5 players who could thrive throughout April ahead of this week’s Dream Team transfer refresh
DREAM TEAM gaffers will get their hands on five box-fresh transfers this Friday.
With European knockout ties, FA Cup semi-finals and Premier League double Game Weeks to come in the following weeks, April will undoubtedly prove to be a pivotal month.
Here we've identified five players (outside the blindingly obvious candidates) we think could thrive throughout the rest of the month.
Jack Grealish (£4.1m)
Man City's No10 had one of his best games in a blue shirt at the weekend as he played a significant role in Liverpool's capitulation at the Etihad.
Grealish scored one goal and assisted another as Pep Guardiola's side came from behind to win 4-1.
He was great value for his ten points - his second double-digit haul of the season - having given Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.3m) and company a torrid time with his silky dribbling.
The England international's club form has been noticeably better in recent months and with Phil Foden (£5.1m) sidelined while he recovers from having his appendix removed, Grealish is essentially a guaranteed starter on the left flank for the next three weeks.
He has registered 50 points across the last nine Game Weeks and with City set to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals and Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-finals on top of four more league games before the end of the month, there's plenty of time for the 5.2%-owned midfielder to add to his tally further.
Luke Shaw (£4.6m)
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Man United looked pretty flat against Newcastle and were comprehensively outplayed from start to finish.
However, the Red Devils busy schedule looks ripe for points even if their general functionality as a team is reduced all the while Casemiro (£3.4m) is suspended.
For example, Shaw gained a lot of ground in the rankings last month despite the fact it started with him incurring minus six points at Anfield.
Erik ten Hag's side host Brentford in midweek before favourable league match-ups against Everton and Nottingham Forest around two Europa League legs against Sevilla.
All in all, Shaw potentially has a further EIGHT fixtures to fulfil before the start of May.
In comparison, Ben White (£4.5m), who nine points ahead of his compatriot after the weekend's results, has a maximum of five more games in the same time frame - which includes away trips to Liverpool and Man City.
Dan Burn (£4.1m)
Sunday's performance would have come as a massive reassurance for the many gaffers who have put their faith in a Newcastle-heavy defence.
Not only did the Magpies keep their first clean sheet since January, Kieran Trippier (£5.7m) rolled back the months to provide an assist and claim the Star Man award - though the right-back very much falls under the category of 'blindingly obvious' in terms of Dream Team recommendations.
However, if clean sheets are back on the menu then the Toon's giant left-back may be worth a whirl as well.
Burn's upcoming fixtures certainly aren't anything to balk at: West Ham, Brentford, Aston Villa, Spurs, Everton, Southampton.
With 120 points to his name, the 6ft 7in defender is Dream Team seventh-best asset in his position at the time of writing.
Jarrod Bowen (£3.9m)
Many Dream Team bosses will instinctively want to keep West Ham assets are arm's length given their form as a collective this season.
But the Europa Conference League quarter-finals should not be underestimated (okay, they should, but not totally).
Bowen has thoroughly enjoyed himself in the continent's tertiary competition this term, bagging 44 points in six outings - that record suggests the Hammers' two legs against Gent may be worth targeting.
With ten goals and six assists in all competitions to his name at this stage, the ex-Hull wingers boasts a respectable total of goal involvements even his tally doesn't quite compare to his efforts in 2021/22.
It's worth noting that he's earned six Star Man awards and only four players have claimed more at this juncture.
West Ham also have eight more fixtures in the diary this month.
John Stones (£5.6m)
We finish by reverting back to Man City and their adaptable centre-back-turned-defensive-midfielder.
Against Liverpool, Stones played brilliantly alongside Rodri in Guardiola's favoured system of late and so it's likely he'll reprise the role in the coming weeks.
The England international is slightly more likely to contribute goal involvements in his new role but his viability depends on his schedule, which looks promising.
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Granted, Bayern could inflict minus points over two quarter-final legs with all their attacking power but City's fixtures around those games look like strong clean sheet possibilities: Southampton, Leicester, Sheffield United.
Arsenal's visit to the Etihad on the 26th is clearly gigantic in the context of the Premier League title race but it's worth remembering that City beat the Gunners 3-1 in north London.