Fantasy Premier League New Signings: Tzolis, Schlager, Targett

Arsenal’s new wide man, a Bundesliga workhorse in Nottingham and a cut‑price defender at Hull all dropped into Fantasy Premier League on Friday, and each comes with a very different kind of gamble attached.

This is where the early planners make ground – or burn a chunk of their first draft.

Tzolis: Box‑office numbers, bench‑risk price

Christos Tzolis arrives at Arsenal with the sort of headline figures that usually trigger a price hike on their own.

Seventeen goals. Twenty‑three assists. A title with Club Brugge. That’s not a purple patch, that’s a season of relentless output from the wing.

Yet Fantasy has him at £6.5m.

That tag tells you as much about Mikel Arteta’s rotation as it does about Tzolis’ talent. Arsenal’s 2025/26 title win was built on a stable core in the middle of the pitch and constant shuffling further forward. Declan Rice at £7.5m and Martin Zubimendi at £5.5m started 35 and 34 matches respectively. Everyone in front of them lived with uncertainty.

Even Bukayo Saka, priced at £9.5m and usually the first name on any Fantasy teamsheet, managed only 25 starts and six sub appearances in an injury‑hit campaign, averaging 72.3 minutes per outing. Around him, it was a carousel.

Leandro Trossard started 21 matches. Eberechi Eze 22. Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke 16 each. Gabriel Martinelli just 11. None of them got close to a full 90 on a regular basis: Eze averaged 58.6 minutes, Odegaard 58.3, Madueke 48.2, Martinelli only 39.3. All four sit at the same £6.5m price point as Tzolis.

That’s the crux. The Greek winger clearly has the all‑round attacking profile to explode when he starts – his Brugge numbers scream that – but Fantasy managers have seen this Arsenal film before. You’re not just buying a player; you’re buying into Arteta’s rotation.

At £6.5m, you can turn instead to nailed‑on starters with clear roles and guaranteed minutes. Dango Ouattara at Brentford, Ismaila Sarr at Crystal Palace and Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall at Everton all offer that security at the same cost.

Tzolis might light up a Gameweek or two. The question is whether you’ll have him on the pitch when it happens.

Schlager vs Sangare: Forest’s DC puzzle

Nottingham Forest’s midfield shake‑up is a different kind of Fantasy challenge. It’s not about goals or assists; it’s about graft.

Xaver Schlager comes in from RB Leipzig at £5.0m, expected to compete with Ibrahim Sangare, also £5.0m, for the defensive midfield spot left behind by Elliot Anderson’s move to Manchester City.

Anderson’s departure leaves a hole in Forest’s real‑life structure and a big one in the defensive contribution (DC) landscape. Midfielders earn two DC points when they hit 12 Clearances, Blocks, Interceptions and Recoveries (CBIRT) in a match, and Anderson lived in that zone last season.

The numbers spell out the gap. Per 90 minutes in 2025/26, Anderson averaged 1.3 clearances, 0.4 blocks, 1.1 interceptions and a huge 8.3 recoveries, plus 2.8 tackles – 13.9 defensive actions in total. Sangare and Schlager combined for only 12 recoveries per 90, and their overall tallies lagged behind: Sangare at 11.6, Schlager at 9.0.

The pressure on Forest’s new pairing is obvious. You can’t simply plug one of them in and expect Anderson’s consistency.

There is a twist. Schlager has already worked under new head coach Olivier Glasner, which could count for plenty once the tactical demands bite. Pre‑season will be crucial for Fantasy managers trying to read that relationship and the likely starting XI for 2026/27.

Right now, though, the numbers lean towards Sangare as the more promising DC option. If he nails down that role, £5.0m looks generous for a midfielder who can quietly rack up defensive points while others chase goals.

Targett arrives, but Hughes is Hull’s DC magnet

At Hull, the new name is familiar. Matt Targett, £4.0m, joins on a free after leaving Newcastle United and will push Ryan Giles, also £4.0m, for the left‑back slot.

On paper, that’s a classic budget defender battle. In reality, the Fantasy game has moved on from the days when full‑backs like Targett could ride attacking returns to big totals.

You have to rewind to 2020/21 for his best Fantasy season, a 138‑point haul at Aston Villa. Since then, the introduction of DC has tilted the value scale towards centre‑backs who live in the line of fire.

Hull have exactly that in Charlie Hughes, priced at £4.0m and already looking like the standout pick from their back line. Defenders earn two DC points when they hit 10 Clearances, Blocks, Interceptions and Tackles (CBIT) in a match, and Hughes made that threshold look routine in the Championship.

He averaged 11.8 CBIT per 90 minutes last season – more than any other defender in the promoted sides. That profile turns him from a bench‑filler into a potential DC specialist, the kind of player who can tick over even when clean sheets are scarce.

Targett and Giles may share minutes, trade crosses and the odd assist. Hughes, if he keeps his Championship role and volume, could quietly become one of 2026/27’s most reliable defensive contribution assets.

For Fantasy managers, the message is clear: the new names are tempting, but the smartest early edges may lie in the ugly work – and in the players the game has priced like afterthoughts.