Fantasy Football Sidekick: Time to bring in Liverpool's January signing

With yet another round of Premier League games on the horizon, Fantasy Football Sidekick returns to help with the best picks to land you maximum points this weekend, and beyond given the double gameweek for some, with stars from Liverpool, Tottenham and Brentford among those to make the cut.  

Cody Gakpo - Liverpool (vs Bournemouth) 

Cody Gakpo took a short while to get going in a Liverpool shirt, but has quickly endeared himself to the Reds faithful. The Dutchman netted twice in their 7-0 mauling of rivals Manchester United on Sunday and has now scored four goals in his last four Premier League starts. No Liverpool player has scored more Premier League goals than Gakpo in 2023.

The Reds have looked more their usual selves in recent weeks and while they'll have one eye on next week's Champions League trip to Real Madrid, a win over Bournemouth will boost their chances of securing a top-four finish. The Cherries have been more solid at home of late, but did lose their last league game 4-1 to Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium. Liverpool have won their last seven meetings with Bournemouth, including a 9-0 win over Saturday's opponents in the reverse fixture, and if Jurgen Klopp's side do tear the Cherries apart, then Gakpo should add to his four Premier League goals here. 

James Ward-Prowse - Southampton (vs Manchester United & Brentford) 

Southampton moved off the bottom of the table with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Leicester last time out. Two of their six league wins have come in their last three outings, and in a double gameweek, bringing in captain James Ward-Prowse may be a handy point earner. Ward-Prowse may have missed a penalty against the Foxes, but is Saints' top scorer with six goals to his name this season. 

Now, Saints will find their next two league matches difficult as they travel to Manchester United on Sunday before facing off against a Brentford team on a 12-game unbeaten run at the time of writing. Yet on set-pieces, and a maestro from a dead-ball situation, Ward-Prowse could prove a key pick up as we near the international break. 

Ethan Pinnock - Brentford (vs Everton & Southampton) 

A 3-2 win over Fulham saw Brentford secure the west London bragging rights and extend their unbeaten run to 12 matches. Ethan Pinnock was named the WhoScored man of the match in that victory having scored his first league goal of the campaign and put in a defensively sound showing. 

Next up for Brentford in the coming days is meetings with two of the Premier League's four lowest scorers. No team has scored fewer goals than Everton (19) in England's top tier this term, level with Wolves, while only the pair have netted fewer times than Saints (20). The Bees are defensively sound and solid when it comes to set-pieces, so adding Pinnock to the ranks is a bit of a no-brainer this week. 

Harry Kane - Tottenham (vs Nottingham Forest) 

Half of Harry Kane's Premier League goals this season have come at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and while the mood is low in the white half of north London, they face the perfect opponent to help boost morale this weekend. No team has earned fewer away Premier League points than Nottingham Forest (6) this season. 

In addition, Spurs are one of only four teams to have beaten Forest at the City Ground in 2022/23. Kane scored both goals in Spurs' 2-0 win over Steve Cooper's side back in August, two of the 44 Forest have shipped this term; only Bournemouth (51) have conceded more. Kane remains Erling Haaland's closest competitor for the Golden Boot - he'll come up against the perfect opponent to close that gap this weekend. 

Jason Steele - Brighton (vs Leeds & Crystal Palace) 

Jason Steele has made only one Premier League appearance this season. He's been widely considered to be Robert Sanchez's backup at Brighton. So why should he come into your side this time out? Head coach Roberto De Zerbi has hinted that Steele will start between the sticks once again as Brighton gear up for the double gameweek. 

The 32-year-old has started the Seagulls' last two matches, keeping a clean sheet in both, and that run looks set to continue this weekend. Steele will set you back just £3.9m on Fantasy Premier League and has been selected by just 0.8% of gamers at the time of writing. One to take a gamble on, that's for sure!