Stick or Twist – Stephane Sessegnon

Stick or Twist is a new feature which looks at players creating issues for us Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers – do we stick with this player, or do we twist and chuck them out?

First up: Stephane Sessegnon. Perhaps a controversial choice. Why would you want to sell him when he’s doing so well?

Simple answer – there’s now a much cheaper alternative in James McClean, who is matching and even bettering Sessegnon’s returns – while the almost irresistible allure of Rooney, Aguero and Ba has meant we’re scratching around for cash to slot them in up front.

Sessegnon is reluctantly a good way to free up funds – so let’s weigh up the pros and cons to chucking this little gem on to the fantasy scrap heap.

Sunderland’s next 6 Gameweeks (wba, new, LIV, bla, QPR, mci) are a mixed bag, but their form and the Martin O’Neill effect cannot be underestimated, so it’s a good idea to cover this with Sessegnon or McClean in your squad.

You could even plump for both, but I would personally prefer just one because I don’t like my midfield overly tied to one team’s fortunes – unless there is a Double Gameweek.

Sessegnon – the explosion

Sessegnon took an age to come to Fantasy Premier League (FPL) stardom – he was a weak light in the distance for the first 4 months of the season, but his goal at QPR in Gameweek 17 ensured that weak light got just a bit brighter, and it was a blinding light by Gameweek 23 as Sessegnon had racked up 37 points from 4 games.

Sessegnon also has the added bonus of being ‘Out of Position’ (OOP) – which means he’s playing as a striker but is listed as a midfielder in FPL.

But is Sessegnon (£7.3m) worth over 2 million more than James McClean (£4.8m)?

Tough question!

McClean – the real deal?

McClean (11, 7) has outscored Sessegnon (6, 2) by 10 points in the last 2 games.

McClean’s form has been astonishingly good – he’s only failed in 1 of 7 matches he’s started, returning 6, 10, 2, 8, 7, 11, 7 points. What a bargain!

There’s not much difference between Sessegnon and McClean when we look at their key attacking stats over their last 4 games – Sessegnon had 1 extra shot (5 to 4) and set up 1 extra chance (5 to 4).

Time to switch?

Switching from Sessegnon to McClean really does seem like a sensible idea if you need to raise funds for other transfers – but I’d still advise a little caution.

Can McClean continue at this current rate? Surely he can’t keep returning such big hauls every week? I can’t help but think he might be slightly over performing.

I’d wait a few more matches if you can – let’s see how they both do away at West Brom and Newcastle – then take a decision.

Some fantasy managers have already jumped, with 6,000 transferring Sessegnon out this week, and McClean is the second most transferred in midfielder with over 22,000 transfers in.

Sessegnon is ironically the most transferred in midfielder this Gameweek 26 with 24,000 transfers in – so it’s pretty clear there is a real split opinion out there!

Some will be left disappointed – but who is anyone’s guess.