Which are the best new signings to consider in Bundesliga Fantasy? We take a look at the latest signings in each position in our latest article.
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Loïs Openda
🐂 Club: RB Leipzig
💰 Price: €12.6M
🚀 Ownership: 12%
Only goal difference separated Bayern and Dortmund for the Bundesliga title last season and although Leipzig finished at a respectable third-place finish just five points behind the league leaders, the club probably realizes that this is the best shot that they have for the championship in a while with Bayern having a short-handed squad with plenty of departures and few replacements especially when it comes to attack.
Leipzig have had a busy transfer window themselves, selling their three best players-Nkunku, Szoboszlai and Gvardiol-each breaking their transfer record one after the other. With over 200M added to their purse from just those three sales, they needed a statement signing and their new record purchase Openda already looks like he might become one of the best players in the league. His domestic track record has always been impressive with 21 goals and 4 assists in 38 matches for RC Lens in Ligue 1 last season and 19 goals and 3 assists in 37 matches for Vitesse in the Eredivisie a year earlier. He is the highest-scoring Bundesliga player in pre-season so far with 7 goals in 219 minutes and it looks very likely that he will be Leipzig’s top-scorer come the end of the season.
Deniz Undav
🐊 Club: VfB Stuttgart
💰 Price: €9M
🚀 Ownership: 0%
Not as high-profile as Openda but that can also work to your advantage as Undav’s record suggests that he could be a prolific goal-scorer with just a 0% ownership percentage to start the season. His time at Brighton doesn’t look the best as he kept switching between the starting XI and the bench but when he did get consistent game time, he had 4 goals and an assist in his last 4 starts right at the end of the season. It is also easy to forget that he was the Jupiler Pro League top-scorer in 21/22 with 26 goals and 12 assists in just 39 matches for USG. Undav won’t have the same service that he did in his last two clubs but I am still counting on him to score double-digit goals especially if Guirassy leaves.
Victor Boniface
🦁 Club: Bayer Leverkusen
💰 Price: €12M
🚀 Ownership: 3%
Leverkusen is another club that has been flexing muscle in the transfer window. Lots of high-profile signings have come in including Victor Boniface from USG. His domestic goal-scoring record wasn’t the best with 9 goals and 8 assists in 37 matches but the Europa League is where he really impressed with 6 goals in 10 matches and caught the eye of Xabi Alonso in the quarter-finals against his current club. He faces Leipzig and Bayern in the first four matchdays so he is wait and watch for me, especially with some uncertainty about his spot but with a supporting cast of Jonas Hofmann (21 G/A in 31 league matches), Florian Wirtz (7 G/A in 17 matches), Jeremie Frimpong (15 G/A in 34 matches), Álex Grimaldo (14 G/A in 33 matches) and Xhaka who had his career-best season with 14 G/A in 37 matches, Leverkusen is probably the best team in the Bundesliga for a striker and I would be surprised if he turns out to be a flop.
Honourable Mentions
- Marvin Pieringer (FCH) – Highly rated 23-year-old with 10 goals and 8 assists in just 23 games for Paderborn last season while averaging 2.6 SpG and 1.2 KeyP per game. He is also Heidenheim’s top scorer in pre-season with 7 goals which is more than Kleindienst.
- Dawid Kownacki (SVW) – Another player that impressed in the 2. Bundesliga and is Werder Bremen’s top-scorer in pre-season but won’t start unless one of Füllkrug or Ducksch leaves.
- Benjamin Šeško (RBL) – RB Salzburg’s top goal-scorer in 22/23 at just 20 years old but target men have mostly struggled for Leipzig over the past few years.
- David Datro Fofana (FCU) – Almost averaged a goal a game for Molde in the Eliteserien before being snapped up by Chelsea and although he isn’t predicted to start right away, I think he could end up with double-digit goals if he gets to play alongside Becker.
Midfielders
Felix Nmecha
🐝 Club: Borussia Dortmund
💰 Price: €10M
🚀 Ownership: 6%
There is a lot of criticism surrounding Felix Nmecha’s transfer fee but it isn’t all that bad for a 22-year-old with 3 goals and 6 assists in just 19 starts last season. He was a popular budget pick in fantasy last season thanks to his high floor and I am expecting him to continue to play the same way this season after taking over Jude Bellingham’s spot in the team.
Xavi Simons
🐂 Club: RB Leipzig
💰 Price: €14M
🚀 Ownership: 5%
If Openda was Nkunku’s replacement, Simons has been brought in to replace Szoboszlai. At 19, he finished second in the Eredivisie goal-scoring charts with 19 goals to go along with 8 assists in just 34 matches. Although he is here just on a one-year loan, expect him to become the main creator of chances for the team alongside Olmo.
Jeong Woo-Yeong
🐊 Club: VfB Stuttgart
💰 Price: €5M
🚀 Ownership: 1%
Stuttgart’s attack was lacklustre, to say the least, last season but without any reliable creator in attack, it could be a good chance for Woo-Yeong to shine. I am sure he can do much better than Führich if he gets the same chances and seems like a good bargain at 5M if he nails down a starting spot.
Honourable Mentions
- Franck Honorat (BMG) – He had a somewhat decent season in Ligue 1 last season with 6 goals and 5 assists in 33 matches for Brest but he has some big boots to fill with Jonas Hofmann’s departure and although he is on set-pieces, I am not entirely sure about him since he might be playing at wing-back. Still, one to keep an eye on.
- Brenden Aaronson (FCU) – Union Berlin’s attack has suffered from the lack of a proper attacking midfielder, mostly relying on their wing-backs but that might change with the introduction of Aaronson and we might have our first viable midfielder from Union Berlin in fantasy.
Defenders
Álex Grimaldo
🦁 Club: Bayer Leverkusen
💰 Price: €10M
🚀 Ownership: 7%
The most important defender signed in this window fantasy-wise, you might already know about Grimaldo from his exploits in the Primeira Liga and Champions League. Leverkusen needed another wing-back to match Frimpong’s attacking potential and he is the perfect partner with 5 goals and 9 assists in 33 domestic games last season. Plus, he also has the added advantage of set-pieces so I am sure that Frimpong+Grimaldo will be a popular duo in Bundesliga Fantasy this season.
Leart Paqarada
🦁 Club: 1. FC Köln
💰 Price: €6.3M
🚀 Ownership: 5%
If you need an attacking defender to set your team apart, consider Leart Paqarada. He showed he has the potential to be a good asset in Bundesliga Fantasy with 3 goals and 10 assists in 32 matches for St. Pauli last season and was also 9th in the 2. Bundesliga for duels won so he should have a decent floor. Paqarada still only has 5% ownership and is also on sale for MD1.
Goalkeeper
Finn Dahmen
🌳 Club: FC Augsburg
💰 Price: €7M
🚀 Ownership: 2%
It was surprising for Dahmen to end up in Augsburg considering how talented he is but the Fuggerstädter have a real gem on their hands and it is the perfect scenario for Bundesliga Fantasy managers as he ended up on the team that conceded the most shots per game last season. If you still aren’t convinced of his talent, you can watch his highlights of the BVB vs FCA game last season where he almost single-handedly denied Dortmund their first title in over 10 years with 8 saves.
Honourable Mentions
- Alexander Nübel – There is no doubt about his skill because there is a reason that he is rated highly by Bayern and compared to Augsburg’s defence, Stuttgart aren’t much better especially if they lose Mavropanos, Ito and Sosa before the window closes. Nübel is also on sale for the first matchday.
You can find additional Bundesliga Fantasy resources for the 23/24 season here.
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