The German defender Jeffrey Schlupp (4.5) has caught manager’s eyes in the past few gameweeks, as he moved to an out of position role in center midfield, earning him 4 goals and 1 assist in the process. The attacking returns on top of the clean sheets he earns from his DEF listing make him an attractive prospect for the tail end of the season, so I’ll be taking a look into his statistics to see if his returns are sustainable.

The total xG generated by Schlupp this season is 2.60, indicating an over-performance of 1.40, while his total xA is at 1.29, suggesting an under-performance of 0.29. While he has only managed a meager 1269 minutes this season, his statistics since his positional shift are looking very good. Registering 1.42 shots per 90 and 0.92 key passes, really highlights his involvement in palace’s attack. One thing to note is that his xG and xA are both higher than those of the other popular cut rate attacking defender, Fabian Schär.

Jeffrey’s shot locations are also quite encouraging to look at. The majority of them coming from inside the box on the left hand side, he seems to be prone to decent shot selection rather than just letting them rip from wherever. However, I do notice he has only been on the end of two high xG (good scoring opportunity) chances, with most of his shots being 0.1 xG or less.

Many managers are hesitant when considering Schlupp, as the majority of us own the legend Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and are uncertain whether a defensive double up on palace would be a good idea. Well, I think it wouldn’t be the worst of ideas. Palace currently sits in 13th place, but only 7 teams have conceded more expected goals against. To add onto this, with the acquisition of Batshuayi, there has been a certain attacking impetus added to the side that had been missing over the earlier parts of the season, with palace scoring 8 goals in the last 3 games. Although they only generated 3.95 xG in this period, Schlupp will be an integral cog in the newfound strength of palace’s attack.

To wrap things up, I’d say that you would be hard pressed to find a better deal at 4.5 than Jeffery Schlupp. The attacking returns will slowly trickle in over the rest of the season, and with the clean sheets palace love to keep, Schlupp is sure to get you some decent returns.

Shots/90: 1.42
Key Passes/90: 0.92
xG/90: 0.18
xA/90: 0.09

Verdict: Baller