We’re into the final stretch of the FPL season now, and this is where the ruthless moves matter most. A few popular names still carry value, but when the fixtures turn nasty or the minutes get messy, it’s time to stop hanging on and start upgrading. If you’re chasing rank, you want players with upside, not passengers with awkward schedules and fading returns. Here are five players I’d be comfortable selling before Gameweek 36.
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Igor Thiago (7.4m)
Thiago has been an excellent FPL asset for much of the season, but this feels like the point where the ceiling starts to flatten out. There’s always a chance he keeps pace with Erling Haaland in the scoring race, but realistically that’s a stretch now with one game fewer and a tougher run in. Manchester City, Palace and Liverpool in his next three is a brutal run for any forward, even one with strong underlying numbers. The process is still good, but the opponents are the real issue. At this stage of the season, you want forwards who can punish weak defences, not survive elite ones. Thiago has done well, but I’d move him on now until the end of the season.
Cole Palmer (10.4m)
Palmer’s Gameweek 35 penalty miss was a killer for Chelsea and FPL owners, and it summed up his current mood pretty well. The talent is still there, but the returns haven’t matched the price tag for a while now, and that kind of money needs to be working much harder at this stage. The good news is that there’s a straightforward exit route to Bukayo Saka, who looks sharper and has better short-term fixtures with West Ham and Burnley coming up. That swap feels clean and logical. Palmer can still haul, of course, but right now the value just isn’t there.
Pascal Struijk (4.4m)
This really applies to the Leeds defence as a whole. Struijk has been useful enough, but the final run is too tricky to justify holding now. Tottenham away is awkward enough, especially with Spurs fighting for survival, then Brighton and West Ham follow – both capable of creating chances and making life difficult for Leeds. Leeds’ season is basically done, which usually means motivation drops and clean sheets become harder to trust. If you’re holding a defender from a side with little left to play for and tough fixtures ahead, it’s probably time to move on. There are better routes into defence elsewhere, and this is one of them.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (7.6m)
Mateta and Jorgen Strand Larsen both fall into the same bracket here: plenty of value, not enough reward. Neither is producing especially strong underlying numbers, and both seem to be rotating with one another rather than giving you reliable minutes. That’s a problem, especially when you need forwards who are actually on the pitch and getting chances. Even with a double gameweek, this is still a position I’d happily move away from. You don’t want to be left hoping for scraps when there are forwards with better roles and clearer starts. For me, this is an easy sell/avoid and a simple upgrade spot.
Dominik Szoboszlai (7.0m)
Szoboszlai is the definition of a ‘safe but not thrilling’ FPL pick, and at this point in the season that’s not really good enough. Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brentford is a decent enough run on paper, but the underlying data doesn’t scream upside, and that’s the issue. You need players now who can swing a gameweek, not just quietly tick along. Szoboszlai can still be useful to Liverpool, but in FPL terms he’s too passive for the final weeks. If you’ve got him, I’d look to turn that slot into someone with more explosive potential and a clearer route to points.
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