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Welcome back to another edition of Fantasy Premier League captain choices, in which we highlight which players could give us a considerable return of double points if handed the coveted armband this week.

But before we dwelve into our options, let’s see how we performed in the previous round of fixtures.

1. Jamie Vardy (2)

2. Mesut Ozil (2)

3. Diego Costa (8)

4. Romelu Lukaku (5)

5. Sergio Aguero (2)

It was another below par week for our captain choices, but it was also a rather disappointing gameweek in general, with the average points only being 35 from the midweek round of fixtures. Despite Leicester’s two goals, Vardy was uninvolved in either, only managing to hit the bar at the King Power Stadium. Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil also flopped, with the Gunners losing 2-1 to Swansea. Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Man City made Sergio Aguero’s night a nightmare, but Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku both grabbed a goal each to reward their owners.

Without further ado, here are FIVE Captain Choices for Gameweek 29!

Sergio Aguero

Looking at the games, the obvious captaincy candidate should come from Manchester City and there is no one better than Sergio Aguero (13.4).

The Argentina international may have flopped against Liverpool, but we expect it to be a one-off with the whole side disappointing at Anfield. But it’s City’s opponents that make Aguero appealing, with rock-bottom Aston Villa making a trip to the Etihad this weekend.

The Villans are almost guaranteed to be relegated unless there is a mighty miracle, with Remi Garde’s men eight points off safety and losing an incredibly bad 11 goals in their last three games.

It could be an Aguero goal-fest this Saturday.

Diego Costa

Diego Costa (10.8) is a man on fire, with the Spain international in incredible form ever since the turn of the year (and the sacking of Jose Mourinho).

It has now been four games in succession that Costa has given owners attacking returns, while since January 3, he has scored six goals and provided four assists in nine league matches.

Chelsea face Stoke at Stamford Bridge in their next game, but with the Blues undefeated since Guus Hiddink’s arrival, many will expect the champions to win and Costa should play a big part in it.

Riyad Mahrez

Riyad Mahrez (7.3) continued his claim to be the PFA Player of the season after another ridiculous assist against West Bromwich Albion to set up Andy King, and could continue his rise to stardom when Leicester City travel to Vicarage Road on Saturday.

Watford aren’t on the best of form only winning one out of their last five, but haven’t conceded more than one goal a game in their last seven. However, with 14 goals and 11 assists already to his name, the Algerian has the ability to open up any of the league’s top defences.

After Wednesday’s results, Leicester will be buoyed that the other title challengers all dropped points, and should give it everything against the Hornets.

Harry Kane

Harry Kane (10.0) looks to have gone off the boil in recent games, with fatigue and a face mask seemingly hampering his performances recently. And it doesn’t look good for him on paper either, with Tottenham playing Arsenal in the North London Derby next.

However, that is when Kane comes into life, with the England international scoring in both of his league games against the Gunners.

Both teams will be fatigued from their recent run of matches, and with Petr Cech injured, the game could turn out to be a goal-fest with both clubs looking to catch Leicester City at the top.

Roberto Firmino

Liverpool’s summer signing has finally become a rather consistent source of points for the Reds, with Roberto Firmino (8.1) in brilliant form bagging six goals and four assists in his last seven games.

Firmino scored and assisted last night against Manchester City and will be in confident mood ahead of their away clash against Crystal Palace, who have not won in their last 11 fixtures.

What makes it even sweeter for Firmino is Palace have conceded 17 goals in their last seven as well, making it look like a great chance for the Brazilian to add to his season tally.

As if Manchester City needed further problems to go with their lengthy injury list and abysmal league form this week the club created further grief for themselves by hiking up ticket prices for their forthcoming Champions League quarter final clash with PSG.

Such is the double-take stupidity of this decision it is difficult to know where to begin so let’s start with the inevitable fall out and work our way back.

