FPL Gameweek 38: Christopher Nkunku and five transfer tips for best players to sign for final weekend

An in-form Michael Olise is an interesting last-day option for Fantasy Premier League bosses too

(AFP via Getty Images)

The Premier League season is all but over in terms of the big prizes and positions - with just the title itself left to work out, after Aston Villa wrapped up fourth and Nottingham Forest did enough to ensure Luton Town are all but relegated. The Europa League candidates still have an important week ahead too however, while individual players up and down the country and striving for top form as they look to secure Euro 2024 spots.

As a result, it’s one final chance for Fantasy Premier League bosses to make changes to their squads, look for one or two last additions who could make all the difference to their points hauls - and perhaps snare a title of their own! Here are our five tips for the final round of fixtures on gameweek 38.

Takehiro Tomiyasu - Arsenal, defender, 4.5m

The Gunners go into the last day of the season still in with a chance of winning the title, but to do so they must win at home to Everton, as well as hoping Man City slip up against West Ham. Given the Toffees have been in strong end-of-season form themselves, Arsenal can’t assume they’ll simply score a glut of goals - it’s likely to be tight and tense, and Mikel Arteta’s priority will be to ensure another clean sheet is on the cards to give his team the best platform towards victory possible.

While three-quarters of the back four has been in place most of the year, the result is that Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel are owned by between 22 and 38 per cent of FPL sides. But on the left, Tomiyasu is back in place, starting the last four and is owned by just 0.3 per cent of sides - a real differential pick and much, much cheaper than all his teammates too. Three clean sheets in the last four and another six-point haul could be on offer on Sunday.

Christopher Nkunku - Chelsea, forward, 7.2m

Final day golden gamble time and it’s Christopher Nkunku you want. The versatile attacker has just come back to fitness and scored off the bench in midweek - replacing Mykhailo Mudryk, who has concussion and therefore won’t play. Nkunku hasn’t had a great first season at the Bridge but has shone in spells and is obviously an outrageous talent, so will be looking for a big showing to finish on a positive note.

He might not be a 90-minute player given he’s only had three games off the bench, but if you’re looking for a differential with potential goals on the final day, the Frenchman might be the one. Chelsea have won four in a row, Bournemouth have conceded five in the last two and their campaign is of course done. While half of FPL holds Cole Palmer and 18 per cent have Nicolas Jackson, Nkunku is held by fewer than one per cent of teams. Could he be the one to win you one final head-to-head or climb a place higher in the table?

Cody Gakpo - Liverpool, forward, 7.1m

Jurgen Klopp seems to have settled into an end-of-season XI and Cody Gakpo is part of that, and finishing strongly with three goals or assists in his last two games. At home to Wolves on the Kop-Klopp farewell occasion, there’s every chance he adds to that and he’s not excessively expensive for a forward, currently sitting on a 5.0ppg form average.

Gakpo scored against Villa in midweek (EPA)

Might turn out to be one of those end-of-season games where almost every attack results in a goal, partly because nothing is riding on the match and partly because neither team can defend: Wolves don’t have a clean sheet in 12, Liverpool in ten. Embrace the chaos and pick Cody as your man to mop up with some season stat-padders.

Phil Foden - Man City, midfielder, 8.5m

No need to be too clever here - Man City will be going all-out for the win to beat West Ham and clinch the title. That means two players are must-haves: Erling Haaland, who an enormous 73 per cent of teams already own, and...whoever the main attacking midfielder is. With Kevin de Bruyne picking up a knock and being subbed off again last time out, it’s simply safer to go for Phil Foden, already owned by 42 per cent - you can’t be one of those who don’t own him and risk missing out, basically.

He has scored or assisted in three of his last five, has a recent form guide of 6.4ppg and has been a big-game impact player for City all year. Doesn’t come much bigger than a title-decider, so get him in if you don’t already.

Michael Olise - Crystal Palace, midfielder, 5.7m

Few teams outside the top two are ending the season in as strong form as Crystal Palace, with chief tormentor of opponents Michael Olise making a strong finish to 2023/24. He has earned over a dozen FPL points three times in his last six outings, scoring three and assisting once in his last two games, and while opponents Aston Villa are higher in the table, their season is now over.

With fourth assured and Villa only securing one win in the last four on the road - compared to Palace winning three in a row at home - there’s every chance it’s the Eagles who are flying again at full time. If that’s the case, Olise will be a big candidate to have had a huge say in proceedings as the ends the year on a high and potentially finishing in the top half of the table. Fewer than 3% of FPL teams own him, too.