Fantasy Football Tips: 6 Essential Transfers You Must Make In Gameweek 31 - Part 1

4. Laurent Koscielny

Team: Arsenal (vs Chelsea, away) Position: Defender Value: £5.6m Selected by: 11.6% Total score: 121 I'm surprised Koscielny's selection rate isn't surpassing at least 15%. The Frenchman is one major reason Arsenal has the joint highest clean sheets (13) in the league, with Chelsea and surprisingly, West Ham United. At only £5.6m, Koscielny is no doubt an astute choice if you are looking for a reliable and budget option back in defence. Against a Tottenham side who unfortunately weren't clinical enough, Koscielny put in a man-of-the-match performance, contributing to vital interceptions, risky blocks and sound tackles throughout the match. Observers would have noted that this isn't the first time center-back has put in such a decent shift. Compared to last season, Koscielny has improved tremendously on his tackling and especially his interception skills. Although it is still a work-in-progress, his aerial prowess has undoubtedly improved when placed in contrast to his striking lack of aerial ability in the Gunners's previous campaign. Since Gameweek 19, Koscielny has been averaging a steady six points per game, one of the highest amongst the other defenders in the league. With a scrappy victory against Tottenham, the Gunners now find themselves only four points behind league leaders Chelsea after their shocking loss to Aston Villa the previous week, along with a game in hand. All of a sudden, Arsenal are right back in the title race, with the possibility of taking back their place at the summit very much real again should they beat Chelsea and win their second fixture of Gameweek 31. With such high stakes, Koscielny is the right person for this stressful couple of weeks. His reliability and calmness, a striking improvement compared to his debut season, will be crucial in Arsenal's push for the title. His excellence has shone throughout the season, and with manageable fixtures coming up, this Arsenal pillar will be in for some serious points. In the Gameweek 29 issue, I recommended getting Jan Vertonghen into your squad. If you still have him, replace him with Koscielny. For £1.3m less, you'll be getting way more points.