City fans were sufficiently outraged by the steep bump up to sixty pounds in some sections of the ground to seriously consider a mass walkout on 60 minutes in the preceding league game against West Brom. Fearing this might split the fanbase – who are largely unanimous in their disgust at the price hike but were in disagreement over the means of protest – one of the club’s leading supporter organisations – The 1894 Group – has now vowed to display banners at the game instead. Another prominent group – City Watch – this week penned an open letter that was commented upon by every national newspaper and discussed on Sky Sports.

The letter ends with the pertinent line – ‘You turn your backs on the fans, and we’ll turn our backs on you’.

All positive coverage then for a club’s hierarchy that in recent years have been borderline obsessed with creating a brand. Indeed their decision to unnecessarily fleece their loyal support for an extra few quid amounts to a spectacular own goal.

That own goal worsens to a Demichelis-in-the-derby  horror-show when you factor in the surrounding circumstances. Ticket prices have become a cause celebre of late with Liverpool supporters forcing their club to reason and the Premier League agreeing to cap away tickets at £30. The narrative to the play that is unfolding is very simple: clubs are the avaricious villains, the fans are the underdog good guys and the good guys are finally winning. For Manchester City to go against the grain on this – to such an extent that their official statement on the matter can be summarised as ‘We don’t give a flying one about your feelings. Come if you want but don’t forget to buy a Jamie Oliver burger!’ – is a PR head-scratcher of the highest order.

Most times in life, when you find yourself strongly disagreeing with something, it is possible to at least gauge it through the other person’s eyes and see their objective. You just happen to disagree with it. In this instance however, it is wholly nonsensical and self-defeating. It is entirely illogical even when you look at it from their perspective.

With assistance from City supporter Colin Savage we’ve calculated that the additional ticket revenue from the game is expected to harvest the club an additional £250,000 to £300,000. That’s assuming of course that there’s a full house. Which now there won’t be. Far from it. Considering City will make close to £12m anyway for the two games, that’s an extra 2% they are attempting to squeeze out of loyal fans’ pockets for a game that would not have been included in their 2015/16 financial forecasts. Having not reached the quarter final stage before, this is bonus territory for City. Money for nothing.

However, as just stated, this is all hypothetical anyway because now – due to their startling greed – there will not be a packed out Etihad roaring on the lads in a second leg of a momentous fixture where they could very conceivably need to overturn a first leg defeat. To what extent you believe fans help determine a result there’s no question that it is always infinitely preferable to have a ground electrified by passionate supporters being the proverbial twelve man. It lifts the team and if Manchester City are borderline obsessed with making their club a global brand they are out-and-out obsessed with landing the biggest club competition of them all. So it is in their own best interests to ensure supporters turn up en masse, unified, pumped up and positive.

Additionally, from a purely PR perspective a capacity crowd so loud they almost drown out the television commentators reflects very well on the club. On the brand.

Instead, by alienating their fans who spend small fortunes on season tickets, in the club shop, on the watered-down piss that masquerades as beer – who follow the team religiously home, away and abroad – they have caused a deep division at a time when the club needs our support the most and at a time when their social media guys and players will be entrusted to put out brain-storm-sessioned hashtags celebrating unity. We fight to the end. We play for you. We’re all in this together.

No we are absolutely not. We are now very much apart and for some bizarre reason, Man City appear to want it that way. All for an extra quarter of a million that can be viewed as pocket change with the club self-sufficient and enjoying healthy profits.

The sensible option was to keep the ticket prices the same as the previous round against Dynamo Kiev. The even better choice however would have been to reduce them. City have empirical knowledge of this due to doing likewise in their last European quarter-final back in 2009. Then it was Hamburg in the UEFA Cup and the atmosphere that evening is still talked about by Blues to this day.

But they would lose revenue the more capitalist among you say. No, they would not. The fiver knocked off an adult ticket (and allowing kids in for a token tenner) would easily be recouped with the additional sales elsewhere. Programmes. Merchandise. Beer. And imagine what the club’s PR people could have done with such a gesture, leaking to the newspapers and Sky that they are rewarding their loyal fans, their twelfth man who have stayed with the club through thick and thin to such a remarkable extent that the average gate when they plummeted to the third tier was 28,261.

