There’s nothing quite like an FPL deadline to turn a normal Friday into a full-blown panic. This weekend, Gameweek 7 closes at 11am UK time on Saturday 17 October, and if you own any of Liverpool’s injured attackers, you’re probably staring at your screen with the same expression Iraola had when he was asked for a team news update: a polite smile and absolutely no useful information. The Liverpool manager was asked whether Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak or Cody Gakpo could face Brentford, and his answer was the fantasy equivalent of a shrug: “It’s early for us to say, we have still tomorrow’s training. I leave the chance open this time, yes.” In other words, all three remain 25% flagged in the official FPL game, and none of them have a confirmed return date. To make matters worse, Friday’s press conferences cleared up most of the league’s other doubts, but the one big Arsenal question—Martin Zubimendi’s fitness for Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest—will be decided after the Saturday 11am deadline. Arteta said Zubimendi “looks much better” and will be assessed after another session on Saturday, which means by the time you know, it’ll be too late to do anything about it. So there you are, Saturday morning, coffee in hand, trying to decide whether to trust a 25% flag or play it safe. It’s not a great position to be in, but it’s the one FPL managers have been handed. There’s no point pretending otherwise: the deadline is a hard stop, and the only thing you can control is how you react to the uncertainty. Panic transfers rarely end well, but neither does burying your head in the sand when a manager is openly talking about rotation.
Let’s dig into that Liverpool situation, because it’s the one that could wreck the most teams. Szoboszlai, a £6.9m midfielder owned by 25.7% of managers, has missed Liverpool’s last two matches and is still not confirmed for Brentford. Isak is the same story: £9.0m, 13.2% ownership, and a 25% flag. Gakpo, at £7.1m and 7.1% ownership, completes the trio, and Iraola’s comments about rotation make all three even more unreliable. He didn’t just refuse to rule them out; he also said Liverpool will “need to change again at the weekend” and again against Villarreal on Tuesday, because the schedule is relentless. That’s a clear warning that even a fully fit player might be benched to keep him fresh for the next game. So if you’ve got a free transfer, the consensus is clear: move Szoboszlai on. He’s the most expensive and most owned of the three, and paying £6.9m for a midfielder with a 25% chance of playing and a high chance of rotation is a bad deal. Isak is harder, because at £9.0m he’s the type of player you don’t want to give up on unless you have to. But the advice from those who’ve been through this before is simple: keep him only if your bench is strong enough to cover a surprise absence. If your first substitute is a 2-point cameo waiting to happen, you’re better off cashing in. Gakpo is the wildcard—cheap enough to hold, but not someone you should build your week around. The bottom line is that Liverpool are a rotation minefield right now, and the only way to survive is to assume the worst and be pleasantly surprised if you’re wrong. If you’re feeling brave, you could even look at the trusted Liverpool journalist tier list to see who’s actually close to the dressing room, but even the best sources don’t have a definitive answer yet. That tells you everything you need to know about this situation.
At least Manchester City gave FPL managers something to work with, even if it wasn’t entirely comforting. Phil Foden is back from suspension and available for selection, which is great news for his owners, although manager Enzo Maresca wouldn’t confirm that he starts. The bigger story is Maresca’s warning about Erling Haaland. When asked about injuries, Maresca didn’t exactly brush it off; instead, he mentioned Haaland alongside Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez, Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias, saying that at some point they probably need a rest, some days off, because of how many minutes they’ve played. That sentence has probably sent a chill down the spine of every Haaland captainer out there. But before you panic and take the armband off him, read the words carefully. This is a general workload warning, not a hint that Haaland is being benched against Ipswich. The fixtures are too important, the title race is too tight, and Haaland is still the most reliable captaincy pick in the game. Maresca’s comments are more of a heads-up for the coming weeks, especially if you’re thinking about using a triple captain chip. If you’re planning to use it on Haaland, the time to do it might be sooner rather than later, before the rest starts to bite. For now, Foden’s return adds another attacking dimension to City’s midfield, which is great if you own him and another selection headache if you’re trying to guess the starting eleven. But compared to Liverpool’s three-player mystery and Arsenal’s post-deadline decision, City’s news is about as clear as it gets in FPL. The key is not to overreact to a coach managing minutes over a long season. Haaland is still the captain, still the focal point, and still the safest bet you have.
