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Price Watch 2026-01-12

GW22 Transfer Deadline Price Watch: The 34.6%-Owned Finisher, the 4.8-Form Creator, and the £4.4m Defender Printing Value

FPL Admin

FPL Elite Analyst

The GW22 Market Pulse

Price changes don’t happen in a vacuum — they’re a live reflection of what managers *think* will happen next. As we hit the Gameweek 22 transfer deadline, a clear theme is emerging: managers are buying value-per-million, high-ICT producers, and minutes monsters.

Below is your GW22 Price Watch on the latest movers — who looks set for more rises, who may be overbought, and who could become a sell pressure story.

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Likely to Rise Again: The Bandwagons with Data Behind Them

Igor Thiago Nascimento Rodrigues (£7.1m) — the market’s centerpiece

Selected by: 34.6% (already mass-owned)
Form: 6.7
Total points: 120
Goals: 16
Threat: 747.0 (the standout)
xG: 12.59
Value: 16.9

Thiago is the definition of a self-propelling price cycle: massive ownership plus sustained output. The underlying numbers support the buying — 747 threat and 12.59 xG suggest this isn’t a fluke streak being chased blindly. Even at £7.1m, the 16.9 value tells you why managers keep piling in.

GW22 takeaway: If you don’t own him, you’re not just fearing points — you’re fighting team value erosion.

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Nathan Collins (£5.0m) — the form king with elite value

Selected by: 3.1% (still a niche play)
Form: 8.0 (best in this list)
Total points: 89
Minutes: 1816 (high reliability)
ICT: 91.1
Value: 17.8

Collins is exactly the kind of player who triggers a second wave of transfers: managers notice the 8.0 form, then see the 1816 minutes and 17.8 value, and suddenly the “boring pick” becomes a team value hack.

He’s also not a dead threat profile for a defender (221.0 threat) — which matters because price rises accelerate when managers feel they’re buying both safety *and* upside.

GW22 takeaway: A classic “buy before the crowd” option — still low-owned, but the metrics look like they won’t stay hidden.

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Declan Rice (£7.3m) — the premium midfielder in disguise

Selected by: 26.8%
Form: 6.3
Total points: 122
Goals/Assists: 4 / 7
Creativity: 580.7
ICT: 132.8
xA: 3.78
Value: 16.7

Rice’s appeal is simple: he’s producing like a top-tier mid on output and involvement. The 580.7 creativity plus 132.8 ICT points to repeatable returns, not a one-off purple patch.

Managers aren’t just buying points — they’re buying *certainty*. 1695 minutes also helps keep the transfer traffic consistent.

GW22 takeaway: A steady riser profile — high ownership, strong form, elite creativity. Expect continued demand.

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Bruno Guimarães (£7.2m) — the all-action midfielder managers trust

Selected by: 21.8%
Form: 6.0
Total points: 117
Goals/Assists: 8 / 5
Influence: 585.0
Creativity: 491.6
ICT: 139.2
Value: 16.2

Bruno checks every “price-rise” box: strong ownership, strong recent output, and a monster 139.2 ICT. While his xG (3.88) suggests he’s scoring above expectation, the broader profile still screams involvement — and that keeps managers buying.

GW22 takeaway: Even if the goal rate cools, the all-round numbers are good enough to sustain interest.

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Nordi Mukiele (£4.4m) — the budget enabler with elite value

Selected by: 9.8%
Form: 6.0
Total points: 92
Clean sheets: 6
Value: 20.9 (best value here)
Minutes: 1710

A £4.4m defender posting a 20.9 value is the kind of thing that fuels mass squad restructuring. Mukiele is a classic “enabler” rise: managers buy him to unlock upgrades elsewhere — and those transfers stack up fast.

GW22 takeaway: If the template shifts toward squeezing in more expensive attackers, this is the profile that rises again.

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The Popular Picks Still Drawing Buyers (But Watch the Temperature)

Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) — demand driven by threat

Selected by: 13.8%
Form: 6.0
Goals: 7
Threat: 600.0
xG: 8.68
Value: 9.2

Watkins is being bought because the role is clear: 600 threat and 8.68 xG make him feel one haul away from turning into a runaway bandwagon. The caution flag is that value (9.2) is weaker than other risers here — meaning managers might jump off faster if returns stall.

GW22 takeaway: The numbers justify buying, but he’s less “team value friendly” than the midfield/defender picks above.

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Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) — the budget forward surge

Selected by: 12.7%
Form: 6.8
Goals: 9
Threat: 573.0
xG: 7.95
Value: 14.8

At £6.0m, DCL is landing in the sweet spot: affordable, scoring, and carrying genuine shot volume (573 threat). His 14.8 value indicates managers aren’t just chasing — they’re buying efficiency.

GW22 takeaway: A strong second/third forward for managers prioritizing midfield spend.

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Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães (£6.7m) — reliable points, steady ownership pressure

Selected by: 31.7%
Form: 5.2
Total points: 112
Clean sheets: 9
xG: 1.56
Value: 16.7

Gabriel’s price momentum is often about safety: he’s heavily owned, he returns through clean sheets, and he’s not toothless on set pieces (1.56 xG, 158 threat). That blend keeps him in “set and forget” territory for many squads — and stable demand fuels price protection.

GW22 takeaway: Not flashy, but market dynamics favor him: high ownership + consistent points = slow upward pressure.

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The One to Monitor for a Fall: High Cost, Low Form, and a Tricky Value Story

Anthony Gordon (£7.5m) — the warning light

Selected by: 6.0%
Form: 3.5 (lowest in this list)
Total points: 50
Minutes: 999
xG/xA: 4.29 / 2.52
Value: 6.7

Gordon stands out because the price doesn’t match the output right now. A 3.5 form plus 6.7 value at £7.5m is exactly the profile that invites managers to redirect funds into the hotter names above.

What makes him especially fall-prone is the combination of:

Lower ownership (6.0%) — meaning less “protection” from mass holders
High cost — easier to fund upgrades elsewhere by selling
Underwhelming returns for price — the market usually corrects this

GW22 takeaway: He’s a prime candidate to be sold for a Rice/Bruno-type midfielder — and those transfer patterns often precede a drop.

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Rapid-Fire GW22 Price Predictions

Most likely to keep rising: Igor Thiago (34.6% owned + elite threat/xG)
Best value-driven riser: Mukiele (20.9 value at £4.4m)
The “late bandwagon” defender: Collins (8.0 form, 17.8 value, low ownership)
Midfield magnets: Rice and Bruno (elite creativity/ICT driving sustained transfers)
Fall risk to watch: Gordon (3.5 form, 6.7 value, premium price)

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Conclusion: GW22 Is a Team Value Week

Gameweek 22 feels like a classic team value swing: the market is rewarding managers who buy high minutes + strong form + elite value, and punishing premium-priced assets with weaker returns.

If you’re playing the transfer deadline smart, prioritize the players whose demand is backed by repeatable metrics — Thiago’s threat, Rice/Bruno’s creativity and ICT, and the budget value engines like Mukiele and Collins. That’s how squads climb both the ranks *and* the price ladder.