Which FPL players are worth watching this international break?
Florian Wirtz gets to work with Jürgen Klopp and Viktor Gyökeres has an Arsenal place to win back. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Alex Scott have England chances ahead. Cole Palmer was called up too, but an injury has changed his story: his Chelsea availability is now the question before FPL Gameweek 6.
There is something to look forward to here, even with the Premier League off until 10 October. Some players are taking good club form into a new challenge. Others could use a change of scenery. For Wirtz, the new manager has already made his first move.
Can Klopp get Wirtz going?
Jürgen Klopp had not taken charge of a Germany match when he began defending Florian Wirtz.
The Liverpool midfielder has gone five league games without a goal, with 18 FPL points to show for his start to the season. The criticism has followed him into the national team too. After Germany's World Cup exit, Toni Kroos made Wirtz one of the targets of a joke about players who had barely been noticed at the tournament.
Klopp's response was to take some of the weight off him. He praised Wirtz's work for the team and challenged the expectation that every performance needed a spectacular contribution. “We have to make sure that Flo feels comfortable with us,” he said.
If confidence is part of what has been missing, that is an encouraging place to start. Klopp is offering him room to play a good game without having the whole evening reduced to his goals and assists.
Andoni Iraola has welcomed the arrangement. The Liverpool manager praised Klopp's decision to split the camp into two squads, giving Wirtz a few days to rest before joining up for the October games. Germany face Serbia on 1 October and Greece on 4 October.
Anyone still holding the £7.3m midfielder in FPL will be hoping the change does him good. He already has a place in Liverpool's team; the goals have yet to follow. Before City visit Anfield after the break, he gets time with a manager who has gone out of his way to back him.
Gyökeres needs to give Arteta a decision
Kai Havertz has started all five of Arsenal's league games. Viktor Gyökeres has played 29 minutes.
That is the problem Gyökeres takes away with Sweden. He needs enough football to find some rhythm, and enough goals to make Mikel Arteta think again. He went without a shot against Napoli in the Champions League, too.
Sweden know a much more productive striker. Their latest squad list credits him with 21 goals in 37 appearances. Romania, Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina now stand between him and a chance to return to London with a few more.
Can he make Arteta's next selection harder? That is the reason to watch. Four international matches could give Gyökeres the run of games he has been missing.
There is an FPL temptation at £7.1m, especially with Leeds visiting Arsenal next. It becomes much more interesting if Sweden's games help him push his way into the starting XI. Havertz started the first five league games, although FPL now flags him with a hamstring concern. Gyökeres has the next fortnight to make his case; Arsenal's fitness news will matter too.
Palmer's England return is on hold
Cole Palmer missed the World Cup. Morgan Rogers went, played seven times and came home with England's third-place finish. When Thomas Tuchel named both Chelsea players in his September squad, Palmer appeared to have a chance to close that gap.
That chance will wait. England announced on 21 September that Palmer had withdrawn because of an injury. Chelsea has removed him from its international-duty list. Rogers remains with the squad; Palmer will not play in this Nations League window.
“He decides matches,” Tuchel said when he selected Palmer, pointing to his Chelsea starts and attacking returns. The first five league games brought Palmer two goals and two assists. His England recall was earned; the injury has interrupted it.
For FPL managers, the immediate question is whether he will be ready when Chelsea host Bournemouth in GW6. The official player feed marked Palmer doubtful with a muscular issue on 25 September. That status does not say how long he will be out. He has nearly two weeks before the league returns, and Chelsea's next update will tell us more than his original call-up can.
At £9.7m, Palmer is a substantial part of an FPL squad. His absence from England duty ends one story from this break and leaves another open at Stamford Bridge. Selling him now or assuming he will start on 10 October would both run ahead of the club's evidence.
Calvert-Lewin brings his Leeds revival to England
Elland Road was on its feet when Dominic Calvert-Lewin came off against Newcastle.
He had headed in a James Justin cross, then turned away from his marker to score again before half-time in Leeds' 4–1 win. The header was initially awarded to Jayden Bogle; a review subsequently gave Calvert-Lewin both goals. Four days after the match, he was back in the England squad.
Calvert-Lewin returned to England duty in March. Now he has another chance to turn a recall into a regular place in Tuchel's squad.
Harry Kane is in this squad, so Calvert-Lewin may have to make his case in shorter spells. The Newcastle game showed what he can offer: a striker who attacks crosses, occupies defenders and can finish when the ball drops at his feet. It would be enjoyable to see him take that version of himself into an England match.
He is £6.0m in FPL and has started every league game for Leeds this season. While Gyökeres is trying to win regular club football, Calvert-Lewin is using his to earn an England place.
Will Alex Scott finally get his first cap?
Alex Scott has been close for a while.
His first senior England call-up came last November. In the summer he went to Florida to help the squad prepare for the World Cup, but he did not make the tournament party. His senior cap count is still zero.
The Bournemouth midfielder has kept giving Tuchel reasons to bring him back. On the night before this squad was announced, he made his European debut and supplied an assist in Bournemouth's 2–1 win over Real Sociedad. Tuchel then singled out the quality of his early-season performances when explaining his selection.
He was once Guernsey FC's youngest player. Bournemouth signed him from Bristol City in 2023; now he is playing European football and waiting to make his England debut.
He is worth a look in FPL too. At £6.1m, he has 30 points from five starts, with a goal and two assists. You can compare his start with the more familiar midfield picks in the Fantasy hub.
Four England matches give Tuchel more chances to use him. After the previous call-ups and the summer spent training with the squad, finally seeing Scott step onto the pitch would be one of the small pleasures of this break.
The matches to make time for
England's schedule starts against Spain at Wembley on 26 September. They then visit Czechia on 29 September and Croatia on 3 October, before hosting Czechia on 6 October. Calvert-Lewin and Scott are in the squad; Palmer withdrew on 21 September.
Sweden host Romania on 25 September and Poland on 28 September, then travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 2 October and Romania on 5 October. Gyökeres and Alexander Isak have both been called up.
Wirtz is in Germany's October group, for Serbia at home on 1 October and Greece away on 4 October.
When does FPL return?
The international break runs from 21 September to 6 October 2026. The FPL Gameweek 6 deadline is 10 October at 11:00 BST (10:00 GMT).
The window dates are confirmed by the Premier League; prices, league statistics, player flags and the deadline were rechecked against FPL's official data on 25 September.
Arsenal host Leeds when the league resumes. Calvert-Lewin has made himself a regular in one of those teams. Gyökeres is trying to force his way into the other. Will they be leading the lines against each other by then?