GW9 Transfer Targets Revealed - Plus the Wirtz Injury Scare You Can't Ignore

Welcome to your Gameweek 9 transfer briefing. Everything you need to nail your moves before that Saturday 11AM deadline - top ins, outs, differentials, captaincy, and the injury news that could derail your plans. Let's get into it.

Van Hecke is the budget defender everyone is scrambling to get in this gameweek, and for good reason. He delivered 7 points in GW8 with a clean sheet and a bonus point, and now Spurs face Crystal Palace at home in GW9. Palace have been absolutely dreadful - losing 0-2 to Newcastle in GW8 - and Spurs already have three clean sheets this season. At under £5m, this is elite value that is very hard to ignore.

Muharemovic has been one of the standout budget defenders of the season. He banked 9 points in GW8 against Sunderland with a clean sheet and a bonus point, and his underlying numbers back it up - two assists, three clean sheets, and a points per game of 5.4 across the season so far. Leeds travel to Bournemouth in GW9 which is tricky on paper, but this defender has been consistently delivering regardless of the fixture. Leeds have conceded just six goals all season, making their defensive assets genuinely premium for their price.

Want to see how Muharemovic stacks up against other budget defenders? Our bargain players tool highlights the best value picks at every price point.

Trafford put in an exceptional performance against Sunderland in GW8, banking 10 points with a clean sheet and three bonus points. He has 30 saves on the season already, and Leeds' defensive record of just six goals conceded makes him one of the most reliable budget goalkeeper options in the game. At £5.0m, he represents outstanding value and is a genuine upgrade option if you're carrying a weak goalkeeper.

Vuskovic looked like a great early-season pick with five clean sheets, but the wheels have come off. Brighton blanked hard against Liverpool in GW8 (just 1 point), and now face Man City away in GW9 - about as tough a fixture as it gets. With City's firepower at home, another blank looks very likely. Better budget defenders are now available, and there's simply no reason to hold him over the likes of Van Hecke or Muharemovic.

Check the full fixture difficulty ratings before making your defensive decisions this week - the difference between GW9 fixture swings is significant.

Manzambi is attracting huge transfer interest - over 115,000 transfers in this gameweek - but the underlying numbers don't justify the hype. He scored just 1 point in GW8 despite playing 65 minutes in Villa's win over Man City, and his current form rating of 5.7 with single-digit event points don't justify a £6m price tag. Villa host Fulham in GW9 which is a reasonable fixture, but this feels like a bandwagon worth avoiding at his current price.

Neto scored 3 points in GW8 despite playing 87 minutes as Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by Spurs. He has 3 goals this season which is decent production, but Chelsea face Man United at home in GW9 - a fixture rated at difficulty 4 each way. There's some appeal there, but a points per game of 4.6 doesn't make him a priority transfer target at £6.6m.

These are the under-the-radar picks that could send your rank soaring. All under 10% ownership - if any of these haul, you'll be moving in the right direction.

This is the standout differential of the week. Rayan bagged 10 points in GW8, scoring and keeping a clean sheet in Bournemouth's brilliant 3-0 demolition of Man United. Now Bournemouth host Leeds in GW9 in what looks like a very winnable home fixture. His form is building, and at under 2% ownership this is a proper rank-climbing differential. Watch him closely.

Tonali played the full 90 minutes in Spurs' win over Chelsea and banked 5 points with a clean sheet. Now Spurs face Crystal Palace at home in GW9 - a team who haven't scored in their last two matches. At £5.3m with under 2% ownership, Tonali offers brilliant value and huge rank-gain potential if Spurs keep a clean sheet against a misfiring Palace side.

Iwobi has been quietly excellent all season, accumulating five clean sheets and playing consistently. He put in 73 minutes in Fulham's GW8 win over Coventry and has been a reliable contributor throughout the campaign. Fulham travel to Aston Villa in GW9, which is a trickier ask, but at £5.4m with just 1.4% ownership and that clean sheet record, he's worth serious consideration as a differential budget midfielder.

For a wider view of the best differential options this week, browse our differential players tool for more low-ownership picks worth considering.

For Gameweek 9, the standout captaincy pick is Alexander Isak at Newcastle. He scored again in GW8 to take his season tally to 6 goals - and he now has 51 total points this season. Newcastle host Everton on Monday 2nd November in a fixture with real big-haul potential. Everton have been struggling defensively and Isak is in the kind of form where you back him regardless. He is the clear number one captaincy choice this week.

The biggest wildcard heading into the GW9 deadline is Florian Wirtz. He is carrying an injury and his status is uncertain ahead of Saturday's 11AM deadline. If you own him, this needs to be your top priority to monitor throughout the week. Have a replacement option in mind now so you're not scrambling on Saturday morning. Don't let the deadline catch you out.

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Subscribe at whogotthepoints.com and we'll see you tomorrow with more GW9 prep.