👀 The stuff you might've missed in football ⚽

Summary for the lazy

🤝 Spurs appoint Ange Postecoglou as manager.

🤝 Mauricio Pochettino signs as Chelsea manager.

🏆 Man City win the treble, to nobody’s surprise.

💰 Liverpool sign Alexis Mac Allister, Villa get Tielemans.

🤦 Keep reading to find out which gameweek is already set to be a blank next season

Alright?

Welcome to Episode 1, Season 1 of our critically acclaimed pre-season coverage. The critics in this case being my Mum and Dad.

The aim of these weekly emails is simple: to keep you up-to-date with the pre-season news that might have an impact on your 23/24 FPL decision making. We’ll send ‘em every Sunday. Like a sermon, only hopefully slightly interesting.

We’ll be covering stuff like:

• pre-season results

• new transfers

• new managerial appointments

• injuries and recoveries

Episode 1 features guest appearances from a range of A-listers, including Wilfred Zaha, Alexis Mac Allister, Mason Mount, Youri Tielemans, Harry Kane, and Joao Felix. An ensemble cast befitting of a relatively eventful few weeks since Gameweek 38.

No post-season review here. Let’s look at what’s happened since we last spoke.

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If you order now and use the code [LAZY10], you’ll get 10% off and we’ll give a further £1 per chip sold to Street Child UK.

All profits after that go to making this newsletter bigger and better.

Ange Postecoglou to Spurs

Ange Postecoglou has been appointed as Spurs manager, which is kind of like when Chuopo-Moting joined PSG from Stoke.

But despite a surprising career trajectory, the Guardian observes that Postecoglou is used to bringing success to clubs that aren’t necessarily familiar with it. His appointment at Celtic was widely mocked by fans, many of whom had to drink their words with a swill of Irn Bru a year later when he won the title.

Which is all to say: let’s not be too hasty with our judgement. The man has credentials.

How does Postecoglou play?

“Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play”, said Daniel Levy of his new appointment. And who can we trust if not a man like Daniel Levy?

Usually playing a 4-3-3 at Celtic, Postecoglou’s style is characterised by attacking full-backs and a possession-orientated approach. In this sense he is very much the modern manager, which usually bodes well for FPL managers.

He’s also a bit of a hot-head, which is fun.

If you’re the sort who gets excited by terminology like “low-block” and “central rotations”, you’ll enjoy this excellent article that goes into plenty of depth about his style.

The FPL implications

Ange doesn’t actually get behind the wheel until July 1st, meaning we’ll have to wait a while before we see exactly how he operates his new vehicle.

Still, early signs point towards Spurs full-backs continuing to be potent attacking forces, providing he can settle on a preferred and reliable pairing.

As for that bloke who plays upfront - his FPL appeal will hinge on far more than Postecoglou’s tactics: he might not even by at the club by August.

Mauricio Pochettino to Chelsea

I know it feels like ages ago, but the day after the season ended it was confirmed that Mauricio Pochettino will take over as Chelsea manager via this rather creepy image posted on Chelsea’s official website.

Like Postecoglou, Poch’s reign at Chelsea won’t start until July, but this article does a great job of speculating how he might approach his new role based on his previous stints at PSG and Spurs.

I’m going to say less about this one for now because, whilst Pochettino is a known entity in the Premier League, Chelsea’s FPL intrigue will largely rest on who he prefers to play each week. At the moment, there are too many variables to get excited about Chelsea players again.

Certainly a pre-season we’ll be monitoring closely.

Blank Gameweek 18

The 23/24 season is already slightly shit, and it hasn’t even started yet.

According to Ben Crellin, Man City will blank in Gameweek 18 because they have to compete in the world’s most pointless football competition: the Club World Cup.

The planning starts now, folks.

The Rumour Mill

We’ll never report a rumour unless:

• it has a legitimate source

• it’s relevant to FPL

Rumours aren’t particularly helpful for some FPL managers, but based on feedback from last pre-season, it seems most of you guys don’t like to be blindsided. Feel free to skip this section if you prefer to operate only in the currency of cold, hard facts.

