Foden or Cherki for FPL GW9? Who to Pick and Who to Hold

Phil Foden costs £6.8m. Rayan Cherki costs £8.0m. Both managed only 45 minutes in GW8. Brighton at home is an appealing fixture, but buying either means accepting uncertainty over how much of it he will play.

For a new buyer, Cherki has the stronger league-start record; Foden is the cheaper, higher-risk choice. Existing owners can hold either if the rest of their XI and bench are sound. We would not use a transfer simply to swap one for the other. Both played the full cup tie, and neither is guaranteed to start against Brighton. Neither would be our default City captain.

Updated after City’s 28 October Carabao Cup tie. FPL prices, availability and league starts were rechecked on 30 October at 14:14 UTC; the GW8 returns below remain Premier League figures. GW9 closes on Saturday 31 October at 11:00 GMT, or 19:00 Singapore time. City’s 30 October squad update is included below; it does not reveal the starting XI.

Maresca’s 30 October squad update identifies Semenyo as City’s only unavailable player. That removes an immediate fitness objection to Foden or Cherki, but availability is not the same as selection. Their full workload against Brighton on 28 October remains relevant, without proving that either will be benched in the league.

Forty-five minutes each, for different reasons

Prices and season starts come from the official FPL player feed; minutes and points are from the GW8 scoring feed. All three were listed as available, which is not a promise of a starting place.

City lost 2–1 at Aston Villa. Cherki started, then Foden replaced him at half-time. City's report also notes that Cherki was on a yellow card. The substitution therefore needs to be read in its match context, rather than treated as a permanent change in the pecking order. City's match report

Nor did Foden's Champions League hat-trick against AEK Athens secure the next league start. City's Villa team news confirmed his return to the bench. For FPL managers, that sequence neatly captures the difficulty: even an outstanding midweek performance left his weekend minutes uncertain.

Foden owners can wait, provided the rest of the XI is sound

Anyone who bought Foden after the hat-trick will have found Sunday frustrating. Yet one point is a thin basis for another transfer, and his subsequent cup involvement adds evidence rather than a simple reason to buy or sell.

At £6.8m, Foden can remain a calculated risk if your other starters are reliable and you have no urgent replacement to make. The threshold changes if he is one of several uncertain attackers. A squad already short of dependable minutes should not add another speculative selection just because the fixture is at home.

Review that wider picture in My Team, including your available bench and other transfer priorities. A playing substitute can cover a complete absence, but not a brief Foden cameo that blocks the automatic substitution. That distinction matters when deciding how much rotation your XI can absorb. Check the GW9 injury list for other absences before deciding that City's minutes risk is your most urgent problem.

A sale becomes easier to justify if the next round of team news weakens his league prospects and there is a clearly preferable replacement. Until then, owners have more to gain from waiting than reacting to the blank.

Cherki has the stronger starting record

Cherki has started six league matches to Foden's four. That record is worth weighing alongside the price difference, although his half-time withdrawal at Villa shows why a start alone may not deliver the minutes owners want.

The £1.2m gap to Foden is the difference between their current purchase prices, not necessarily the money your squad would release. Check your own purchase price and sale proceeds in the FPL selling-price calculator before planning the second transfer.

Switching makes more sense if the actual saving funds a specific, worthwhile upgrade elsewhere. Switching simply to own the other City midfielder leaves you with the same opponent and another unresolved selection question.

In the absence of an injury or a setback to his role, Cherki owners can keep the transfer available for a more pressing problem.

Both played the full cup tie — what does that change?

City drew 2–2 with Brighton on 28 October, then won the shootout 4–3. Foden and Cherki both started and completed 90 minutes plus stoppage time, with no extra time. Both also converted in the shootout. Neither had a short cup outing before the league meeting on 31 October. City’s official match report

Foden supplied Kovacic’s first-half goal and Cherki’s free kick set up Vitor Reis after the break. Those contributions came in the cup: they add no FPL points and do not change the league-start totals above. Foden moved into midfield after the half-time reorganisation, but that is not a promise of the same weekend role.

The workload still matters even with both available in the latest club update. Do not apply a mechanical rule that “rested means starting” or “90 minutes means benched”. Both showed attacking involvement; neither has removed the uncertainty over his next league minutes.

For a new purchase, Foden is the cheaper route; Cherki has the better league-start record. Neither advantage settles the decision by itself. If you require dependable minutes immediately, waiting or looking beyond this pair is reasonable.

Use the price-changes tracker to check recorded movement alongside your budget. Do not treat a possible price rise as proof that a player is a better football pick, or the tracker as a guarantee of the next change.

Fixtures and captaincy: separate the two decisions

City's next three league opponents are Brighton at home, Nottingham Forest away and Fulham at home, according to the official FPL fixtures feed. That run gives a City purchase some appeal beyond this weekend, provided the player gets enough time on the pitch to benefit.

For captaincy, Haaland's eight league starts and full GW8 appearance provide a stronger minutes foundation than either midfielder's record. He still needs the normal fitness and team-news checks. His £15.8m price and forward classification also make him a different squad-building decision, not a direct midfield replacement.

Leave room for the next team sheet

Hold Foden or Cherki provisionally, weigh the full cup workload alongside Maresca’s availability update, and buy only when the minutes risk fits your team. Do not make a sideways transfer just to escape last week's score.

For the earlier injury-replacement context, see our GW8 Foden–Cherki and Semenyo analysis. The minutes evidence above brings that discussion up to date for GW9.