“The fans ARE Manchester City and as we relish the prospect of an exciting Champions League quarter final we want every Blue celebrating the experience with us and cheering the lads on. Hashtag pride in battle.”

A PR victory, the supporters deluding themselves that the club don’t see them as walking, talking ATMs, a powerful sense of togetherness, a rip-roaring atmosphere that impresses the watching world, and more chance of progressing to the semi finals. All for a minimal loss in revenue. Oh City, look at what you could have won.

That last sentence is strangely pertinent because City’s decision to up the ticket prices at the first sight of glory reminds me of another quiz show. It used to air around teatime in the UK and was hosted by Jasper Carrott. Called Goldenballs, the premise at the finale was the last two remaining contestants had essentially already won the jackpot. All they have to do is both show a split ball but if one revealed a steal ball instead that person kept all the prize money and the other went home with nothing.

City have cruelly, coldly shown the steal ball here.

A last point and a pertinent one. The timing of this betrayal and consequent rift could not have been worse either. Even if viewed from the club’s perspective – as I have endeavoured to do throughout – and even if supporters are considered customers and the sport one big commercial venture their price hike is bafflingly ill-considered. Because every retail chain, airline, hotel, electrical manufacturer, or any other business you care to mention knows that if the service they are presently providing is sub-standard – with customers complaining of it vociferously and publicly – then that is absolutely not the time to raise your prices. It is flawed basic business sense.

In a horrible economic climate City fans have somehow found the finances to pay through the nose and follow their side home and away this term witnessing players who are, quite frankly, going through the motions and putting in the minimum of effort. Jacking up the price now is akin to a supermarket marking a new fruit and veg display by expecting their customers to pay a third more for their bananas. Only the fruit remains rotten.

An entire fanbase is up in arms over this week’s developments as I, a lifelong Blue, am too. But the naked greed is only very disappointing, not remotely surprising. Somehow worse for me is the knowledge that the club is not run by astute minds as I assumed.

Some among them are quite astoundingly poor at doing their jobs.

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Manchester United’s season to date has had more disappointments than achievements, with a lack of attacking inspiration regularly detailed as the key reason Louis van Gaal’s side are struggling to finish in the top four.

However, things could have been a lot worse for the Red Devils if Marcus Rashford’s emergence at Old Trafford had not been so dramatic. The 18-year-old starlet has scored the winner in a Manchester derby, a decisive strike in the FA Cup against West Ham and a brace against Arsenal. In total Rashford has netted an impressive four goals in the space of eight Premier League starts for the Red Devils, with the teenager looking adept in English football’s top flight despite his tender age. If Van Gaal and the powers that be at Old Trafford can keep the striker’s feet on the ground and help him to reach his potential, United could well have a future world-beater on their hands.

Such has been Rashford’s impressive form that a chorus stating that the centre forward should be in England’s EURO 2016 squad has been steadily getting louder.

The United starlet could well be the golden boy of the next generation of home-grown players, and his form in club colours has certainly been impressive. However, given his lack of experience and the other options at Roy Hodgson’s disposal, Rashford’s name should not be among the contingent heading to France in June.

The youngster’s team-mate, national captain Wayne Rooney, looks set to face a battle to start for the Three Lions this summer. The scintillating form of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy has lit up the Premier League this season, with the former looking destined to lead the line for England, while Roy Hodgson also has the options of Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge and an in-form Andy Carroll. Theo Walcott could actually not even be in the squad.

If England were short of attacking options, then thinking about the inclusion of Rashford would make sense.

However, as it is, international quality centre forwards are set to miss out on a place in the Three Lions’ team and Hodgson has some tough choices to make in that position.

There is the argument that Rashford’s development would be aided by the experience of accompanying the group to France, but if he is to live up to his potential there will be plenty of future opportunities for the striker to feature at international level.

