Fantasy Premier League Assistant Manager chip: What is it and how will fresh idea work?

Fantasy Premier League managers will have a new way to earn points from February onwards as an Assistant Manager chip has been unveiled. The game has captured the imagination of football fanatics across the world, with nearly 11 million people playing it this season.

The new chip was introduced at the start of the campaign but will only become active from Gameweek 24, which gets underway on Saturday, February 1.

And FPL managers will be able to back an actual Premier League manager to deliver extra points for their team.

When managers activate the new Assistant Manager chip, they will be able to choose an assistant manager for three successive Gameweeks, which can include double Gameweeks.

The new chip will essentially allow FPL managers to back a Premier League team to deliver results on the pitch.

Managers will earn six points for each win, three points for a draw, two points for a clean sheet and one point for every goal scored across the three Gameweeks.

But if FPL managers want to roll the dice for a chance to maximise their returns, they can earn 16 points for a win and eight points for a draw if a team go head-to-head with a side who are at least five places ahead of them in the Premier League table at the start of the Gameweek.

The chip certainly sounds like a complicated ones as FPL managers will be forced to work out permutations of three separate results and assess whether they should play it safe or go with a high-risk strategy.

Backing the favourites such as Liverpool and Chelsea in two home matches may increase the chances of catching three or four victories, but the rewards of using the chip on an underdog who can pull off a string of freakish results against higher ranked opponents will appeal to many FPL managers.

And the managers chasing down mini-league leaders may be inclined to back a club fighting to avoid relegation towards the end of the campaign.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is currently the highest scoring FPL player this season after bagging an incredible 151 points in 14 appearances. Chelsea star Cole Palmer is second after accumulating 125 points, with Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka third with 103 points.

Manchester United shot-stopper Andre Onana is the top scoring goalkeeper with 65 points, with Virgil van Dijk leading the way among defenders after bagging 64 points.

Manchester City frontman Erling Haaland has more points than any other striker after racking up 98 but has faced a mass exodus in recent weeks, with his output appearing to be on the wane.