Gianni Buttice’s FPL Gameweek 25 Tips Reveals Why Alexander Isak Must Not Be Sold For Ollie Watkins

Gianni Buttice (@giannibuttice) is back with his latest set of FPL gameweek 25 tips. Ahead of the action, Gianni is convinced Ollie Watkins is not worth buying in place of Alexander Isak. 

FPL Gameweek 25 Tips

Is Ollie Watkins Worth The Sacrifice?

Aston Villa have a double gameweek which includes Ipswich at home and us FPL managers love having two bites at the cherry for FPL hauls.

Sure, Liverpool at home isn’t easy but many will fancy Watkins for 160-180 minutes in the double and points will be expected.

I’m buying Ollie Watkins and I am grateful to have an easy route to him. If you have a disposable forward like João Pedro or Iliman Ndiaye then upgrading to the Villa front man is obvious if you can find the funds.

Heck, a 4-point hit to make the move is worth the gamble. But many have a front line they’re happy with and the likes of Chris Wood, Alexander Isak and Coady Gakpo are popular assets that surely shouldn’t be sold this week.

Isak to Watkins is a popular move many are considering which I think is madness given that Isak is arguably the best forward in the game.

Alexander Isak Is A Cert To Keep

His fixtures read Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and West Ham before a blank in Gameweek 29 but Isak is fixture proof and Newcastle, on their day will score goals against anyone, as the Arsenal centre backs will testify.

Isak is a season keeper with brilliant fixtures after his blank, he is a very dangerous sell that I simply would not consider this week.

Ollie Watkins may have the double, but Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Brentford follow before the blank in what isn’t an easy run.

Nevertheless, Watkins offers big upside with the Ipswich fixture in mind but there are two elephants in the room when discussing his desirability. Fitness and Penalties.

Watkins has been nursing an injury which has kept him out the FA Cup game versus Spurs although Unai Emery has suggested he will be available for Gameweek 25 and history tells us, Watkins is a quick healer and a fitness monster.

Penalties are a discussion point at Villa too. Youri Tielemans and Watkins himself have both missed their most recent spot-kicks and with Morgan Rogers and now Marcus Rashford having good penalty records, there is no guarantee Watkins keeps penalties where he has a 50% success rate in his professional career missing six of his 12.

To conclude, I think Watkins is a perfectly good buy this week but not if you’re sacrificing a top FPL asset like Isak. It’s easy to be blindsided by a double gameweek or tricky looking fixture runs but FPL’s best players deliver consistent returns regardless of the opponent and this season Isak and Watkins have been levels apart and that should be remembered.