Nice to Michu! - GameDay Squad Football Player Pool Update

In anticipation of the new player pool update coming to GDS Football we take a look at the who’s who of the added players. Which of the next batch can impact like Swansea icon Michu on arrival?

Viktor Gyokeres stands a strong chance of directly emulating Michu’s goalscoring form having arrived on the back of world class goalscoring for Sporting in Portugal. Having already scored in pre-season, for new club Arsenal, a strong partnership with star winger, Bukayo Saka, is likely to form. Can Gyokeres improve on his 39 league goals in a new league?

A GDS friendly role and good pre-season form makes wingback El Hadji Malick Diouf a great acquisition for GDS coaches. An assist in pre-season along with a formation that includes a back five, likely to be a lot sturdier in defence, should be the platform for Diouf to score well. It’s worth noting, Wan Bissaka (who plays the same role on the other side of the pitch) flourished in this role under Graham Potter late in the season as he accumulated three assists in the final five matches rotating between the right and left side where needed. Unfortunately, if assigned as a midfielder rather than a defender his utility in GDS will decrease.

A surprise exclusion from the initial player pool on launch was Nikola Milenkovic, the towering Nottingham Forest defender who was ranked 10th for defenders for total points (exc. mins) in GDS last season. Milenkovic earned a spot in the superstar tier category of Gameday Society’s recent defender tier lists and rightfully so having finished in the top 25 players in the league for clearances and aerial duels, while also scoring five goals (the top for defenders) and keeping the equal second most clean sheets for teams in the league.

Djordje Petrovic comes into the Bournemouth team, presumably, to take the number one goalkeeping duties. Ordinarily, he’d be one of the leading goalkeeper options after his successful spell with Strasbourg last season (equal third for clean sheets and seventh for saves), however an exodus from the Bournemouth defence, including three of their preferred starting four makes Petrovic a less desirable option than he would have been.

Maxim de Cuyper is one of the underrated gems in the new pool. Playing as a fullback for Brighton, he’s started all bar one of the pre-season games, even scoring in their latest. Maxim plied his trade in Belgium last season where he finished with 2 goals and 5 assists.

Another goalscoring option is Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike. Recently signed from Frankfurt in Germany, Ekitike is likely to lead the line, at least until further signings (*cough* Isak cough) are made. Versatile enough to play out wide, Ekitike’s dribbling ability and shooting range allows him to be heavily involved in the attack, the latter of which was on display when he scored in the Community Shield versus Crystal Palace. Ekitike finished last season with 15 goals and eight assists.

Benjamin Sesko also joins from the German league, moving to Manchester United. With their revamped attack providing Sesko plenty of artillery to score big, a return to form for Manchester United could make Sesko an essential forward. He’s likely to lead the line with Cunha and Mbeumo in behind at United. Sesko’s previous season resulted in similar numbers to Ekitike as he scored 13 goals and assisted five times.

Aaron Ramsdale made a move back to the premier league after suffering relegation with Southampton last season. Rumours are he’s likely to take Pope’s starting spot, which immediately makes Ramsdale an option given Newcastle’s defensive capabilities. Ramsdale made the second most saves (125) in the league last season, being only behind Flekken, as Southampton conceded lots of attacking chances. Ramsdale clearly has the pedigree to make saves when required and the extra clean sheets and less goals conceded he gains from a better defence is likely to be a substantial gain to his GDS scoring.

Finally, another recent returnee to the Premier League is Joao Palhinha, who last played in the league for Fulham, but has moved to Tottenham from Bayern Munich. Known to be a defensive beast, Palhinha is likely to dominate in a number of key GDS scoring defensive areas as he shields what was previously a vulnerable Tottenham defense.

Who’s missing? Is there anyone you’ve noticed yet to be part of the GDS Football player pool who you think will be added or should be added in the next update? Leave a comment telling us who!