Following our European exploits against Atletico Madrid, Mikel Arteta's focus now returns to the Premier League, as does the millions of managers around the world competing in Fantasy Premier League.
Our Atletico triumph came just three days after emerging victorious from our all-London clash against Fulham, as Leandro Trossard's (£6.9m) winner and yet another clean sheet meant those Gunners involved posted some nice numbers for their bosses, who will now look to tinker with their line-ups ahead of Friday's deadline.
TROSSARD AND GABI STAR
After the Craven Cottage contest, both the Belgian and Gabriel (£6.4m) earned double points, securing totals of 10 and 12 respectively from Gameweek 8 for their owners. Big Gabi's value has risen by £0.4m inside just two months, and he leads the way across the entire FPL game for both defensive points (59) and ownership (33.6%).
He is one of three Gunners who feature in the four top-scoring defenders - Jurrien Timber (£5.9m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) are not far behind - and had it not been for a narrow offside at Fulham, Richy would have weighed in with a monstrous total.
Viktor Gyokeres was at the double in midweek, bringing his goal tally in all competitions to five. Our no. 14 remains available for £9.0m ahead of our meeting with Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, and all of his goals thus far have come in north London. With many expected to draft Viktor into their squads, it could be worth making the move now before his price rises.
Specialising in both attacking and defensive returns, Declan Rice (£6.6m) has gradually increased in demand. Declan has the third-highest points total in eight Gameweeks for midfielders, behind only Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo (£8.0m) and Moises Caicedo of Chelsea (£5.9m) - though the latter was benched for their meeting with Nottingham Forest last time out.
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SURPRISE PACKAGES
With every passing FPL campaign comes a clutch of surprise performers, who while undoubtedly standing strong as superb players, may have been overlooked somewhat before the season started.
Semenyo has been one of the stars of 2025/26, thriving in his role as the talisman in a Bournemouth side sitting proudly in the top four and scooping a gargantuan 70 points - an average of just short of nine per Gameweek. Many managers have shoehorned him into their side, and the Ghanaian international boasts a 63.5% ownership - second only to Erling Haaland, owned by 66.1% of managers and has amassed 83 points.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi (£4.9m) has seen his price rise £0.4m since the start of the season, and is now owned by over 30% of FPL bosses. While Palace are winless in their last two following a superb start, Guehi has still earned seven points from those two Gameweeks courtesy of DefCon or assist bonuses, but he does bring his side to Emirates Stadium this weekend.
Due to a price now peaking at £5.1m, many were hesitant about including Newcastle United defender Dan Burn from the start, with cheaper options aplenty. However, the England man is now owned by over 10% of managers, thanks to a 45-point total this season. With Fulham, West Ham United and Brentford in their next three, Burn could be an ideal defensive option - not to mention his towering presence while attacking set-pieces.
The final pick in this category is Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs - purely down to what remains a relatively low ownership rate. The Dutchman has been in inspired form since arriving in the Premier League, and can be snapped up for £4.6m having averaged over six points across his last five matches. The clear first choice on Wearside, Roefs is owned by just 5.5% of competitors.
BARGAIN BLINDERS
Those surprise package stars are followed by those of a similar ilk, but who specialise in the value-for-money department - handy if you’re rearranging your team with a Wildcard or Free Hit chip, want to maximise on Arsenal defenders, afford Haaland up top or join the Semenyo hype train.
One player who began 2025/26 shrouded in uncertainty is Sunderland’s Nordi Mukiele, who racked up 17 points last weekend thanks to a clean sheet, goal and bonuses in their win over Wolves. Mukiele, alongside his defensive partner Omar Alderete, are both priced at the bargain sum of £4.1m, and while Alderete has a point more than Mukiele, the latter has demonstrated a keen eye for a long throw and thus could be an outside shot for assists.
Staying with promoted sides, Burnley’s Jaidon Anthony (£5.7m) remains an excellently priced midfield option despite his price rise, still owned by just 7% of managers. The Clarets’ upcoming fixtures are mixed, with Wolves, West Ham and Chelsea sandwiching a Turf Moor clash against the Gunners.
Everton's Iliman Ndiaye (£6.5m), Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were all popular picks in the summer, but the Senegal man leads their points totals with 41, blanking just once in his six appearances. The Toffees do not face a fixture rated above a ‘3’ on the FPL fixture algorithm until GW16, by which time the five free transfers ahead of AFCON will have become available.
Another man in form is Brentford ace Igor Thiago. The striker remains at just £6.1m but is unlikely to stay that way, having netted at West Ham on Monday and was unlucky with a marginal offside that denied him a first-half brace. Thiago has already hit the 40-point barrier - 13 of those coming against Manchester United in GW6 - and thus, he will not let this week's fixture against an out-of-form Liverpool faze him.
Finally, if you’re really hard up for funds and need some cover with a player who has featured of late, look no further than Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong (£3.9m). The youngster starred with a nine-point total on GW1 but saw his price drop due to not playing in the subsequent five Gameweeks. However, injuries have forced a reshuffle at Stamford Bridge and Acheampong starred with a 14-point display against Nottingham Forest last time out, but is still owned by just 1.5% of FPL teams and Chelsea find three of their next four matches rated a ‘2’ on fixture difficulty.
FPL is ready to wreak havoc once again - but take note of the fact GW9 carries an earlier deadline of Friday… don’t miss the cut-off!
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FPL Focus: GW8 tips and longer-term planning](https://www.arsenal.com/news/fpl-focus-gw8-tips-and-longer-term-planning?utm_source=arsenaldotcom&utm_medium=embedded-article&utm_campaign=news)
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