After ending last season in outstanding form, the Crystal Palace left-back can quickly establish himself as a top defender target for FPL managers.
Van Aanholt scored against Leicester City, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion in each of his final three Premier League matches in 2017/18, and the Dutchman was the joint-top scoring player in Gameweek 38 thanks to his season-high haul of 18 FPL points.
He produced a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over the Baggies at Selhurst Park, and all five of Van Aanholt’s goals in 2017/18 arrived in the final 10 matches.
His statistics during that period fare well when compared with FPL defenders:
- From Gameweek 29 onwards, Van Aanholt was ranked first for shots on target (eight), while only Harry Maguire produced more shots on goal (15 to 13)
- The Dutchman also found the net against Manchester United and Chelsea
- A consistent source of goals, Van Aanholt has scored on five or more occasions in three successive Premier League seasons
- As a result, he has been handed a price tag of £5.5m in FPL – up from his starting price of £4.5m in 17/18
But an opening run of matches suggests that immediate investment can pay off - in the first eight Gameweeks, the Eagles face just one of the teams that finished in the top nine positions last season. That will occur in Gameweek 2, when they welcome Liverpool to Selhurst Park.
Van Aanholt’s ability to combine goals and clean sheets can take advantage of that schedule to propel him into the plans of FPL managers.