FOR a Dream Team gaffer, there are few better feelings than backing a bargain and selling them a few months later for a massive profit.
Conversely, watching a beloved player’s price decrease over the course of a campaign can be devastating.
With regret, here are the players who have depreciated in the value the most this season.
Son Heung-min – £6.5m to £5.1m
Off the boil
If you didn’t know anything about this season and you checked the Dream Team Stats Centre to gauge the South Korean forward’s performances, you would probably assume he’s been enjoying himself.
Tottenham’s No7 has 104 points to his name, making him one of just eight centurions in his position currently, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
The truth is that 64 of Son’s points came in three games: 28 against a Leicester side that were a defensive shambles at the time, 18 against Frankfurt, and 18 against against mid-table Championship outfit Preston.
Those big cash-ins shouldn’t be ignored but the fact is he’s not been at his best for the vast majority of the campaign – he’s blanked 23 times and counting.
Conor Gallagher – £3m to £1.6m
GETTYLooked better in a Crystal Palace shirt[/caption]
The England international was one of the standout breakout stars of last season while on loan at Crystal Palace.
Gallagher scored eight goals, provided three assists, and pocketed his fair share of Star Man awards at Selhurst Park, prompting hope among the Chelsea faithful that he would spearhead their midfield in 2022/23.
However, the 23-year-old has been more of a peripheral figure for the Blues and has just two goal involvements to show for his efforts so far.
Gallagher was fully deserving of his £3m price tag prior to Game Week 1 but given that he’s mustered just 14 points to date, it’s no surprise to see him drop £1.4m.
Jamie Vardy – £4.5m to £3.1m
The party’s winding downGETTY
Now firmly at the back end of his storybook career, Leicester’s No9 has to deal with frequent injury niggles and the realities of a subsidiary role.
Vardy scored 15 league goals last season but he’s celebrated just one in 25 appearances this term and not even some profitable outings in the Carabao Cup can mitigate that from a Dream Team perspective.
The 36-year-old hasn’t registered a point since Game Week 17 and a string of second-half substitute appearances are likely to force his price lower and lower.
Still, what a gem he’s been for Dream Team gaffers over the years.
Fabinho – £3m to £1.4m
GETTYNot so fab this season[/caption]
The Brazilian midfielder personifies Liverpool’s season in many ways.
In 2021/22 he was absolutely magnificent and supplemented his impressive performances at the base of the Reds’ midfield with the odd goal.
This campaign, he’s looked a shadow of his former self, hence why Jurgen Klopp’s side only have the possibility of sneaking fourth left in terms of realistic achievements.
Fabinho has scraped together just seven points after 25 Game Weeks – no wonder his value has more than halved.
Lucas Digne – £3m to £1.4m
Villain by name and natureGETTY
Experienced Dream Team bosses will remember a time when the French defender was a savvy value-for-money option.
Sadly, those days are in the past.
Previously a creative force from left-back, Digne has failed to provide a single assist for Aston Villa this season and clean sheets haven’t been easy to come by either.
Granted, he can’t be blamed for missed games through injury but even when available he’s averaging 0.7 points-per-game.
Andy Robertson – £5.5m to £3.8m
GETTYCredit in the bank[/caption]
Scotland’s skipper was fully deserving of his lofty price at the start of the season having finished 2021/22 as the fourth-best asset in his position.
Like Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.2m), Robertson has been hugely successful in Dream Team by contributing to more goals than most midfielders while also collecting regular clean sheets.
With eight assists to his name, the 28-year-old is still making a difference in the final third but Jurgen Klopp’s side have struggled defensively for months on end now – see Real Madrid’s 5-2 win at Anfield for a recent example.
Robertson sailed past 200 points last term but he’ll do well to muster half that total this time around.
Bernardo Silva – £4.5m to £2.6m
Manchester City’s sixth-best midfielder
Last season was arguably the Portuguese playmaker’s best-ever campaign in a Manchester City shirt.
Having earned his place in the PFA Team of the Year, some Dream Team bosses may have even felt that he was great value at £4.5m prior to Game Week 1.
It’s not that he’s been poor this season – four goals and five assists in the league is a respectable return at this stage – but he’s certainly not meeting 2021/22’s standard, hence his significant price drop.
Bernardo has blanked 25 times already this season – comparatively, Kevin De Bruyne (£7.6m) has blanked in eight games.
Mason Mount – £5m to £3m
A mountain to climb
Here’s a stat: Chelsea have scored 24 league goals this season, the same number as 20th-placed Bournemouth.
The Blues’ problems in the final third have been well-documented and while no individual player is to blame, Mount’s drop-off encapsulates his side’s recent fortunes.
The England international, who was one of a handful of players to reach double figures for league goals and assists last season, has just six goal involvements to his name in all competitions at this stage of the current campaign.
A popular choice ahead of Game Week 1, the Cobham graduate has cobbled together just 50 points and the 4% of gaffers still sticking by him would do well to Google the term: sunk-cost fallacy.