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Chris Burton offers up Fantasy Football transfer advice ahead of the resumption of Premier League action.

Last updated: 9th January 2009  

Fantasy preview

Jagielka: Bring him in

TOP TIPS

Bring in: Phil Jagielka (£4.1m), Ashley Young (£4.8m) and Jermain Defoe (£6.9m).

Leave alone: Gretar Steinsson (£3.6m), Stephen Ireland (£3.7) and Ricardo Fuller (£5.6m)

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Astonishingly, given the amount of bleating from managers concerning 'hectic festive schedules', by the time Premier League action resumes on Saturday, 10 days will have passed since a ball was kicked in top-flight anger.

Yes, last weekend did see the 'magic' of the FA Cup sprinkled across the fixture list, but most sides worth their salt rested key men as attentions briefly turned to knockout competition.

Even those who have placed collecting a domestic trophy towards the top of their New Year resolutions, and fielded strong teams as a result, will still have had the best part of a week, if not longer in some cases, to rest their bodies and minds in preparation for the impending challenges to come.

And they will be grateful for that break as, with 2009 now firmly upon us, the first round of action in the second half of the season promises to make for intriguing viewing.

Saturday sees the action get under way and throws up two feisty derby contests, with local pride at stake in the West Midlands and the North East.

Then, on Sunday, Old Trafford readies itself for what promises to be a battle of gladiatorial proportions between title-chasing Chelsea and their 2008 nemesis Manchester United.

Derbies and top of the table clashes can fail to live up to expectations, with far too much at stake for either side to bother about winning - it is, of course, all about not losing.

With that in mind, logic would suggest steering well clear of said contests when offering up Fantasy Football transfer advice.

I have no problem with bucking popular belief but should I get it wrong, I will hold my hands up. I will accept that I should have heeded my own warnings and avoided, at all costs, any inclination to turn my gaze towards Villa Park or the Riverside.

It is too late now though, I have already strode off the beaten path, and my first offering for this week is Aston Villa winger Ashley Young, who will set you back around £4.8million in Monopoly money.

I appreciate I have not exactly gone out on a limb here by picking a man who has been red-hot all season but, as previously mentioned, it is derby day in the Midlands and Villa are unlikely to have things all their own way against West Brom.

Should Martin O'Neill's men harbour any aspirations of breaking down what promises to be a stubborn Baggies rearguard, then they will need their creative sparks to fire on all cylinders.

Young is more than capable of providing that catalyst and I expect the England international to curb Tony Mowbray's appetite on Saturday lunchtime.

Moving on, and slipping into the back four, Everton will fancy their chances of strengthening their enviable defensive record at home to out-of-sorts Hull City.

The Toffees have gone five games without conceding a goal in all competitions and face a Tigers side that has lost its bite in recent weeks.

Phil Brown's men have scored just twice in their last four games and have failed to trouble the scorers on each of their last two outings.

Taking all that into account, I therefore offer you up Phil Jagielka as an ideal candidate to plug the gaps in any leaky defence.

The England man is a snip at just £4.1m and should have you wallowing in clean sheet bonus points come Saturday evening.

Finally, we come to our striking option and there appears to be only one candidate worthy of note.

The headlines have been dominated this week by Jermain Defoe's return to Tottenham, with Spurs finally parading the diminutive front-man to a welcoming White Hart Lane faithful on Tuesday night.

Reports suggest a deal with Portsmouth is yet to be finalised, with the two teams still to actually agree on a fee, but expect that issue to have been resolved by the time the North London outfit head to Wigan on Sunday.

You would have thought that it would be a good idea to ensure a deal is complete before handing your latest recruit a very public unveiling, but apparently common sense appears to have been lost in the corridors of power at the Lane.

However, should everything to be pushed through as planned, Defoe looks a certainty to be among the goals this weekend and is yours for £6.9m - considerably less than Harry Redknapp is about to shell out.

He has scored on his debut for West Ham, Bournemouth, Tottenham (first time around) and Portsmouth, and will fancy his chances of building on that impressive record at the JJB Stadium.

Drifting towards a close, and I will quickly point you in the direction of a few players to steer well clear of this weekend.

Strike duo Emile Heskey and Mark Viduka, of Wigan and Newcastle respectively, are carrying hamstring injuries and will not see any action, while Bolton defender Gretar Steinsson, Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland and Stoke forward Ricardo Fuller must all serve suspensions.

Comments (1)

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Adrian Dalzell (Sunderland fan) says...

I appreciate your advice of suggesting Phil Jagielka for Everton, and Ashley Young both respectively have it in them to change games and put in solid performances. The only problem I have got with your suggestion of Defoe, I'm sorry I can't see him on the score sheet this weekend. If he does i'll eat my hat, its not a very good one but its keeping me warm. I was looking at the Everton fixture and I currently have Cahill in midfield, showing signs that he is back to form. So much rests on that Everton fixture that it could go all Evertons way with goals all over the place and I was even thinking of backing Cahill as my captain. However with Gerrad not lacking any form im sticking with him. I feel Anelka and Berbatov should be amongst the goals this half of the season and Ronaldo will hit form too.

Posted 15:14 9th January 2009
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