Fantasy Premier League managers tend to fall into one of two camps when it comes to buying defenders.
The first group will apportion a significant chunk of their £100m budget to buy the high-end options in the hope – and expectation – that they will deliver plenty of clean sheets and attacking returns.
This was a popular tactic a few seasons ago when the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Joao Cancelo, Reece James and Ben Chilwell were producing big scores on a frequent basis.
Others prefer to spread their cash thinly in this area, loading up on £4.5m options at the back to create sufficient wriggle room higher up for the premium midfielders and forwards. Plenty could take this route to try and accommodate FPL royalty Erling Haaland and Mo Salah in their squads.
A mix of both strategies looks like a sensible play for 2024-25 with some pricy assets looking difficult to ignore and more economical options catching the eye.
Here are 10 of the best to target covering the entire price range from £7m to £4m.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Despite directly contributing towards eight Premier League goals in 28 appearances last season (including a career-best three goals), Alexander-Arnold’s valuation has dropped significantly from £8m down to £7m.
It is still a lot of money and means that Alexander-Arnold remains the costliest defender in the game, but it is a tempting price nevertheless for a consistently productive FPL asset.
It remains to be seen whether Arne Slot plays the England international at right-back or in central midfield, but either way he will end up in advanced areas of the pitch frequently.
Feyenoord right-back Lutsharel Geertruida scored eight goals and provided five assists under Slot last season, which offers some insight into the new manager’s attack-minded style of play.
Price: £7m Points in 2023-24: 122
William Saliba (Arsenal)
At the time of writing, William Saliba is not only the most selected defender, but he is also proving to be more popular than the two FPL GOATs, Haaland and Salah.
A trio of Arsenal defensive assets finished in the podium positions in FPL last season with Ben White scooping gold, Saliba earning silver and Gabriel Magalhaes taking the bronze.
Saliba looks like the standout pick of three for 2024-25. The Frenchman is priced £0.5m cheaper than White, despite earning just 15 points fewer than him, and is more nailed on to start each week than Gabriel after the signing of Riccardo Calafiori, another left-sided centre-back.
Price: £6m Points in 2023-24: 164
Josko Gvardiol (Man City)
Josko Gvardiol’s sensational attacking form in the closing weeks of last season has clearly not been forgotten by FPL managers as he is currently the second-most selected defender.
The Croatian grew into the left-back role as the campaign progressed and played a key role in City’s surge to the title by scoring four goals, providing two assists and keeping four clean sheets in his final seven games.
City also recorded the second-best defensive record in the division. Their ability to keep clean sheets and Gvardiol’s sharpened instincts in the final third make him an appealing FPL pick.
Price: £6m Points in 2023-24: 123
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
If your budget doesn’t quite stretch to Alexander-Arnold you could consider his team-mate Virgil van Dijk instead.
The Dutchman provides a consistent attacking threat despite managing just two league goals last season, his lowest tally across a campaign (in which he played over 30 times) since joining Liverpool.
Van Dijk was unfortunate to not score more times, however, He attempted 41 shots in the opposition’s box, at least 13 more than any other defender, and hit the target on 14 occasions, the joint-most with Gvardiol.
Price: £6m Points in 2023-24: 117
Pedro Porro (Tottenham)
Tottenham were far leakier in defence than FPL managers – and Ange Postecoglou – would have wanted them to be, shipping an enormous 61 goals in the Premier League.
That record severely restricted Pedro Porro‘s points ceiling in FPL, but he still finished fourth in the standings among defenders on account of his attacking output.
Porro registered three goals and eight assists and he could up those numbers next term based on his underlying data. The Spaniard ranked top among defenders for shots (with 53) and fifth for chances created (51).
Price: £5.5m Points in 2023-24: 136
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)
If Marc Cucurella can maintain his Euro 2024 form into next season Chelsea will have a hell of a player on their hands.
The 26-year-old was one of the standout stars in the standout team of the tournament, even supplying the match-winning assist for Mikel Oyarzabal as Spain beat England in the final (sorry for that painful reminder).
Enzo Maresca‘s use of inverted full-backs may curb Cucurella’s attacking instincts but he is still attractively priced at £5m and could be an astute purchase for the start of the season.
The Blues host Manchester City on the opening day but then face five of last season’s bottom-half sides – plus 10th-placed Crystal Palace – in their next six games.
Price: £5m Points in 2023-24: 44
Daniel Munoz (Crystal Palace)
Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) is proving to be extremely popular after amassing 121 points last season (just one shy ofAlexander-Arnold’s total) and while the Dane offers exceptional value, Daniel Munoz could prove to be worth the extra £0.5m investment.
The Colombian wing-back slotted in seamlessly at Selhurst Park after joining in January. No defender provided more assists than Munoz (with four) from his debut until the end of the campaign.
He maintained that form at Copa America, scoring twice and setting another one up in only five appearances.
Position: Defender Price: £5m Points in 2023-24: 56
Dan Burn (Newcastle)
Speculation over Kieran Trippier’s future at St James’ Park, allied to Tino Livramento’s development, is enough to deter us from spending £6m on the England international. Fabian Schar is similarly punchy at £5.5m.
While Dan Burn doesn’t offer the same level of attacking threat as Trippier or Schar, he is considerably cheaper than both at just £4.5m, despite establishing himself as a mainstay of Eddie Howe’s back four.
With Sven Botman injured for the foreseeable future, Burn’s place in the starting XI seems secure, either at centre-back or left-back.
Price: £4.5m Points in 2023-24: 97
Leif Davis (Ipswich)
Ipswich will be hoping Leif Davis can transfer his Championship form to the top flight.
Davis has a phenomenal record of 32 assists and five goals in 86 league appearances for Ipswich Town and is a regular set-piece taker from both corners and free-kicks too.
The Tractor Boys have invested heavily in Kieran McKenna’s squad upon their long-awaited Premier League return but Davis will remain one of the first names on the Northern Irishman’s teamsheet.
Price: £4.5m Points in 2023-24: N/A
Valentin Barco (Brighton)
With Pervis Estupinan sidelined for the start of the season, Argentine left-back Valentin Barco looks set for a run in the Brighton team in the opening weeks.
The flame-haired pocket rocket joined the Seagulls from Boca Juniors and arrived with a big reputation as one of the best up-and-coming talents in South American football.
He has featured prominently under new boss Fabian Hurzeler in pre-season and has taken plenty of set-pieces. Priced at just £4m, Barco could prove excellent value.
Position: Defender Price: £4m Points in 2023-24: 5
from Fantasy Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/spcTfQq
via IFTTT
Post a Comment