In the short-term, and with England looking to have a positive campaign at EURO 2016, Hodgson has more experienced, rounded and able strikers at his disposal than a teenager than has played only a handful of club games.

Rashford may well be in the reckoning once the World Cup in Russia rolls around in two years’ time, but EURO 2016 has come slightly too soon for the boy wonder.

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Slaven Bilic might just be one of the most ambitious managers in the league at the minute. The former Besiktas boss has been splashing cash like a child splashes in a sugar-crazed water park moment of excitement.

With the move to the Olympic Stadium imminent, it looks as though the two Davids – who are adamant the club can continue to compete at the top of league – will invest heavily again this summer. Occasional links to Theo Walcott will continue, but, if the Gunner cannot be lured into a move across London, as it seems may be the case, there will need to be other options for the Hammers.

Bilic clearly needs more width in his squad and, although Payet can fill in from the wing, he would hope to have players who can allow the French star to play centrally.

Fortunately, we have done a bit of scouting for Bilic. Here are a few wingers and a few forwards, we reckon these FIVE could be decent options…

Marko Arnautovic

Stoke’s top goalscorer and star player must be getting a little tired of being let down by the rest of his team.

The winger is almost perfect for the Hammers’ current needs and, if required, can play as a central striker, too. A powerful runner and direct finisher, the Austrian will be there for all to see this summer with his national team.

Juan Mata

Juan Mata looks set to have Jose Mourinho misguide his career once again.

After selling the Spaniard when he moved to Chelsea, Mourinho is almost guaranteed to offload the superb creator once again and it could be time for Mata to look to a team where he can become a central figure once again.

Hardly a direct alternative to Walcott, Mata would take some of the playmaking strain off of Payet.

Andros Townsend

Some Hammers may not be too keen on bringing in a player that has recently been rejected by Spurs, but Andros Townsend possesses the pace and ability to the extraordinary that West Ham are in dire need of.

Newcastle’s relegation may make Townsend consider a move away from the north east and he would certainly provide an outlet for the Irons.

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Kevin Gameiro

Unlike Walcott, Gameiro has had his fair share of opportunities as a central striker and made that position his own at Sevilla.

The Europa League winners would be reluctant to let their star striker go, particularly after he netted 25 goals in European and league football last season. Gameiro would offer West Ham intelligent movement and sharp finishing that they have often lacked from their questionable centre forwards.

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Giacomo Bonaventura

AC Milan’s attacking midfield player is a tricky creator who can create chances from the most difficult of opportunities.

Although his finishing is not as reliable as some other alternatives – including Theo Walcott – Bonaventura is a dribbling sensation and he averaged 2.3 dribbles per Serie A game last season.

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Arsenal are heading in to an important summer of business before next season, and after finishing second last time out the Gunners will want to be real challengers for their first title in 12 years.

Arsene Wenger is currently away at the Euros working for French TV during the tournament, but once he is back in North London he will need to press on with transfer business in order to keep up with Arsenal’s competitors.

Arsenal will be up against some fierce competition for the title next season with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs looking to spend big in order to restore past glories.

Wenger has already delved into the transfer market with the addition of Granit Xhaka, but he will want to press on and bring further players in to bolster his squad. Whilst additions are needed to compete it may well be time for certain players to move on from Arsenal as well.

Here are FFC’s tips for the TEN most likely ins and outs at the Emirates this summer…

IN: ROMELU LUKAKU

The Belgian striker who is currently away in France with his national side has plenty of suitors looking to secure his signature.

However, it has been reported recently that the Everton man has expressed an interest to join Arsenal this summer and a move is looking increasingly likely.

IN: GABRIEL BARBOSA

Another striking option that could be on his way to the Emirates is Santos’ sought after youngster, Gabriel Barbosa, after it was reported that an official approach had been made to bring the Brazil international to London.

The 19-year-old, who has scored twice in four appearances for his national side, is believed to have a £40m release clause in his contract, but Arsenal will be keen to get him for a lot less than that.

