Toby Alderweireld Tottenham

Fantasy Football: What to make of Tottenham's revamped defence

Tottenham have conceded the fewest Premier League goals over the last two seasons, so why are they adding so many defenders?

On the surface the outgoing Kyle Walker, Kevin Wimmer, and Cameron Carter-Vickers have just been replaced by Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, and Juan Foyth respectively.

Not only have Tottenham netted a small profit from this revolving door of players, but are now more suited to playing three at the back which has been a favourite of manager Mauricio Pochettino of late.

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So what does all of these moves do to one of most Fantasy relevant defences. Just keep scrolling down!

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Toby Alderweireld - £6.5m, owned in 21.93% of teams

Status - Starter

He had the second most points (125) among Tottenham defenders last season behind the now departed Kyle Walker. Alderweireld was top 10 in both shots on target (9) and clean sheets (14) at his position but, with a high price tag and ownership percentage, there’s better value options out there.

Jan Vertonghen - £6.4m, owned in 8.88% of teams

Status - Starter

Vertonghen, in Fantasy, is basically just a poorer version of his centre back partner. He failed to notch a goal or assist in 33 matches last season and is rarely a target on set pieces. His role in Tottenham’s defence makes the Dutch international ownable but he is by no means essential.

Ben Davies Tottenham

Ben Davies - £6.1m, owned in 10.64% of teams

Status - Starter until Danny Rose returns

The Welshman has started off the 2016/17 campaign incredibly well. He currently sits top five among defenders in goals, shots on target, successful crosses, and chances created. The only downside to Davies' current value is the impending return of Danny Rose. With the latter yet to return to training though, the former is definitely worth adding with just one top 10 attack in the next five matches.

Danny Rose - £6.0m, owned in 1.54% of teams

Status - Injured

Unlike the previous Walker/Trippier rotation, Rose is clearly the better option for Tottenham at left back when fit. The big question is, when will that be? Even if manager Mauricio Pochettino announced that he was rejoining the squad tomorrow, it would still take weeks for Rose to catch up to speed. Don’t buy yet.

Serge Aurier - £6.0m

Status - Bench

There is a lot of off-the-field baggage that Aurier will bring to Spurs, but fortunately that should not affect his Fantasy value. He has the most assists by defenders in Ligue 1 since his debut in 2013 and that kind of attacking production is exactly why Tottenham added him. £6.0m is a high price considering we don’t know how he’ll fit in or what his minutes will be like, but he should become a Fantasy essential sooner rather than later.

GFX STATS FANTASY SPURS DEFENCE

Davinson Sanchez - £6.0m, owned in .13% of teams

Status - Rotation

It is always difficult to translate statistics and performance from the Eredivisie to the Premier League. With that in mind, Davinson’s six goals, two assists, two yellow cards, 12 clean sheets, 32 starts, 23 goals allowed would have given him 127 points, placing him firmly in the top 10 of defenders last season. He is not a starter for now, but he is just an injury away from being a significant part of what was the best defence in England over the past two seasons.

Kieran Trippier - £5.8m, owned in 3.42% of teams

Status - Starter until Aurier takes over

Trippier seemed destined for Fantasy stardom when Kyle Walker was sold, but things have gone south for the Englishman. An injury in Tottenham’s last friendly saw him miss the opening match of the season and he’s looked off the pace since returning to the starting XI. With Serge Aurier now confirmed, Trippier’s point potential plummets.

Juan Foyth - £5.7m

Status - Youth

Foyth is very much one for the future. He is expected to split time between the senior and youth teams and, as such, should not be relied on in any Fantasy format.

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