Welcome back to a new season!
If you’re anything like us here at FPLToolbox, you’ve been enjoying the holidays in the brief gap between the Euros and the start of the new season. With less than a week to go until the new Premier League season kicks off, it’s time to sort our FPL teams. If you haven’t been on it (time flies!), don’t worry because we’ve got your back.
In what is going to be a weekly piece, we’re going to reveal our squad along with our strategy, including transfer plans and chip usage, throughout the season. We’ll also be putting some additional content up including general tips and gameweek specific advice.
If you have any specific questions that you want us to discuss, you can contact me on @FPLwithStu on X and we’ll do what we can to help our readers maximise their FPL potential.
So let’s get to it, here’s my Team (currently):
Goalkeepers
Carlos Miguel of Nottingham Forest, at £4.5m
Valdimarsson of Brentford, at £4.0m.
Nottingham Forest had a great defensive record towards the end of last season and their fixtures for the first 10 Gameweeks are pretty good. I don’t like to use transfers on keepers too much because they’re neither that exciting nor do they have that much potential for big scores. I also haven’t gone for any premium goalie, again my approach is that a lot of money gets tied up in a pick that’s not very exciting and I always feel the money can be better spent elsewhere.
Valdimarsson is a good second choice for my team because all I’m looking for is a keeper to be a first team starter without spending too much cash.
Image source: brentfordfc.com
Defenders
Joško Gvardiol of Man City, at £6.0m
Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool, at £7m
Mykolenko of Everton, at £4.5m
Barco of Brighton, at £4.0m
Konsa of Aston Villa, at £4.5m
I’ve gone for 2 premium defenders in Gvardiol and Trent. Both Man City and Liverpool have looked good in pre-season and I expect both to be regular starters. Gvardiol finished last season in incredible form, playing very advanced on the left side of the City team and while there’s no guarantees with City players, and who knows what tactical innovation Pep Guardiola may pull out next, I do expect him to play more often than not.
Trent is in the same mould, a defender on paper but whose strengths are going forward. He’s expensive and last year he failed to live up to expectations, however there’s no denying his talent and the potential to score well in FPL.
Defenders who are attacking are the ones to target because of the higher points they get for goals or assists. Liverpool are under new management and so it’s hard to say what to expect from them this season but pre-season suggests an attacking side which favours the likes of Trent. Fixtures are also very nice at the start.
Mykolenko is a no-brainer at that price and looks like he’s going to be first choice full-back for Everton. Good fixtures all the way through to Gameweek 14 means, barring injury, he should be a nice hold for the long term.
Barco is also probably the best defender at his price. The fixtures are not great for Brighton to begin with but he does rotate well with the other defenders I’ve picked (his hardest fixtures sit when the others have good ones) so it’s not too much of a concern. He also frees funds for elsewhere.
Image source: transfermarkt.com
Finally I’ve picked Konsa for Aston Villa. I’ve been reluctant to pick Villa players despite their amazing season last year…we’ve seen it so many times where, outside of the so-called elite clubs, teams struggle to replicate their results from last year with the demands of European football and the divided focus. The sale of Douglas Luiz and Diaby, is a concern in my eyes, they were key players last year and we don’t yet know if how their replacements will fare (with the transfer window still open it doesn’t look like Villa have completed their dealings yet, either). However, I do expect Villa to still be a strong side and Konsa’s game-time is fairly assured with good opening fixtures.
Midfielders
Szoboszlai of Liverpool, £6.5m
Eze of Crystal Palace, £7.0m
Bruno Fernandes of Man Utd, £8.5m
Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest, £6.5m
Nkunku of Chelsea, £6.5m
Firstly, no Salah which means you’ve probably already guessed that I’m going with Haaland…there’s a lot of people choosing both but for me the compromise is too big.
With Szoboszlai many may see this as a poor Salah alternative but anyone who has followed Liverpool pre-season will know he’s been playing a very advanced role in Slot’s team. I’m hoping the same will continue which means he’ll be amongst the goals and assists.
Eze at £7.0m is another player I see as undervalued. With Olise gone, there’s the risk that Palace provide less threat going forward but the alternative view is that more of the attacking emphasis will go through Eze. I’m hoping for the latter.
The inclusion of Bruno Fernandes may raise some eyebrows and to be fair he does split opinion in FPL circles. His underlying stats are so consistent in a Man Utd team that has rarely been settled or organised. His chance creation is crazy consistent – let’s hope his teammates can start finishing more of them. He’s currently in my team but I am keeping an eye on United’s transfer dealings over the next week – they’re in the market for some defenders and deep-lying midfielders and if they can bring them in then it should help release Bruno to be more creative further up the pitch.
Gibbs-White is a bargain in my view, he’s generally central to all Forest do going forward and I like their fixtures run at the start. A lot of managers are going for Hudson-Odoi who is £1m cheaper – I may yet switch to save the cash but either are a good pick in my view.
Image source: skysports
Chelsea’s Nkunku is also very underpriced. He barely featured last year due to injury and that’s obviously a concern but I can’t look past him. Chelsea have looked defensively poor in pre-season (and the last couple of years for that matter) but they continue to be a very attacking side. Obviously Cole Palmer is a great pick too, he was excellent last season, but Nkunku’s price gives him the edge. For those that aren’t familiar with him, he’s an excellent player with a great record in the Bundesliga and the stage is set for him to shine in the Prem this year.
Forwards
Haaland of Man City, £15.0m
Isak of Newcastle United, £8.5m
Muniz of Fulham, £6.0m
At £15.0m those running FPL have pulled a clever move with Haaland. He’s been so heavily picked and returns so many goals that this price forces managers to think twice. Compromises have to be made, for example I don’t have Salah and I also (currently) don’t have any Arsenal players in my draft. Both these things could change before the season kicks off but currently it’s hard not to include Haaland.
Isak’s goal to game ratio is exceptional and his tally has not been higher simply because of injury. It’s an ongoing concern but I expect a stronger Newcastle this season. The size of their squad combined with injuries made life tough last year, especially with Champions League football in the early stages. A renewed Newcastle with an Isak which has had a full pre-season under his belt should spell goals.
Muniz came alive towards the latter half of last season. He remains a bargain but with Fulham doing some interesting transfer business (Smith-Rowe in particular) I do think they’ll carry a good goal threat which should benefit Muniz. Their opening fixtures are also good, adding extra hope to what he might be able to do.
Conclusion
Like all managers, I’ve made some big decisions in my opening squad, most notably no Salah. Ollie Watkins is also highly owned and could be a big miss from my team if Villa hit the ground running.
I’m also weighing up finding room for a Arsenal players – the defence was exceptional last year and in an ideal world I’d have one in my team. Not having Saka feels also slightly uncomfortable, I think he’s an exceptional player and great FPL pick generally but at £10.0m I can’t fit him in plus minutes aren’t assured in the first games due to his late return after the Euros. I’m also tempted by Dom Solanke following his move to Spurs – I think their style of play will suit him but he’s an extra £1.5m on Muniz so it’ll require more than one change to bring him in.
Do you agree with my picks or am I missing a crucial player? Let me know @FPLwithStu on X.