OUT: THEO WALCOTT

Should Perisic make the move to North London, then it is highly likely that Walcott will be on his way out of the club where he has been for over ten years now.

Walcott has never really lived up to all the hype that was created when he joined from Southampton, despite enjoying successful spells he has never cemented himself in Wenger’s first team plans.

Walcott, who missed out on a place in Roy Hodgson’s team for the Euros this summer, has been linked with a number of clubs and his future is still unclear, according to Talksport.

IN: YANNICK CARRASCO

The Athletico Madrid midfielder enjoyed a good campaign in Spain last season, scoring the equaliser for his side in a stand-out performance against rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League Final.

He has continued his form into France and the Euros with Belgium, scoring most recently in a 4-0 win over Hungary in the round of 16.

Wenger’s interest was reportedly going to be furthered should Henrikh Mkhitaryan join Man Utd and not Arsenal, with that deal looking all but done it may not be long before Wenger lodges a bid for Carrasco.

OUT: PER MERTESACKER

The German World Cup winner has seen his stock fall at Arsenal in recent months, having to fight with Gabriel Paulista for a place in Wenger’s side as the manager looks to find his best back four, and it may well be time for some fresh investment in the defence.

The 31-year-old began his career in Germany with Hannover 96 and has not ruled out a return to the club should he leave the Emirates, according to Metro.

IN: IVAN PERISIC

The Croatian international has reportedly been lined up as a replacement for Theo Walcott, who has been less than impressive in recent years for the Gunners.

Perisic, who joined Inter Milan from Wolfsburg last year, had been largely impressive at the Euros in France this summer before his country’s untimely exit against Portugal in the Round of 16, and could be the edge that Arsenal need out wide to push towards the title.

OUT: ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN

Another who joined as a youngster showing so much promise on arrival but has never really made the cut with Arsenal and is now supposedly unhappy with his current situation.

Like Walcott, Chamberlain joined from Southampton at a young age and the 22-year-old may well be heading back to his former club, with Saints reportedly being among many other suitors for the winger.

OUT: MATHIEU DEBUCHY

The Frenchman hasn’t enjoyed the best of times at Arsenal recently, having lost his right back place to Hector Bellerin over the last season Debuchy forced through a January loan move to Bordeaux.

The 30-year-old looks destined to depart Arsenal on a permanent basis this summer and Valencia is reportedly the most likely destination for the former Newcastle player.

IN: ISLAM SLIMANI

Another striker that Wenger is looking to bring in after losing out on Jamie Vardy is Sporting forward, Islam Slimani.

The 28-year-old scored 31 goals in 44 appearances for his club last season and could well be the perfect addition alongside Olivier Giroud, who has been heavily criticised by Gunners’ fans over the last year or so.

It is believed that the Algerian international would cost Arsenal somewhere in the same region as Vardy, whose move would have been for £20m.

OUT: DAVID OSPINA

The Colombian international has done little wrong during his time at Arsenal, despite a couple of mistakes in the Champions League which (surprise, surprise) resulted in Gunners’ fans calling for his head.

Ospina though is largely regarded as being far too good to play second fiddle to Petr Cech and spend his time sat on the bench week in week out, with Besiktas being linked with making an approach for the 27-year-old.

Tottenham Hotspurs spent a combined total of nearly £70million during this summer’s transfer window as Mauricio Pochettino looked to strengthen his side following their third place finish in the Premier League last season.

For his £70million, the Argentine acquired himself Vincent Janssen, Victor Wanyama and Moussa Sissoko, Georges-Kevin N’koudou and goalkeeper Pau Lopez.

Spurs also managed to offload over £20million worth of talent as they saw Ryan Mason leave for Hull City and Nacer Chadli move to the midlands with West Brom, and Alex Pritchard and DeAndre Yedlin making the step-down to the Championship with Norwich and Newcastle respectively.

While the £50million net spend may seem plenty of money, Tottenham were relatively quiet in the transfer window in comparison to past summers where they had recruited heavily but managed to somehow make a profit through the sale of their key stars, such as Luca Modric and Gareth Bale.

