Football’s closed-shop Super League was emphatically rejected this week – and the current Fantasy Premier League landscape again shows the motivation of players chasing major stakes.

Several of England’s European Championship hopefuls are finding their form as their clubs also chase Champions League qualification, while defeat to Leicester only slightly slowed West Brom’s FPL bounce as they battle tooth and nail against relegation.

Is now the time to think about the bigger picture when planning your transfer strategy?

Form horses found in midfield

West Brom’s star man Matheus Pereira and Mason Greenwood have been popular pick-ups this week but still have barely four per cent ownership, helping keep their appeal high.

The PA news agency’s Transfer Score system combines each player’s form, cost, ownership and upcoming fixture difficulty rating (FDR) into one single score, with Pereira leading the league at 87 out of 100 this week.

Two goals and two assists against Chelsea in gameweek 30 vaulted him through the FPL century mark and he added a goal and a clean sheet against Southampton to match Greenwood (82) – scorer of four goals in Manchester United’s last three league games – with a recent average of 10.7 points per game.

Only one FPL player is in better form – Greenwood’s erstwhile team-mate Jesse Lingard, currently on loan at West Ham as they look to join his parent club at Europe’s top table, with 11 points per game. He completes the podium places in midfield, with an ownership rate above 30 per cent holding his transfer score back to 78, as he and Greenwood chase spots in England’s competitive attacking midfield area.

Assist king Trent back to his best?

As Liverpool dallied with the ill-fated Super League, Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of several Reds players to put his name to a statement against the proposals.

Seeking instead to return to the Champions League and the England squad after a difficult season, a goal and two assists in the last three games have helped Alexander-Arnold finally start delivering on his £7.5million FPL price tag.

He leads the way in defence this week with a transfer score of 83, ahead of Seamus Coleman, his right-back rival from across Stanley Park at Everton.

Jonny Evans is alongside Coleman on 73 after scoring in Leicester’s win over the Baggies, who provide the leading goalkeeper as Sam Johnstone (74) pushes for a place at the Euros.

Iheanacho marches on

With eight goals in six league games, there is no stopping Leicester striker Kelechi Iheanacho on the pitch or in FPL.

Almost one in five managers have now pulled the trigger but the £6.1m man’s appeal remains high as he continues to outscore his more illustrious team-mate Jamie Vardy.

His transfer score of 72 keeps him one point ahead of Albion’s Callum Robinson in attack, with Chris Wood on 64 after three goals and two assists in Burnley’s last five games.