FPL Gameweek 21 (2025/26): Team, Captain and Transfers
For FPL 2025/26 Gameweek 21 (reconstructed cutoff 6 Jan 2026, 18:30 UTC), the optimiser picked Haaland as captain and Foden as vice, a 3-5-2, and one free transfer (J.Timber out, Tarkowski in). Projected squad total was 69.5. It scored 55 net points after hits. This is a reconstructive replay: the cutoff is first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not a live two-hour freeze.
Cutoff 6 Jan 2026, 18:30 UTCReconstructed cutoff (kickoff − 90 min)sha256:6b8ac10a…a8b7Download snapshotSettledReconstructive replay
Key facts
- Captain
- Haaland (7.9 xP)
- Vice-captain
- Foden
- Formation
- 3-5-2
- Transfers
- J.Timber → Tarkowski
- Bank
- £0.5m
- Hits
- None
- Chip
- None
- Projected
- 69.5 xP
- Points
- 55
- Status
- Settled
Squad
| Pos | Player | Club | Fixture | FDR | £m | xP | Pts | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GKP | Sánchez | CHE | FUL (A) | 3 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2 | — |
| DEF | Tarkowski | EVE | WOL (H) | 1 | 5.8 | 4.6 | 4 | — |
| DEF | Chalobah | CHE | FUL (A) | 3 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 3 | — |
| DEF | Guéhi | CRY | AVL (H) | 3 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 6 | — |
| MID | Foden | MCI | BHA (H) | 3 | 8.0 | 5.6 | 2 | Vice-captain |
| MID | Semenyo | BOU | TOT (H) | 3 | 8.0 | 5.5 | 6 | — |
| MID | Rogers | AVL | CRY (A) | 3 | 7.3 | 5.0 | 3 | — |
| MID | Rice | ARS | LIV (H) | 3 | 7.2 | 4.6 | 3 | — |
| MID | Cunha | MUN | BUR (A) | 2 | 8.1 | 4.5 | 2 | — |
| FWD | Haaland | MCI | BHA (H) | 3 | 14.7 | 7.9 | 12 | Captain |
| FWD | Thiago | BRE | SUN (H) | 2 | 7.2 | 5.1 | 12 | — |
| Bench | ||||||||
| GKP | Dúbravka | BUR | MUN (H) | 3 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3 | Sub #1 |
| DEF | Senesi | BOU | TOT (H) | 3 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 6 | Sub #2 |
| DEF | Rodon | LEE | NEW (A) | 3 | 3.9 | 1.3 | 1 | Sub #3 |
| FWD | Marc Guiu | CHE | FUL (A) | 3 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 0 | Sub #4 |
Why this plan
Reconstructive replay for 2025/26 Gameweek 21. The optimiser captained Haaland (vice Foden), formation 3-5-2, and made one transfer (J.Timber out, Tarkowski in). It scored 55 net points after hits. Pre-cutoff objective was 69.5 expected points.
Transfers
J.Timber out (£6.1m) → Tarkowski in (£5.6m). Selected by this approach at the reconstructed cutoff.
- Transfers: J.Timber to Tarkowski.
- Evidence-informed finished +0 points versus the optimiser this week.
- Fixtures come from the final season export, so mid-season revisions are not in this snapshot.
- The cutoff is reconstructed as first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not the live FPL deadline clock.
- No private manager state (exact bank, selling prices, chip timing) was archived at the time.
This is a reconstructive historical replay, not a live two-hour freeze. Inputs were rebuilt after the season; see Methods and the limitations on this page.
Limitations of this snapshot
- Fixtures come from the final season export, so mid-season revisions are not in this snapshot.
- The cutoff is reconstructed as first kickoff minus 90 minutes, not the live FPL deadline clock.
- No private manager state (exact bank, selling prices, chip timing) was archived at the time.
- Press and injury notes were not locked before the deadline.
- Prices are not exact pre-deadline quotes.
- Raw community xP tables were not used as the pre-deadline forecast.
Three approaches compared
Template (roll transfers), optimiser (selected plan), and same-state evidence. In this ingest, evidence matched the optimiser every week.
| Approach | Formation | Captain | Transfers | Projected | vs Template | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Template No transfers | 4-4-2 | Tarkowski (Watkins) | 0 | 50.2 | — | 38 | 38 pts net |
Optimiser (selected) J.Timber → Tarkowski | 3-5-2 | Haaland (Foden) | 1 | 69.5 | +17.0 | 55 | 55 pts net |
Evidence J.Timber → Tarkowski | 3-5-2 | Haaland (Foden) | 1 | 69.5 | +17.0 | 55 | 55 pts net |
Chip check
No chip was played. The 2025/26 reconstructive path left Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost unused, including in Gameweek 34 when both the optimiser and the template took an 8-point hit in a blank.
How to verify
This Gameweek 21 plan is a reconstructive snapshot hashed with SHA-256 (sha256:6b8ac10a9cd89b37577925c8b02643a191d4644d8a140b8bcdbcb2560364a8b7), with cutoff 6 Jan 2026, 18:30 UTC (first kickoff minus 90 minutes). Download the JSON to inspect the rebuilt inputs. This is not a live two-hour freeze.
Who should I captain in Gameweek 21?
The selected plan captains Haaland (7.9 projected points) against BHA (H). Vice-captain is Foden. Same-state evidence matched this captain.
Should I use a chip in Gameweek 21?
No chip was played. The 2025/26 reconstructive path left Wildcard, Free Hit, Triple Captain and Bench Boost unused, including in Gameweek 34 when both the optimiser and the template took an 8-point hit in a blank.
Is Gameweek 21 a live freeze or a replay?
A reconstructive replay. Inputs were rebuilt after the season. The cutoff is first kickoff minus 90 minutes.