Spurs fans were left a little disappointed that they did not pounce upon the opportunity to invest heavily and build upon last season in which they came oh so close to lifting the Premiership title for the first time in their history.

So here are five mistakes we think Tottenham made this summer…

Striking Dilemma

Yes, Spurs did sign a striker after it was heavily publicised that the club needed a partner or back-up for talisman Harry Kane.

However, signing an unproven Dutchman who had only announced himself on the world scene after one good season in the Eredivisie is not what people expected.

He was my choice for flop of the year and so far he is living up to it. Spurs should have gone for a more proven goalscorer.

Sissoko and Wanyama

The signing of Victor Wanyama made total sense. A defensive midfielder that cold sit alongside Eric Dier, allow Moussa Dembele to wander further forward and is also accustomed to Pochettino’s style of play having played under him at Southampton.

Signing Moussa Sissoko for a whopping £30million on Deadline Day now presents a problem where there shouldn’t be one: two very similar players competing for the same position. Variation is key, and Sissoko is not that.

Learn from the Past

Last year Spurs signed Ligue 1 ‘prodigy’ Clinton N’Jie in an effort to bolster their attacking options. Unsurprisingly the move failed, so what do they do? Sign another of the leagues young attacking talents instead in the form of Marseilles Georges-Kevin N’koudou and send poor Clinton in the opposite direction.

It didn’t work the first time and it probably won’t the second.

Keep Dele Alli

Although Spurs were insistent on not selling their ‘player of last season’, in all honesty they should have once again cashed in on their prized asset, and this time spent the money on a marquee signing rather than a handful of average ones.

Alli did have a fantastic season, but the Englishman is still young and already looks to be suffering a case of second season syndrome which will see his value – and use to Tottenham – plummet come next summer.

No Big Names

If you look at all the clubs surrounding Tottenham and where they should be come the end of the season, all of them made statement signings in their own right.

United have Pogba and Ibrahimovic, Arsenal Granit Xhaka, Chelsea David Luiz, Leicester Islam Slimani and Manchester City John Stones.

13 clubs broke their record transfer fee this summer to bring in new talent, and Tottenham should have done the same as a signal of intent ahead of the new season.

Everton travel to the Vitality Stadium on Saturday to take on Bournemouth in the Premier League. Ronald Koeman will be keen for his side to continue their impressive start to the season, which has even got people talking about just how far the Toffees could go this term.

Everton come into this game on the back of an impressive 3-1 win against Middlesbrough at Goodison Park last Saturday and despite their sluggish start to the game, the Merseysiders’ overriding quality shone through as they overpowered Boro.

The Toffees will be keen to make it five wins from six and their opponents are not in the best of form with only one win in their last five games, leaving them just shy of the relegation zone.

Confidence at Bournemouth will be low after the Manchester City game and Everton will surely be confident of the three points Saturday.

How can they go about achieving the win? Well, here are THREE tips…

Keep Callum Wilson Quiet

Everton have been solid defensively this season with Ashley Williams slotting perfectly into Everton’s back four and forming a formidable partnership with Phil Jagielka.

The one Cherries man they will need to keep quiet is Callum Wilson who is a very dangerous player in the box. He is great with his back to goal and his excellent solo finish in the 1-0 victory against West Brom demonstrates that he can come up with something very special in tight areas.

Control the Midfield

The midfield battle on Saturday will be crucial in deciding who comes out on top in this game. Bournemouth are known for their possession football, but they tend to struggle against more physical sides.

Last season this fixture ended in an epic 3-3 draw highlighting the defensive deficiencies of both teams, but since the arrival of Koeman, Everton’s own third play has improved drastically.

The great partnership that Gareth Barry and Idrissa Gueye have formed will be crucial in preventing Bournemouth retaining the ball and dictating the tempo of the game.

