Last season’s MVP Mohamed Salah only the third-most popular Dream Team player this season
Mohamed Salah (£7.5m) was the only player to achieve 300+ Dream Team points last season.
331 to be precise.
At one stage it looked as if Liverpool’s No11 would become only the second-ever player to breach the 400-point barrier, as Cristiano Ronaldo (£6.5m) did in 2007/08 – a campaign that earned the Portuguese superstar his first Ballon d’Or.
However, Egypt’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations final and less substantial returns in the final third of term meant it was not to be.
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Still, 331 points is a formidable total, one that ensured Salah would start 2022/23 as the joint-most expensive Dream Team asset, alongside Harry Kane (£7.5m) who has topped some key Premier League metrics since Antonio Conte returned to these shores.
Despite his price tag, we anticipated that Salah would be the most-popular player in the game ahead of Game Week 1.
After all, the only possible negative factor was the uncertain nature of his future but the 30-year-old resolved that earlier this summer by signing a new long-term contract.
The case for selecting the three-time Golden Boot winner is beyond compelling – he’s scored 156 goals in five seasons since joining the Reds in 2017.
Despite this, at the time of writing, Salah is just the third-most selected asset in Dream Team ahead of the new campaign.
His ownership of 42.6% is marginally lower than Gabriel Jesus’ (£5m) 43.7% and dwarfed by Erling Haaland’s (£7m) massive 66.2%.
In regards to Arsenal’s new striker, the Brazilian has looked sharp in pre-season and should enjoy increased playing time now he doesn’t have to compete with Man City’s array of attacking talent.
Having racked up an impressive 179 points in 2021/22, a significant portion of Dream Team gaffers evidently believe he’s capable of a double century now he’s an Emirates resident.
Perhaps it’s understandable that Man City’s No9 features in the majority of teams at this stage.
Haaland averages approximately a goal per game across the last three seasons and now he’s joined a team who create more chances than any other in their league.
However, while it seems likely the 22-year-old Norway international will thrive, the fact remains he’s untested in England whereas Salah is the most proven or proven performers.
As it stands, if you select Salah and he produces the goods then you’ll have an advantage over 57.4% of your rivals – that’s a tempting proposition.
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