Harry Kane leaving Spurs?

Who knows? Not us, that’s for sure. And not anyone else, by the looks of things. Several sources have reported interest from Real Madrid and Man United, but the bookies still think he’s most likely to remain at Spurs.

It would be a tragedy if he did leave: primarily because we all desperately want to hear him trying to pronounce “Postecoglou” after each match.

Mason Mount to Man United

Google “Mason Mount Man United” and you’ll see the usual: plenty of news outlets talking about how it’s close, about Ten Hag’s admiration for the player, about how he’d fit into his rumoured new club.

But you’ll also see highlight reels on Youtube with titles like “WELCOME TO MANCHESTER UNITED MASON MOUNT”. For some, this deal is already done.

The “official” party line is less certain. David Ornstein has reported that, whilst personal terms won’t be a problem, Chelsea want a fraction more than Man United are willing to pay (a mere £25m, so small change really). The hope is a compromise at £55m.

Kante and Zaha to Saudi (and not for a holiday)

N’golo Kante and Wilfred Zaha look to have been enticed to Saudi Arabia. The reasons for this are obvious: Saudi boasts fantastic year-round weather and the chance to play against - or indeed with - Cristiano Ronaldo.

There’s also the small matter of hundreds of millions of euros, which I’m sure is a minor footnote for these players.

Neither deal is complete, but the Guardian reports that Kante is “poised” to seal a £86m per year move. Zaha’s move is a little more speculative, but Sky Sports reports that Al Nassr have offered him £45m across three years to make the move.

Joao Felix on the move

Having completed their try-before-you-buy trial of Joao Felix, Chelsea have decided they don’t want him permanently. He’s sort of like the Gusto Box of football - everyone wants the free trial, but nobody wants to pay full price.

Newcastle and Aston Villa have been cited as possible suitors by multiple sources, but just like a Tudor village, nothing is concrete.

The Arrivals Lounge

The transfer window doesn’t actually open until Wednesday June 14th, but moves are already being made. 

Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool

As was predicted, Liverpool have snagged Alexis Mac Allister for a relatively decent £35m.

Will he play regularly? Will he play in that progressive, penalty-scoring role that we quite liked at Brighton? Luckily, Liverpool themselves have published an article about the tactical impact Mac Allister will have on the side. TL;DR: he’s a tactically versatile player who could play anywhere.

Youri Tielemans to Aston Villa

Tielemans will complete a medical for Aston Villa. He’s a free agent after leaving the now-relegated Leicester.

Man City win everything

Since we last wrote, Man City have done what Man City tend to do: which is win football matches.

But unlike previous trends, they’ve gone and done it in Europe too.

The FPL implications are minimal, but one player in particular might’ve done enough in the closing stages of the 22/23 season to earn himself significant ownership in Gameweek 1 of the 23/24 season: Ilkay Gundogan.

He notched five attacking returns in his final three league appearances, before scoring a brace in the FA Cup final.

The only problem is that his contract expires this month, and the 32-year-old is yet to state what he wants to do next.

There are hints of Arsenal interest, but nothing of substance yet. One pre-season trend that’s already emerging is that, if there’s a half-decent player who could be available, Arsenal are probably interested.

Other tidbits

• Remember when Nottingham Forest bought everyone last season? Well, now they have to release a load of players. Ayew, Cafu, Colback, Lingard, Smith and Taylor are all set to be released this summer.

• Marcel Sabitzer, Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro are amongst the players returning back to parent clubs at the end of their loan spells this season.

• Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo, Nicolas Pepe and Champions League final hero Romelu Lukaku are amongst those returning to the Premier League.

The LazyFPL big bastard survey

We’re still running our big bastard survey, and would love to get your end-of-season thoughts on the newsletter. Our aim is to get better at sending emails about FPL. Here’s what’s it in for you:

• you could win a £50 Amazon voucher

• you get the chance to have a good moan about the stuff you want to see improved

We’re always striving to make this newsletter better, and we’re also keen to hear about how your season is going.

See you next Sunday.

Until then, stay lazy.

The LazyFPL team.