FPL Pod: Your guide to the best Wildcard picks

·43 min·2 clips

Jules says Alexander Isak's 10.4m price is too high for a player training alone for six weeks.

1. FPL Pod's first international-break episode centers on Deadline Day, Alexander Isak's Liverpool move, and whether a Gameweek 4 wildcard is too early. 2. Kelly Summers, Julian LeRonn, and Sam host the discussion, with Sam on 32 points, Julian on 57, and the mini-league leaderboard changing again. 3. The core question is whether managers should hold their wildcard for Gameweek 7 or use it now after the transfer window closed. 4. Sam explains that she sold Cole Palmer's replacement plan into Joao Pedro and used the money to upgrade up front. 5. Her midfield shortlist sat in the 6.5m to 7.5m range, where Bruno Fernandes, Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo were all considered. 6. She chose Morgan Gibbs-White as a differential, but West Ham turned Nottingham Forest's clean sheet into a heavy points loss. 7. Julian's week was saved by Joao Pedro's captaincy, Marc Guehi's late goal, and Palace's defensive return. 8. He also points to disappointments from Tijjani Reijnders, Ollie Watkins, Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah, and Micky van de Ven. 9. Deadline Day brings Alexander Isak to Liverpool, but the panel says six weeks of solo training makes an immediate start unlikely. 10. Julian says Isak at 10.4m is expensive, and Liverpool's three-day match rhythm plus the Champions League schedule argue for patience. 11. Sam explains that a free-hit team built around four Liverpool players can create a transfer headache later because one Liverpool player must be removed. 12. The same structural issue comes up with Chelsea, where Joao Pedro, Cucurella, and other returns can crowd a squad. 13. Hugo Ekitike is treated as a hold for at least Gameweek 4 and probably Gameweek 5 while Liverpool decide how to use Isak. 14. Julian floats the idea of Ekitike moving wide, but he does not think a full 4-4-2 fits Arne Slot's current group. 15. Newcastle's new forward options create a tactical puzzle because the manager has to choose between a front two and his existing wide attackers. 16. Sam says the Tottenham loan signing adds another attacking option while Dominic Solanke's ankle and Richarlison's injury record remain concerns. 17. The goalkeeper section covers Gianluigi Donnarumma at Manchester City and Senne Lammens at Manchester United as high-upside arrivals with uncertain minutes. 18. Sam warns that new goalkeepers can need two or three weeks to settle with a back line, so clean-sheet gains may lag the transfer. 19. The mini-league note says every manager in the top 16 has already played at least one chip, including Nifty's Bench Boost, Wildcard, and Free Hit across the first three gameweeks. 20. Managers who want tactical FPL transfers and wildcard timing will get the most from it, while casual Premier League followers may skip it.

As heard by us

A measured wildcard chat built around Liverpool uncertainty and the case for waiting.

FPL Pod arrives at the first international break in a familiar mood of fantasy unease. The hosts pick through Deadline Day, another bruising gameweek for Sam, and the shape of possible wildcard squads before the next deadline.

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Need a wildcard plan before international games can scupper your transfers?

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