Let’s start with the basics, I’m within the top 3k ranking in Saudi Fantasy - a good position, but I am looking to finish as high as possible, so I need to back powerful and high impact players at a good time, and that is why I think Mateo Retegui (£9.4m, Al Qadsiah) is a must-buy for GW10.

Retegui is not an unknown quantity, at time of writing he is owned by 27.5% of the game, so 1-in-4 teams already own him, but there is some exploitable strikers to take advantage of right now - Josh King (6.5m) is currently injured but still highly owned, Ivan Toney (10.4m) is also more highly owned (28.1%) than Retegui; there’s also some ownership in Lacazette (22.9%) and starboy Marcos Leonardo (26.3%).

The Marcos Leonardo Problem: A Lesson in Bench Risk

I currently own Marcos Leonardo, and he was benched in GW9, and I think this is something that will repeat going forwards - Al Hilal simply cannot play all of Darwin Nunez (10.0m), Salem Al Dawsari (12.9m), Malcolm (9.6m) and Leonardo (7.6m) every week. Although Leonardo is a great pick at his price, those inevitable benchings hurt the points potential - against Al Fateh he came on as a late sub and only got 1pt. We simply can’t leave this kind of value on the table.

Retegui: The Nailed Talisman

Retegui is a different animal. Yes, he’s more expensive, but he’s also a completely nailed talisman, on penalties, the focal point of a very strong team.

Strikers are a very explosive part of the game, they can get the big hauls which can really make you leap up the rankings.

Fixture Analysis: A Golden Run for Al Qadsiah

Al Qadsiah are potentially flying under the radar as a team; with Al Ittihad underperforming, the reds are looking like they can disrupt the traditional big four (Al Hilal, Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Nassr).

Their next four fixtures are really juicy:

Three home games against bottom-half sides, plus an away game against Al Shabab who’ve kept things tight this season, but it’s still a game that Al Qadsiah will expect to win or at least be able to score in. That’s where Retegui comes into the plan - the nailed part of the attack, in a very good team, on penalties and some free-kicks, I believe he is worth investing in at least over the next four games to pick up some points. I will even strongly consider captaining him in GW10 at home to Ettifaq (2nd worst defence in the league so far, 1.72xG conceded per game), to further capitalise on his scoring potential.

When I looked at these fixtures, my gut just told me: “Buy Retegui”.

If we look at his more longer-term fixtures:

The GW14-19 picture doesn’t look quite as rosy - Al Nassr is a tough away game, where his haul potential is less, but he can still figure in and around the scoresheet. They also have tougher home games against Ittihad and Al Hilal, again not great for captaincy, but if Al Qadsiah are to score then Retegui is likely to be in and around the points. Away games at Hazem and Najma (bottom-half defensive teams) can certainly cushion the potential blows of those tougher games.

There’s no need to really look much more long-term than that, as it’s easy enough to sell him at any point either by downgrading him to a cheaper option or upgrading to another great striking option (there are plenty in Saudi Fantasy).

What has Retegui achieved so far?

57pts in 9 games (6.33pts per game), he has 5 goals and 0 assists, averaging 2.88 shots per game he is 3rd among forwards for shots, and has 3 Man of the Match awards.

He is on the premium side in terms of cost, but he’s also easy enough to pivot down to a Roger Martinez or a Josh King (once he returns from injury) or even go up to a Benzema or a Darwin Nunez if the fixtures align.

Conclusion & Your Thoughts

What are your thoughts on Retegui? Is he a nice option? Do you already own him or are you looking to buy him? Leave your comments below