The assistant manager chip goes live from Gameweek 24, so now is the time to plan how to use it.
Fantasy Premier League organisers have revealed what it will cost to bring the Premier League’s managers into your team for a bonus three-gameweek period. Prices will range from £0.5m to £1.5m but if you get it right, this chip could be extremely powerful.
Here, we will refresh our memories on how the assistant manager chip works and look at potential strategies.
How does the assistant manager chip work?
Here is a recap of what this chip offers:
- You pick a manager for three successive gameweeks when you play the chip and earn points from their team’s results
- This will be in addition to your 15-man squad and the money comes out of your budget
- Once you activate the chip, picking your manager will not cost you a free transfer but if you decide to change your manager during the three-gameweek period, it will cost you a transfer in the same way it does for players
- Your manager will count towards the three-player-per-team limit
- You won’t be able to use any other chip while the assistant manager chip is active for your chosen three gameweeks.
Here’s how you can score points:
- Team wins – 6pts
- Team draws – 3pts
- Each goal scored by team – 1pt
- Keeping a clean sheet – 2pts
- In addition to this, if your manager faces a team that is ranked at least five places above them in the league table at the start of the gameweek, they get a bonus of 10 points for the win (16 in total). If they draw, they get an additional five points (eight in total).
Therefore, this is a very powerful chip and we should plan for it as efficiently as possible.
FPL assistant manager prices
Manager | Team | Price |
---|---|---|
Mikel Arteta |
£1.5m |
|
Enzo Maresca |
£1.5m |
|
Arne Slot |
£1.5m |
|
Pep Guardiola |
£1.5m |
|
Eddie Howe |
£1.5m |
|
Andoni Iraola |
£1.1m |
|
Fabian Hurzeler |
£1.1m |
|
Marco Silva |
£1.1m |
|
Nuno Espirito Santo |
£1.1m |
|
Ange Postecoglou |
£1.1m |
|
Unai Emery |
£0.8m |
|
Thomas Frank |
£0.8m |
|
Oliver Glasner |
£0.8m |
|
Ruben Amorim |
£0.8m |
|
Vitor Pereira |
£0.8m |
|
Kieran McKenna |
£0.5m |
|
Ruud van Nistelrooy |
£0.5m |
|
Ivan Juric |
£0.5m |
|
Graham Potter |
£0.5m |
|
David Moyes |
£0.5m |
The importance of Double Gameweek 24
This week, it was announced that Liverpool and Everton’s postponed game has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 12. This means it falls into Gameweek 24.
That date, and final confirmation of a double gameweek, is subject to Liverpool finishing in the top eight of the Champions League league phase. However, that is all but certain, as Liverpool are six points clear of ninth-placed Borussia Dortmund with two games to play.
Liverpool will play Bournemouth (A) and Everton (A), and Everton will host Leicester City (H) and Liverpool (H) in Gameweek 24.
This gives us our first potential window to play the assistant manager chip on either Arne Slot or David Moyes. If you have used your triple captain already, this is a viable time to use it.
If you play this chip on Slot in Gameweek 24, you will get Bournemouth (A), Everton (A), Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) and Manchester City (A). With Liverpool being top of the league, they would receive no bonus points, plus there is the risk of three away games.
If you played it on Moyes, however, you would get Leicester City (H), Liverpool (H), Crystal Palace (A) and Manchester United (H). Only Liverpool are five places or more above Everton in the table but by the time Gameweek 24 comes around, United could be too. That means the ceiling is much higher when playing it on Moyes.
What are the best strategies for the chip?
You can, of course, choose to forego Double Gameweek 24 and wait for a later double to use the assistant manager as there will be a few more this season.
We should get a double in Gameweek 33 and 36, and there might well be a better time to use it then.
The nature of this chip means we need to be very flexible as the league table is ever-changing, and this is a big factor in playing it. Gameweeks 33 and 36 will have more teams doubling and therefore a bigger selection of managers to play it on.
Playing the assistant manager in a double makes sense but if the opportunity is there, you can play it on regular gameweeks.
For example, Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace play Aston Villa (H), Ipswich Town (H) and Newcastle United (A) from Gameweek 27 to 29. This is a high-upside option as Villa and Newcastle are likely to be five places above Palace by Gameweek 27.
Therefore, you have the chance to gain an extra 10 points if they win or five points for a draw for these two games. Ipswich at home should be a nice banker, too.
Another factor to take into consideration is that you can change managers during your three-gameweek window. You can have three different managers but it is pretty much impossible to plan for this scenario with future doubles or fixtures.
It’s something that has to be looked at a few gameweeks before you decide to play the chip, but it’s a strategy that can pay off handsomely.
Remember that although picking your original manager will not come out of your transfer allowance, using a transfer on your manager will, so you ideally want to have as many saved transfers as possible if you are adopting this strategy.
Could a potential Double Gameweek 25 affect your plans?
According to fixture guru Ben Crellin, there is a chance that Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham get two matches in Gameweek 25.
If Spurs beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and progress to the final, and also finish in the top eight in the Europa League’s league phase, then the Tottenham vs Fulham fixture scheduled in Gameweek 29 could be moved to Gameweek 25 due to fixture congestion for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
In that scenario, it would be a great tactic to play the assistant manager chip in Gameweek 24, as the three-gameweek period will cover two double gameweeks. Even with a triple captain chip in hand, this should be the best play.
Starting with Slot or Moyes in Gameweek 24 and then switching your manager to Postecoglou or Marco Silva in Gameweek 25 means you would have six fixtures for your assistant manager chip.
If Double Gameweek 25 were to happen, it might not be confirmed before Gameweek 24 but we could get a provisional announcement a few days before the Gameweek 24 deadline.
This is one to keep an eye on.
There is so much information to be gained over the coming weeks as we wait for domestic and European games to determine the doubles gameweeks.
It’s imperative to save as many transfers as possible. The flexibility for the upcoming doubles with two or more free transfers will be a big advantage, as well as for when you actually decide to play the assistant manager chip.
This chip is extremely powerful and can reap massive rewards. This is why we have to be very calculated in when to play it, but also be flexible over the changing landscape.
(Top photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)