FPL managers are making a major mistake ahead of Gameweek four as more than five MILLION fall into trap

Millions of Fantasy Premier League managers are falling into a common trap that could massively punish them in Gameweek Four.

We're now three weeks into the 2026/27 Premier League season and there has been plenty of drama impacting the approximately nine million managers playing Fantasy Premier League (FPL) this season.

Some managers have had a massively successful start to the season, with many making use of their chips, but it appears a lot of them may be about to undo their progress by breaking a key rule, using their transfers too early.

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FPL managers make common mistake ahead of Champions League

At the time of writing, significantly more than five million transfers have already been made ahead of the Gameweek four deadline on Saturday afternoon at 13:30.

In any week, this would already be a mistake, as by making the moves early you take the risk of the player you've brought in getting injured in training ahead of their match.

However, of all the weeks to make your transfers early, this is one of the worst, with almost every Premier League team having a midweek fixture ahead of their next league match.

European football officially gets back underway this week, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Aston Villa and Man United all busy in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, several clubs will also be competing in the Carabao Cup third round, which runs at the same time as the Champions League fixtures.

These matches provide even more opportunities for Premier League players to pick up injuries that could rule them out of the weekend.

Liverpool and Chelsea players will no doubt be popular for managers making changes to their teams ahead of Gameweek four, but before their Premier League matches against Fulham and Hull City they must plat Atletico Madrid and Leeds United respectively.

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FPL managers immediately punished for early transfers with surprise injury

As if to perfectly reflect that early transfers are a risk, Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo is currently the most transferred in player ahead of Gameweek four, with 524,001 managers already bringing him in ahead of his strong start to the season.

In Liverpool's opening Premier League matches, Gakpo has scored 28 points, with a goal and three assists in the first three fixtures.

But ahead of their Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid, it has been confirmed that the Dutchman is absent from Liverpool's training sessions, demonstrating the danger of early transfers.

Luckily for FPL managers who brought Gakpo in early, it is said that Gakpo's omission from training is simply a precaution, but that does not guarantee that he will be ready to face Fulham on Saturday.

The news is also bad for the 371,329 FPL managers who have already transferred Liverpool striker Alexander Isak into their teams, as it now makes it increasingly likely that the Swede will have to start up front in the Champions League, with all potential back-ups ruled out.

Alongside Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike will not be available against Atletico Madrid, leaving Isak with all the responsibility in what will no doubt be a physical Champions League clash.

And given the striker's injury record, it could be a nervy 90 minutes for FPL managers who have already bought Isak ahead of this weekend's fixtures.