GW26 set to showcase new strikers as January transfer window lives up to the hype

The January transfer window tends to disappoint more often than not but for once all the hype was justified as a number of eye-catching deals got over the line.

Deadline Day itself was all about strikers as a number of clubs got their hands on a new striker.

Arsenal put in a woeful display against Swansea City on Tuesday so the capture of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could not have come at a better time for Arsene Wenger. The Gunners entertain Everton on Saturday and our GW26 Goal Projections suggest that they will get back to winning ways but we will have to wait to see if Aubameyang goes straight into the Starting XI.

 

Elsewhere, former Arsenal favourite Olivier Giroud will look to add some much needed steel to the Chelsea attack. The champions, who are averaging just 1.8 goals per game compared with 2.23 in their title-winning campaign, travel to Vicarage Road for the Monday Night Football and this looks like an ideal opportunity for Giroud to get off to a flying start.

The French striker actually boasts a better xG90 figure than the 3 leading Premier League goalscorers this season (0.93) but that stat is a little misleading given that he has only clocked up 347 minutes.

Fantasy Premier League managers have struggled to find value for money ‘non-premium’ strikers so far this season but that could be about to change during the run-in.

Guido Carrillo got 45 minutes under his belt for a shot-shy Saints’ side on Wednesday, while Leonardo Ulloa will also be hoping to make the starting line-up for his new club Brighton this weekend.

However, the deals involving Daniel Sturridge and Islam Slimani look far more intriguing.

The injury-prone Sturridge clearly has potential and Alan Pardew might just be the right man to coax the best out of him.

Slimani’s move to Newcastle United could be the pick of the bunch though but we might have to wait to see him leading the Magpies’ attack, since a thigh injury is threatening his participation at Selhurst Park on Sunday. He’s the type of player that could go down a storm in the North-East though for a team that is crying out for a proper target man.

The wheeling and dealing is over – it’s time for this new crop of strikers to come out firing on all cylinders!