Bruno Guimaraes finished the previous FPL season on 154 points and enters the new campaign in the mid-priced midfield bracket.
His appeal is unusual.
He is not a pure winger or number 10, but he can combine goals, assists, penalties, defensive contributions, clean-sheet points and elite minutes.
The new concern is Newcastle's managerial situation. Eddie Howe stepped down on 31 July, and the club said the process to appoint a successor was at an advanced stage.
Bruno's current FPL case
Category
Assessment
Club
Newcastle United
Position
Midfielder
Price bracket
Approximately £7.0m
Previous FPL points
154
Premier League career
153 appearances, 30 goals and 25 assists
Main strengths
Minutes, penalties, contributions and central influence
Bruno's total demonstrates that he can provide more than occasional attacking returns.
He averaged around 5.4 points per start last season, according to official pre-season analysis.
A midfielder returning five points per start can offer strong value when the minutes remain secure.
His routes include:
Goals
Assists
Penalties
Corners and free kicks
Midfielder clean-sheet points
Defensive contributions
Bonus points
Penalty potential
Newcastle's working set-piece hierarchy places Bruno among the leading penalty candidates.
Nick Woltemade and other attackers may also be involved.
A secure penalty role would strengthen Bruno's value because he already provides a reliable floor through minutes and defensive work.
Managers should monitor:
Who takes pre-season penalties
Whether the new manager changes the hierarchy
Which striker starts
Whether Bruno remains captain
Whether he is rested from selected set pieces
Defensive contributions
Midfielders need a higher defensive-action threshold than defenders.
Bruno is one of the central midfielders capable of reaching it because he contributes through:
Tackles
Interceptions
Recoveries
Duels
Central pressing
He recorded 14 defensive actions in Newcastle's league match against Everton late last season, showing the type of match in which the extra points can arrive.
Defensive contributions are useful because they do not require a goal or assist.
Newcastle's opening fixtures
Gameweek
Opponent
Venue
1
Liverpool
Home
2
Tottenham Hotspur
Away
3
Bournemouth
Home
4
Leeds United
Away
5
Hull City
Home
6
Coventry City
Away
7
Aston Villa
Home
8
Crystal Palace
Away
9
Everton
Home
10
Fulham
Away
Liverpool at home is difficult, but the schedule improves quickly.
Newcastle face only three of last season's top-10 teams in the opening 10, and the Hull and Coventry fixtures in Gameweeks 5 and 6 stand out.
OneFPL is an independent Fantasy Premier League companion and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Premier League or Fantasy Premier League.
OneFPL analysis. OneFPL is an independent Fantasy Premier League companion and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Premier League or Fantasy Premier League.
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