsewhere.

Budget Enabler: Hull City’s Backline

Nobel Mendy and Semi Ajayi, both £4.0m, have delivered two clean sheets and a perfect start to the season. It won’t last forever against tougher opposition, but at that price the pair frees up real budget elsewhere in a squad while Hull’s form holds, and both remain well under the ownership levels the results deserve.

Price changes run overnight, so anything on the rising list is worth locking in before Friday rather than after. Deadline is 18:30 BST on Friday, 4 September.