The Scout assesses the best armband alternatives to Haaland, with Fernandes and Timber among the standouts
Bruno Fernandes (£8.9m) and Jurrien Timber (£6.4m) have the form and fixtures to be the best alternatives to Eriing Haaland (£14.9m) for the captaincy in Gameweek 14.
Manchester United’s Fernandes has stepped up his output ahead of a home encounter with West Ham United.
He has supplied four of his five assists this season in the last four Gameweeks, totalling 23 points in that spell.
Arsenal’s Timber has a home match against Brentford at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The right-back ranks second only to Haaland for points accrued in home matches this season, earning 55 of them thanks to two goals, three assists and four clean sheets.
Haaland, meanwhile, has blanked in successive Gameweeks for the first time in 2025/26 ahead of his visit to Fulham.
But with the first round of midweek matches now upon us, and the threat of rotation among most sides greater than normal, the Norwegian still remains the player most likely to reward your faith as captain.
When you also consider his huge 72 per cent ownership, captaining Haaland looks the most risk-averse strategy to navigate Gameweek 14.
Who’s had a similar attacking threat to Haaland recently?
By pinpointing players who are similar to Haaland for big chances – situations where a player is expected to score – you get a better idea of the main alternatives for the captaincy.
As you can see from the table below, Haaland has had six big chances over the last four Gameweeks, a total bettered only by the seven of Brentford’s Igor Thiago (£6.7m).
The all-round potential offered by Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) is evident here, too. He’s had four big chances and created a further three over the same period, which means that, like Thiago, he’s been involved in seven big chances.
Haaland’s team-mates Nico O’Reilly (£5.2m) and Jeremy Doku (£6.6m) have had six and five big-chance involvements respectively over the last four Gameweeks.
Chelsea pair Joao Pedro (£7.4m) and Alejandro Garnacho (£6.4m) also boast promising statistics, with the Brazilian’s nine shots in the box third in the assessment.
Newcastle United’s Harvey Barnes (£6.4m) is also among the players who have been involved in more than four big chances (BC) in the last four matches.
Top players for big-chance involvement GW10-13
Player
Shots in box
BC
BC created
BC inv.
Thiago
10
7
0
7
Saka
7
4
3
7
Haaland
13
6
0
6
Joao Pedro
9
5
1
6
O’Reilly
7
3
3
6
Barnes
7
5
0
5
Garnacho
3
1
4
5
Doku
3
0
5
5
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
Who is facing the worst defence?
A delve into the team data shows why Crystal Palace’s Jean Philippe-Mateta (£8.1m) can add to his tally of seven goals this season.
The Frenchman’s hosts Burnley have allowed a league-high 15 big chances over Gameweeks 10-13 and have conceded 10 goals in that period.
Chelsea’s Joao Pedro and Garnacho should also be optimistic due to their opposition’s numbers, with their hosts Leeds conceding 11 goals in this run, more than any other club.
As you can see from the table below, of the nine clubs who have conceded at least 10 big chances in this spell, only two of them – Man City and Aston Villa – have managed to keep any clean sheets.
Both Spurs and West Ham also appear here, which suggests the likes of Barnes and Fernandes can reward investors.
Most big chances conceded GW10-13
Team
Goals conc.
Clean sheets
BC conceded
Burnley
10
0
15
Leeds
11
0
13
Spurs
9
0
11
Sunderland
6
0
11
Man City
5
1
11
Wolves
9
0
10
Newcastle
8
0
10
West Ham
7
0
10
Aston Villa
3
2
10
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile
So, who is the best captain for Gameweek 14?
Haaland’s numbers remain among the very best despite his recent drop-off.
Although Thiago and Saka look the next-best options statistically, both have enough against them to avoid.
In Thiago’s case, the difficulty of his fixture away at Arsenal should be enough deterrent. For Saka, the recent return to action of his deputy Noni Madueke (£6.8m) adds a concern that his minutes may be managed to a degree.
While Mateta and Chelsea attackers could also deliver huge hauls, Fernandes’ security of minutes combined with set-piece and penalty duties potentially makes him the best alternative to Haaland.
Timber’s outstanding home form is also worth considering if you’re worried about the minutes of key attackers in Gameweek 14.
Indeed, the right-back has produced all of his attacking returns for the season at Emirates Stadium.
