It’s the end of the road for Dušan Tadić but who will replace him?

To say that Dušan Tadić has been a disappointment would be something of an understatement. Despite appearing in all of Southampton’s 11 Premier League games this season, he has just a solitary goal to his name. That came back in August when he scored from the penalty spot in the Saints’ 3-2 home win over 10-man West Ham United. Even though he scored, his effort was somewhat tentative and this was reflected by the fact that he had the indignity of watching substitute Charlie Austin slotting home the decisive penalty in stoppage time.

Tadić seems to have lost his confidence in the final third, with his underlying stats indicating that he should have been involved in at least 3 or 4 goals this season.

So, going into GW12 our patience has worn thin – it’s time to replace him but who with?

We’ve scoured the potential prospects within his price bracket and 2 candidates have emerged. It’s therefore perhaps ironic that they will face each other in the Monday Night Football when Anthony Knockaert’s Brighton and Hove Albion side take on Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s Stoke City team.

Choosing between the 2 wasn’t easy but the Cameroon international shaded it. His xG stats were actually better in more ways than one!

Now make no mistake about it, ‘Expected Goals’, commonly referred to as ‘xG’, are going to become a big player in fantasy football team selection in the years ahead, however, on this occasion a special thanks needs to go to @oilysailor who was on hand to provide us with all the inspiration we needed to pull the trigger!

There is no doubt that Choupo-Moting is still a bit of a rough diamond that needs a few edges polishing but the fact that he is playing in an advanced attacking role (out of position) despite being classified as a midfielder is a welcome bonus! He goes straight into our line-up for Gameweek 12!

It’s been an eventful week for Romelu Lukaku but we expect the big man to deliver this weekend. The possibility of Paul Pogba returning to the fold is a huge plus and if the Belgium international needs any further motivation then the sight of Zlatan Ibrahimović sat on the bench may well provide it!

Lukaku is handed the GW12 armband!

It was a bit disappointing to see Reuben Loftus-Cheek hobbling off for England against Brazil after his promising display against Germany but he looks one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks.

His chance will come but for GW12 all eyes will be on brilliantly named Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, to see if he really does have the xG factor!