Keep Romelu Lukaku firing

It was great news for all Evertonians when Lukaku decided to stay. He is a player that can be unstoppable on his day and he adds so much physicality and purpose to Everton’s play.

His ability to brush aside players is crucial to bringing the likes of Ross Barkley, Kevin Mirallas and Yannick Bolasie into play. With an 11th minute hat-trick and a goal last Saturday, his confidence will be high.

On a weekend in which the Manchester Derby truly dominates the footballing fixtures, many are overlooking one of the more intriguing ties: Liverpool vs. Leicester City.The match at Anfield will be played in full view of the Merseysiders’ new Main Stand after months of building work and will be the Reds’ first home game of the 2016/17 season.However, it’s more than architecture that makes this one intriguing, with the current champions set up to take advantage of Liverpool’s susceptibilities defensively, with Jamie Vardy having found his scoring touch once again before the international break.When we at FFC Towers sat down and thought about the looming game, we realised that combining the clubs’ players to make an ‘Ultimate XI’ is actually pretty difficult. Alas, we’ve had a go, with this hybrid team set up using a 4-2-3-1/4-4-1-1 formation…Have we missed anyone you would have picked?

GK – Kasper Schmeichel

We’ll kick off with Leicester’s title-winning No.1 Schmeichel between the sticks.

The Dane was excellent last season and offers the sort of authority at the back Liverpool fans have been screaming out for amid error after error from Simon Mignolet over the last couple of years.

Schmeichel may not be as good a shot-stopper as his Belgian counterpart, but on balance, we feel he’s a better all-round ‘keeper.

RB – Nathaniel Clyne

Mr Reliable, Clyne is already part of the furniture at Liverpool after joining the club from Southampton last summer.

The England international is defensively solid, energetic, pacey and willing to get up and down the right flank for a full 90 minutes. An easy choice.

CB – Dejan Lovren

Revived under Jurgen Klopp, Lovren seems to have moved away from being the one-man disaster zone of the Brendan Rodgers era (perhaps as his new manager has taken the pressure off of him) and is looking more and more like the player that impressed at Southampton.

CB – Wes Morgan

We couldn’t overlook Captain Morgan! The burly centre-back was the heartbeat of the Foxes’ title-winning side with his uncompromising style and sheer will power having been key in getting them over the line.

For the record, we think his old-fashioned approach could compliment Dejan Lovren’s front-foot style.

LB – Christian Fuchs

One of the ‘under the radar’ signings of the window last summer, Fuchs was excellent from left-back all through 2015/16. The 30-year-old is head and shoulders above his Liverpool counterparts, Alberto Moreno and James Milner.

CM – Emre Can

Quickly becoming one of Liverpool’s most vital players, Can is developing into a real midfield powerhouse.

The Germany international has come on leaps and bounds under Klopp since being moved into his preferred central midfield position, with his sheer size and mobility making him formidable.

CM – Danny Drinkwater

Alongside Can, we’re opting for Drinkwater.

The England man may not be the most fashionable of players, but he’s responsible defensively and has shown that he has plenty of attacking know-how with his quick forward passes to Jamie Vardy – a hallmark of Leicester’s play last season.

RM – Riyad Mahrez

The reigning PFA Players’ Player of the Year is a natural choice on the right flank.

The Algerian’s deft dribbling and sheer quality in the 18-yard box would get him into almost every side in Europe, so there’s no reason to leave him out of this one!

LM – Philippe Coutinho

On the opposite flank, we have Liverpool’s ‘Little Magician’.

The Brazilian may blow somewhat hot and cold, but when he’s on form there are few better in the Premier League. Coutinho needs to work on his consistency to be held among the true elite playmakers, but time is on his side.

SS – Roberto Firmino

It was a hard choice to pick the final member of our attacking midfield three, but Firmino gets in as a support striker in a hybrid 4-2-3-1/4-4-1-1.

Although the likes of Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana, Ahmed Musa and Shinji Okazaki can all put forward a decent case, we see his creative stats (above) as a key reason to go for the Brazilian.

