With Gameweek 16 approaching, FPL managers have been given five free transfers to plan for the Africa Cup of Nations. A variety of players are set to be unavailable for the coming weeks.
Two highly-owned assets leaving for AFCON are Bryan Mbeumo (£8.4m)  at 29% and Iliman Ndiaye (£6.4m) at 9%, so FPL managers will be looking for adequate replacements for their departing midfielders.
Squawka have used their <a href="https://www.squawka.com/en/comparison-matrix/?compare=Msa4t1uB7Alx-XtkvUQqm">Comparison Matrix</a> to hand pick and analyse three excellent value replacements for you to take a punt on over the festive period.
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<h3>Phil Foden</h3>
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<h4>Price: £8.6m</h4>
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<h4>Teams selected by: 27.0%</h4>
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Phil Foden has started the new campaign in stellar form, scoring six Premier League goals and providing two assists in 13 appearances. The 25-year-old has 77 FPL points this season, averaging 5.9 points per game.
The Manchester City man is the most in-form midfield option in the league right now, not only adding goals and assists, but also putting up some strong underlying numbers. 
Foden has averaged 1.6 shots per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, hitting the target with 50% of them.
He is also creating 2.3 chances per 90, more than both Mbeumo (1.7) and Ndiaye (1.2).
 In Pep Guardiola’s new system, Foden is given freedom to drift between the lines, finding pockets of space and being a key figure in their chance creation alongside Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki.
Foden’s upcoming fixtures include Crystal Palace, West Ham and Nottingham Forest. 
They are all games City should dominate which gives the England international plenty of chances to shine. 
While slightly more expensive than Mbeumo, Foden is tough to ignore right now.
<div id="attachment_73214" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-73214" class="size-full wp-image-73214" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Foden-5.jpg" alt="Phil Foden. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Foden-5.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Foden-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Foden-5-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Phil Foden. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h3>Bruno Guimaraes</h3>
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<h4>Price: £6.9m</h4>
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<h4>Teams selected by: 13.0%</h4>
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Another option going under the radar is Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, who has scored 81 FPL points this season, averaging 5.7 points per game. 
The 28-year-old has scored five goals and provided three assists in his 14 appearances so far.
Playing as a more advanced No.8, Guimaraes is averaging 0.9 through balls per 90, more than any midfield options being assessed here. 
He is also averaging the most forward passes with 15.4 per 90. The Brazilian betters Ndiaye for chances created per 90 at 1.3, averaging 0.2 assists.
Guimaraes shines defensively too, with extra points for defensive contributions in two of his past five games. 
He averages 5.6 duels won, 2.1 tackles, 1.1 clearances and 0.5 interceptions per 90. The Brazilian is a clever coup at a similar price point to Ndiaye.
<div id="attachment_47905" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-47905" class="size-full wp-image-47905" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruno-Guimaraes.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="650" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruno-Guimaraes.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruno-Guimaraes-300x190.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruno-Guimaraes-768x488.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bruno-Guimaraes-610x387.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Bruno Guimaraes. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h3>Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall</h3>
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<h4>Price: £5.1m</h4>
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<h4>Teams selected by: 7.6%</h4>
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Dewsbury-Hall has scored 74 FPL points this season, averaging 5.3 points per game. He’s scored four goals and provided three assists in his 14 appearances this campaign.
The 27-year-old has been key for Everton and has seen an uptick in attacking form, arriving in the box and getting on the end of chances. 
While he has only averaged 0.8 shots per 90, Dewsbury-Hall boasts a conversion rate of 36%. 
The Toffees midfielder also betters both Mbeumo and Ndiaye for chances created (1.5) and crosses (4.6) per 90.
Dewsbury-Hall is very active defensively, winning 5.5 duels per 90, alongside 1.5 clearances, 0.6 interceptions and 1.9 tackles. 
Much like Guimaraes, this has seen the midfielder meet the defensive contributions threshold in three of his last five games, giving him an extra route to points.
<div id="attachment_74696" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-74696" class="size-full wp-image-74696" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2230921266.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2230921266.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2230921266-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/GettyImages-2230921266-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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FPL tips: Midfielders to replace AFCON assets | Squawka

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