DREAM TEAM managers have been presented with an opportunity to repeat a useful trick.
Guglielmo Vicario (£3.1m) has been ruled out for the foreseeable future having undergone surgery on a fractured ankle.
Toittenham’s No1 sustained the injury against Manchester City on Saturday and bravely played through the pain to keep a clean sheet at the Etihad and contribute to his side’s impressive 4-0 victory.
No timescale has been given in regards to the Italian goalkeeper’s rehabilitation at the time of writing but he will surely be unavailable for several weeks.
Dream TeamAre you watching closely?[/caption]
Dream Team bosses don’t like to see players get injured and most will wish Vicario a speedy recovery but it’s simply a fact that incidents such as this create an opportunity in the world of fantasy football.
Suddenly, Fraser Forster (£1.8m) is in line to start between the sticks for Spurs over the busy festive period.
The 36-year-old is the established deputy having played three games this season, two in the Europa League and one in the Carabao Cup.
Currently available for just £1.8m, he is ridiculously affordable for a player who is now a starter for one of the more prominent Premier League clubs.
TOTTENHAM’S DECEMBER FIXTURES:
Fulham (h)
Bournemouth (a)
Chelsea (h)
Rangers (a)
Southampton (a)
Manchester United (h)
Liverpool (h)
Nottingham Forest (a)
Wolves (h)
Forster should get plenty of minutes across the next few GameweeksGetty
If this strategy sounds familiar it’s because many Dream Team bosses have followed the same path with Caoimhin Kelleher (£2.6m) recently.
The Irish keeper has deputised for the injured Alisson (£5.1m) with aplomb across the last five Gameweeks.
In that time, Kelleher has notched 40 points from seven outings via three clean sheets and 19 saves, including one to deny Adam Armstrong (£2.7m) from the penalty spot.
The 26-year-old is currently level with Andre Onana (£4.2m) as the most in-form asset in his position.
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GettyKelleher has provided excellent value for money while Alisson has been sidelined[/caption]
Gaffers who opted to recruit Kelleher not only freed up some budget to invest elsewhere, they have been rewarded with a steady stream of points.
However, with Alisson having returned to training, Kelleher’s time as starting keeper for the Reds is coming to an end.
In this sense, Forster’s emergence as a viable option is perfectly timed.
Granted, this latest interpretation of the reserve goalkeeper trick is not quite as appealing as Spurs are not as strong as Liverpool and, with all due respect, Forster is not as reliable as Kelleher – the latter would be first choice at several other top flight clubs.
That being said, Forster’s current price of £1.8m is hugely inviting.
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