Premier League players we would drop includes Bruno Fernandes ...
Starting with the controversial inclusion of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, here are 12 Premier League players we think should be dropped.
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
The timing is not great after Fernandes put in his best performance of the season against Brentford, but he has been absolutely pants in every other match in 2024/25.
Erik ten Hag cannot rely on the injury-prone Mason Mount as a direct replacement for his captain, which hints more towards a formation change. Could we see a good ol’ fashioned 4-4-2 at Old Trafford?
The physical threats of Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund could cause chaos up there, while Marcus Rashford is better suited to partnering someone up front rather than being on the wing by himself. That gives Amad the opportunity to start, which he just about deserves.
Dropping his captain is something Ten Hag will not be considering, but the Portuguese midfielder is not making Manchester United a better team. This is going to go down a storm, I can feel it.
Leandro Trossard (Arsenal)
Trossard off the bench and Trossard from the start are two completely different players. The Belgian’s clutch scoring ability has made him one of Mikel Arteta’s best signings but a lot of his goals have come from the bench, including the equaliser against Bayern Munich and the opener against Aston Villa this season.
Martin Odeegaard’s injury has thrown a spanner in the works. It has seen Arteta change to a 4-4-2 with Trossard accompanying Kai Havertz up front, which has been more successful than the Belgian in his captain’s midfield position.
The issue Arteta has is that Fabio Vieira is on loan at FC Porto and Emile Smith Rowe has been sold – two correct decisions, particularly in the case of the latter. That has left teenager Ethan Nwaneri as the only like-for-like replacement for Odegaard. He is bloody good, mind. It might be worth a shot but against Liverpool? Probably not.
With that in mind, this is more us urging Arteta to play Trossard up front in a 4-4-2 (apologies for the obsession towards proper footy) or drop him to the bench, where he is much more effective.
Joelinton (Newcastle United)
Eddie Howe needs to freshen things up and more creativity and dribbling ability in the midfield wouldn’t go amiss. Joelinton has been pretty rubbish this season and starting Joe Willock could be just what the doctor ordered.
Howe’s reluctance to give 90 minutes to Sandro Tonali is a midfield change we believe is more necessary. It feels bizarre that he never starts and finishes matches for Newcastle when one of his biggest qualities is his engine. We understand that he was suspended for the best part of a year but he has more than enough game time under his belt to avoid being hooked with 20 minutes to go every week. He is one of your best players, Eddie!
Michail Antonio (West Ham)
No matter who West Ham sign and how much money they cost, Antonio always finds himself starting up front by October. He is inevitable.
We don’t care if Niclas Fullkrug is injured. We don’t care if Jarrod Bowen is better on the right. We want to see Bowen play through the middle. Crysencio Summerville on the left, Lucas Paqueta in behind, and Mohammed Kudus on the right. Bing, bang, bosh.
A lot needs to change at West Ham and the manager might be the one sacrificed. Paqueta has not helped his new boss with his performances and could be part of a mass cull against Manchester United, a fixture Kudus is suspended for, which will likely give Antonio another chance up top.
Cody Gakpo (Liverpool)
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot will not change a winning formula, surely? Well, he did by dropping Luis Diaz. Like with the Trossard bench enigma, Netherlands Gakpo and Liverpool Gakpo are two completely different players. He is superb for his country and just OK for his club.
Diogo Jota’s injury against Chelsea should help Gakpo keep his place but Diaz is waiting in the wings, while Darwin Nunez has shone coming off the bench and started midweek.
Darwin needed his goal against RB Leipzig and the fact it proved to be the only goal of the game – to make it nine out of nine in Europe for the Reds – is even better.
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Robert Sanchez (Chelsea)
Spanish goalkeeper Sanchez has been fairly unconvincing this season and summer signing Filip Jorgensen is breathing down his neck. Premier League casuals are yet to find out if the Dane is better than Sanchez but they surely will soon. The annual Bobby Sanchez cull is coming.
The former Brighton player couldn’t wrestle his place back from Djordje Petrovic last season and only has two clean sheets in the Premier League in 24/25, conceding and saving a penalty in one of them.
We speculated that two errors leading to a goal against Brighton would be the end of Sanchez under Enzo Maresca but the new Blues head coach kept the faith. How long he will continue to do so is an interesting topic.
Wes Burns (Ipswich Town)
An average WhoScored match rating of 5.96 says all you need to know, really.
Conor Chaplin has been bloody amazing through the leagues for Ipswich and deserves a fair crack in the Premier League now, with Burns surely coming out.
Kevin Schade (Brentford)
Schade came in due to an injury to Yoane Wissa, who is now back to fitness and needs to return to Thomas Frank’s starting XI.
The 22-year-old German lacks conviction in front of goal and is simply a very underwhelming footballer. He played through the middle against Manchester United and failed to register a shot on goal or take-on, which is frankly embarrassing against a completely out-of-sorts team.
Wissa is a very capable frontman and proven Premier League goalscorer. It is not only a change we want to see but one we fully expect to see against Ipswich on Saturday.
Andreas Pereira (Fulham)
Saying a mid-table side should drop the player with the joint-second most key passes in the Premier League this season is certainly bold, yet here we are.
Reiss Nelson has provided an exciting impact off the bench and while he does not have the same creativity as Pereira, there is no debating that he works harder and has more of a cutting edge in the final third, two of the most basic things a Premier League forward should possess.
Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
We ranted and raved about Gundogan’s return to Man City as a no-lose situation for everyone involved. While nobody can be labelled ‘losers’ from the transfer, the German’s form has been disappointing and it is probably time for a change.
Pep Guardiola has plenty of options and nothing can be ruled out. Nathan Ake returned from injury this week and could come in to the defence, pushing John Stones further up. His return could also see Rico Lewis move into a more natural centre-midfield role, somewhere we believe he is capable of playing.
A more conventional change would see the best player in the 2024/25 Premier League, Phil Foden, come into the starting XI.