Now let’s talk about the clubs that are leaving decisions until after the deadline, because that’s where the real frustration lies. Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi is officially a wait-and-see. Mikel Arteta said he “looks much better” and will be assessed after another session on Saturday, which means Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest is still uncertain. Piero Hincapie, meanwhile, needs “another week or two,” and Tzolis had another MRI scan and should return in “a few weeks.” Tzolis is out, so that’s one clear answer, but it’s not helpful if you were holding him as a budget enabler. Over at Manchester United, the situation is even murkier. Michael Carrick said Benjamin Sesko is still going through checks with no timeline, leaving his status for Sunday’s game at Leeds completely up in the air. Shaw, who is £4.3m and owned by 6.4% of managers, and Kobbie Mainoo will be assessed before the game, so anyone with United defenders or midfielders is making a decision without knowing if their player will even make the squad. This is the kind of uncertainty that makes you want to click the wildcard button just to escape the stress. The only saving grace is that none of these players are among the most popular picks in the game, so the potential damage is limited. But if you’re holding Sesko or Shaw, you need to decide before the 11am deadline whether the risk is worth taking. Ask yourself: is your bench player a reliable replacement, or are you just praying for a late fitness miracle? If it’s the latter, it might be time to make a change. One useful way to think about it: if the fixture were reversed and your player were facing a weak opponent, you might take the risk. But against Leeds or Forest, with a 25% flag? The upside is just not worth the headache.
The rest of the Premier League news is a mixed bag of hope, caution, and the occasional non-answer. Brentford’s Keith Andrews offered some genuine encouragement, saying Kevin Schade and Jannik Schuster “have been on the grass this week” and would see what Saturday brings. Schade is a £6.2m midfielder owned by 14.4% of managers, so his potential return is significant for those who brought him in as a differential. Everton’s David Moyes said Vitalii Mykolenko “has a chance for the game” against Chelsea, while Jarrad Branthwaite faces a late check. Mykolenko is a budget defender at £4.6m with only 3.1% ownership, so his return would be a nice boost for the few managers who have him, but not a massive game-changer. Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler gave an update on Pascal Struijk, saying the hamstring issue needs another day of recovery before Sunday’s game against Crystal Palace. That’s not a full green light, but it’s not a red flag either. More encouragingly, Yankuba Minteh and Mats Wieffer could return quickly, while Kaoru Mitoma remains further off. Bournemouth’s Marco Rose said an MRI on Alex Scott’s thigh looked better than expected, though Scott isn’t ready for Sunday’s trip to Sunderland. And Tottenham? Well, Roberto De Zerbi isn’t speaking until Sunday morning, which means any Spurs news for Monday night’s game against Coventry is completely unavailable before the deadline. If you have Tottenham players, you’re making your decision with zero input from the manager. That’s the FPL equivalent of picking a lottery ticket—fun in theory, stressful in practice. At least the rest of the league gave us something to chew on, even if it’s not the full clarity we all wanted. For now, the best approach is to treat every one of these updates as a possible boost rather than a guarantee, and never rely on a player who is “a chance” or “being assessed” unless you have a solid backup plan.
So where does that leave you before the 11am deadline? It leaves you with a strategy that has to account for uncertainty. The wisest move is to assume the worst: if a player has a 25% flag and a manager who talks about rotating, plan as if he won’t start. Use your free transfer on the most expensive or most-owned player at risk—Szoboszlai is the obvious candidate—and make sure your bench is full of players who are actually likely to feature. If you have Isak, ask yourself whether his potential upside is worth the risk of a cameo from the bench. If you have Arsenal or United assets with post-deadline assessments, decide whether you can live with a surprise absence. And if you’re captaining Haaland, don’t let the rest comments spook you; he’s still the safest captaincy pick on the board. The beautiful, frustrating thing about FPL is that everyone else is in the same boat. The managers who succeed are the ones who accept the unknowns, build a decent bench, and don’t let one bad transfer ruin their weekend. Brentford v Liverpool kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, and by then you’ll know whether you made the right calls. Until then, trust your research, ignore the panic, and remember that a 25% chance isn’t zero—but it’s not a starting XI guarantee either. And if you’re still stuck, look for the gameweek content from the FPL Hub, including the wildcard team and chip advice, to help you make the final call. Good luck, and may your Saturday morning deadline bring more joy than regret.