FPL and Premier League this season has seen very few attacking midfielders delivering. The best points scorers in midfield apart from Semenyo have been DMs such as Rice, Caicedo and Gravenberch.
Finding someone to deliver an assist or goal has become very rare this season but a new option has emerged Rayan Cherki from Manchester City for just £6.3m.
After a recent run of impressive performances, the Manchester City prodigy is firmly on the watchlist. But is Gameweek 11 the right time to make the move?
Rayan Cherki arrived at Manchester City with a stellar reputation for his creativity at Lyon. His underlying numbers in Ligue 1 were phenomenal, and he’s now starting to translate that talent onto the Premier League stage.
After an injury interrupted start to the season, Cherki’s recent form has been eye catching. Last night against Bournemouth he bagged two assists setting up Haaland twice bagging a 10 pointer. He also contributed a goal and an assist in an EFL Cup tie against Swansea midweek.
Pep Guardiola himself has been full of praise, noting Cherki’s “special talent and connection with the people up front.”
Cherki is a pure creator, an element City needed after the departure of Kevin De Bruyne and with Foden still not being able to bounce back to his 23/24 season highs, Cherki seems to be the main creator.
His underlying stats in France suggested he was an Expected Assist (xA) king, and his ability to thread line breaking passes is a massive boon for the FPL’s premium asset, Erling Haaland which was evidenced yesterday.
His ceiling of points scoring makes him a potentially explosive differential especially at this price point.
Rayan Cherki is the only player in Europe's top five leagues to provide multiple assists in five different games across all competitions in 2025.
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 2, 2025
Two assists for Erling Haaland this evening. 🅰️🅰️ pic.twitter.com/zqiqjpqrVG
The single biggest roadblock for any nonpremium Manchester City asset is the infamous ‘Pep Roulette.’
Despite his recent heroics, Cherki’s expected minutes remain tough to predict especially with him coming off an injury not to mention the fixture congestion. He is competing with Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush, and others for the creative roles.
Fixtures are not great either, Manchester City face Dortmund and Liverpool in the span of a week and after the international break it is Newcastle away. Cherki is currently an ultra low owned differential owned by just 2.4% of players.
This low ownership means you are not penalized heavily for waiting one more Gameweek to confirm his spot in the starting XI for a tough game, or if he maintains his form against a weaker team. The decision hinges on your current squad structure and risk tolerance.
| Scenario | Rationale |
| I. Looking for a Differential | If you need a high ceiling player to chase a mini league leader, Cherki’s explosive potential with Haaland is unmatched for his price. High risk and high reward don’t be surprised if he gets benched. |
| II. Wildcard | He is a good option on a Wildcard, given how much leeway we have with the budget, if you have the money Reijnders to Cherki as your fifth midfielder seems like a good move to make. |
| III. Solid Squad, One Free Transfer | Unless your alternative transfer target has a terrible fixture, a single free transfer is too valuable to spend on a rotation risk. Especially with the next few fixtures for Manchester City. Hold your transfer in that case. |
The bottom line is Cherki is a high risk, high reward option. The talent is undeniable, and his connection with Haaland is immediately obvious.
However, FPL points are scored for minutes played, and until Cherki nails down a consistent starting berth, he remains a fantastic watchlist option rather than a must have transfer for the next Gameweek.
I would personally wait and see how he does against Dortmund, Liverpool and Newcastle, these are all tough fixtures and if he starts all it shows Pep’s trust in him.
If he does perform well, City enter a good fixture run so he is a good option then. So wait and hold until we get confirmation of his minutes and role under Pep.
