DREAM TEAM managers have until 6:30pm on Friday to confirm their transfers for Gameweek 2.
Many may choose to rollover having meticulously crafted their initial XI with the entirety of August in mind but others will want to act and start building their overall budget.
Allow us to present some transfer targets for consideration.
Quick out the blocks
Antoine Semenyo (£4.5m)
Bournemouth ultimately succumbed to Liverpool’s attacking might in the season’s curtain-raiser but their Ghanaian talent shone brightly.
Semenyo scored a brilliant brace at Anfield to bank 16 points in his first outing of the campaign.
He scored 11 league goals last term and will feel confident of bettering that tally this time around having already notched two in arguably the most difficult fixture of the lot.
The Cherries are due to face Wolves and Brentford in Gameweek 2 with both games taking place at the Vitality Stadium.
Semenyo will be unleashed upon Vitor Pereira’s side but it’s not guaranteed that he’ll feature against the Bees as rotation is to be expected across the board in the Carabao Cup second round.
Given Wolves conceded the most goals on the first weekend of the season, he may only need this weekend’s fixture to satisfy his owners.
Semenyo was comfortably the top-scoring midfielder in Gameweek 1, five points clear of Mohammed Kudus (£4.5m) and Tijani Reijnders (£4.5m) who will be in direct competition this Saturday lunchtime.
Safe hands
Robin Roefs (£2m)
Dream Team bosses should resist the urge to chase lost points but sometimes it makes sense to recruit a surprise star performer after the fact.
Take Sunderland’s new goalkeeper for example.
Roefs was the only player in his position to hit double figure in Gameweek 1 as he impressed on debut to help the Black Cats beat West Ham 3-0 at the Stadium of Light.
The young Dutchman supplemented his clean sheet with four saves and a bonus point.
And Regis Le Bris will be hopeful of another clean sheet against Burnley at Turf Moor this weekend.
Sunderland will also play League One’s Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup but there’s a high chance Anthony Patterson (£2m) will start between the sticks in midweek.
Even so, Roefs is a good option and there’s every chance his owners will be able to sell him for a tidy profit in a fortnight’s time.
Much of the same logic applies to Dan Ballard (£2m), who we put in the spotlight earlier this week .
Erling Haaland (£7.5m)
A insultingly obvious suggestion but one worth making after Manchester City’s ominous 4-0 victory at Molineux.
Perhaps Wolves were just poor but Pep Guardiola’s new-look side bore a closer resemblance to his title-winning units than the under-par collective of 2024/25.
And if City are back to anything vaguely near their best then their prolific No9 will be essential in the world of Dream Team.
Haaland tends to start strong and 16 points via two goals in his first outing has put him on course for another hugely prosperous August.
Those Dream Team bosses who felt brave enough to go without him from the get-go may already be thinking twice.
Rutter’s quick feet earned Brighton a penalty against Fulham
Georginio Rutter (£3.5m)
During pre-season we suggested that Brighton’s No10 might be deployed as a striker this term and so that proved to be against Fulham last Saturday.
The skilful Frenchman was credited with a (fantasy) assist having drawn the foul that resulted in the hosts’ penalty — he notched six points of his efforts in total.
Crucially, Rutter is categorised as a midfielder in Dream Team and therefore allows gaffers to essentially select an additional striker.
The Seagulls travel to Everton this Sunday before visiting Oxford in midweek.
Rutter may not lead the line consistently as Danny Welbeck (£3.5m) represents stiff competition but he should be assured more minutes this season following the departure of Joao Pedro (£4.5m).
Whatever you decide, don’t get caught out by another Friday deadline!
