PL Daily — 3 September 2026

Martinelli’s departure and Richarlison’s squad omission create clear FPL exit points, while Manchester City’s favourable fixture puts Haaland and Cherki firmly in the captaincy conversation.

Today in the Premier League

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has joined Al-Hilal for £60m, BBC Sport reports. This is a definitive end to his Premier League and FPL relevance. BBC Sport
Tottenham have omitted Richarlison from their Premier League squad because he does not feature in the club’s plans, according to BBC Sport. Any remaining FPL managers should remove him.
Leeds centre-back Joe Rodon is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks with a serious hamstring injury, BBC Sport reports. This is relevant to Leeds’ defensive depth, but no supplied FPL signal identifies Rodon as a current asset.
BBC Sport highlights Morgan Gibbs-White’s continued good form after his England omission. He has a 7.5 form rating, 1.02 xGI and only 9.6% ownership.
Andoni Iraola has discussed Liverpool’s transfer business, including Bradley Barcola’s arrival and Cody Gakpo staying, BBC Sport reports. Gakpo’s 1.10 xGI and 8.3% ownership make him the more immediately relevant FPL name.
BBC Sport reports that Manchester City have overhauled their midfield for a reported Premier League-record £458m, while questioning whether they have added sufficient cover for Erling Haaland. The latter is analysis, not confirmation of an injury or availability problem.

What it means for FPL

Captaincy: Haaland is the leading armband option for Manchester City’s home meeting with Coventry, rated FDR 2. His 71.4% ownership and 1.42 xGI support a straightforward captaincy decision, although his 7.5 form is below that of Bruno Fernandes and Cherki. Cherki has the stronger current form at 11 and is a viable differential captain, but Haaland remains the safer pick.

Transfer action: Sell Martinelli and Richarlison if still owned; both have no current Premier League squad pathway based on the reported developments. There is no actionable need to react to City’s spending alone.

Liverpool travel to Ipswich, with the fixture rated 4 for the hosts and 2 for Liverpool. Gakpo is a reasonable upside move at 8.3% ownership, but the fixture is less attractive than City’s. João Pedro remains highly owned at 69.6%, yet Chelsea do not have a fixture in the supplied 48-hour schedule, so there is no immediate captaincy case from this data.

Players moving onto the radar

Morgan Gibbs-White: 9.6% owned, 7.5 form and 1.02 xGI ahead of Nottingham Forest’s home game with Spurs. His numbers support monitoring rather than an automatic transfer.
Cody Gakpo: 8.3% owned with 8.5 form and 1.10 xGI. Liverpool’s attacking options warrant attention, but the Ipswich fixture is not rated as an outright top-tier fixture for them.
Rayan Cherki: 27.7% owned, 11 form and 1.40 xGI. Manchester City’s home fixture makes him a strong hold and a captaincy differential.
Saka: 10.7% owned with 10 form and 1.39 xGI. Arsenal’s next fixture is not listed within the supplied 48-hour schedule, so there is no immediate fixture-led move.

Risk desk

Martinelli: exit immediately if owned; BBC Sport reports his move to Al-Hilal.
Richarlison: exit immediately if owned; BBC Sport reports his omission from Tottenham’s Premier League squad.
Rodon: BBC Sport’s eight-to-10-week absence makes him an avoid, although no current FPL ownership signal is supplied.
Haaland: City’s reported lack of forward cover is a squad-building concern, not evidence of a Haaland availability issue. Do not sell based on that report.
Rogers: His 2.21 xGI is excellent, but his 6.5 form and 24.5% ownership mean the data supports holding or monitoring rather than chasing a move without a fixture or minutes update.

Tomorrow's watchlist

Ipswich v Liverpool: assess Gakpo and Liverpool’s new attacking structure before committing to a transfer.
Manchester City v Coventry: Haaland and Cherki are the clearest captaincy candidates from the supplied fixtures; City defenders, including Gvardiol and Guéhi, also merit consideration.
Nottingham Forest v Spurs: Gibbs-White offers the main upside angle, while Richarlison should remain excluded.
Hull v Aston Villa: Hull’s Tzolakis, Ajayi and Egan are showing strong form, but their FDR 3 fixture makes them watchlist options rather than automatic buys.