ST – Daniel Sturridge

This was perhaps the most difficult choice of all: Sturridge or Vardy.

We’ve gone for the former, with, when both are fit, the Liverpool man arguably the better all-round player.

Although form over the last 12 months or so means we should be plumping for Vardy, when Sturridge is match sharp there are few better goalscorers around, with his technique and sheer confidence lethal.

Rudi Garcia believes Everton’s summer signing Idrissa Gueye has the potential to become a Premier League great.

The Senegal international was part of an Aston Villa side which plummeted out of the Premier League with a whimper last season, but his true quality has become much more evident since moving to Goodison Park during the summer transfer window.

Indeed, the Toffees activated Gueye’s release clause to snap him up for just £7.1million and the 27-year-old is already coming good on that modest investment, averaging a division-best 5.1 tackles per match in the Premier League (courtesy of Whoscored.com).

With him ever-present barring nine minutes against Bournemouth, the fifth-placed Merseysiders have enjoyed a fantastic start to the season, picking up 14 points from seven games.

And former Roma manager Rudi Garcia, who issued Gueye his senior debut during the 2010/11 season whilst in charge of Lille, believes the defensive midfielder has what it takes to become a Premier League great.

Speaking exclusively to Squawka, he said; “I’m not surprised by how well he is doing. Idrissa was very young when he was at Lille but he already had many qualities – and one of them was a very strong ambition.

“Even then he was a good, strong midfielder with a big capacity to run, a fantastic fighter and a very good man. The way to become a Premier League great is long and hard. But Idrissa is a hard worker so he will improve his level every season. I am sure of that.”

Garcia continued; “He was training and playing at the maximum. So I took him with the first team. He is always listening and is a very clever player.

“He was a young player then just discovering the professional world. But with his confidence and the help of the big players, he was one of our most important substitutes in that fantastic winning season.

“I remember a goal he scored in the Europa League against PSV Eindhoven with an amazing long distance kick. He was special.”

Yaya Toure’s return for Manchester City  against Crystal Palace surprised a significant number of supporters this weekend, but his impact ultimately proved invaluable to Pep Guardiola’s side.

Two goals and a Man of the Match display secured another three points for the Citizens, but the Ivorian icon is not the first footballer to return to the starting XI when his future seemed uncertain.

Not many can deny the contribution Toure has had on this Manchester City side. Crucial goals, big game performances and two Premier League titles have secured his status as a legend at the Etihad Stadium.

Nonetheless, his performance against Palace summed up the career of the inspirational midfielder, who returned from a seemingly impossible situation.

So in honour of Toure’s unexpected return, Football FanCast have taken a look at three more Premier League stars, past and present, to have excelled after being let back in from the cold.

Carlos Tevez

After his infamous refusal to come off the bench for City against Bayern Munich in September 2011, Roberto Mancini followed suit by stating he would never play for City again.

Six months later, and numerous rounds of golf in Argentina, Tevez returned to Manchester to guide City to their first Premier League title. Tevez openly apologised for his outburst and rebuilt bridges with his manager.

Tevez played for the Blues for another season before departing for Juventus in 2013.

Gareth Bale

The Real Madrid winger may be in contention for a Ballon d’Or title, but the early days of Bale’s career were some distance from success.

When the Welshman moved to Tottenham in 2007, he was not highly regarded by management at White Hart Lane. Bale failed to play in a single game Tottenham won until 2009.

Shortly after the arrival of Harry Redknapp, Bale was converted from left-back to left wing and his days of being on the fringes of the squad were over. Bale became an integral part to Tottenham’s success and later the world’s most expensive player.

Jermain Defoe

Where would Sunderland be without the goals of Jermain Defoe?

Following an abysmal run of form in the MLS with Toronto, Sunderland provided the England forward with the opportunity to return to the Premier League in January 2015.

Defoe has not defied the faith and trust shown by the club who ended his disappointing North-American adventure.

The former Tottenham striker’s career looked all but finished, before the move to the North East rejuvenated his career.