With so many interesting premium choices, as well as a good number of potent midfielders at the £6.5m and £5.5m price points, it seems like midfielders are going to be a huge part of the current FPL strategy. With the introduction of Defensive Contributions and the huge price tag that forwards are seeing this season, it does feel like midfielders are going to be incredibly pivotal for your point-to-cost ratio in the long term.
On top of this, after their defeat to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield last weekend, many people have been wondering if the current Liverpool team is looking strong enough for major FPL investment. Especially with GW2 and 3 against Newcastle and Arsenal being on the more difficult end of the scale, one question seems to be above all else — is Mohamed Salah as essential as we think?
In this article, I'm going to do a deep dive on the midfield options for FPL, and how you should go about picking midfielders for your FPL team. We'll take a look at the conversation surrounding the premiums, the mid-tier options that probably aren't worth ignoring, and the budget options that may be worth taking a look at before the deadline this Friday.
FPL 2025: Why are Midfielders so important?
Midfielders have always been generally quite important in FPL. Cheaper than Forwards but still being able to provide attacking value, the midfield has always been a place for talismans and workhorses, with such an emphasis on Attacking Contributions such as goals and assists. However, the introduction of Defensive Contributions have provided a way for midfielders to earn more points.
While previously, a clean sheet would give a midfielder a singular point and that was the only thing that mattered for defense, a midfielder who contributes defensively 12 times in a game will now receive two extra points. This is another way to get more consistency out of your midfield, and means that picking midfielders with high CBIT (clearances, blocks, interceptions or tackles — with the addition of ball recoveries for midfielders) contributions will yield extra points.
So, with this, finding a balance of defensive and offensive options within the midfield is going to be vital, as DefCon only gives one fewer point than an assist; while also being much easier for players to achieve. Taking advantage of this seems vital, and is a massive reason why savvy players like Ben Crellin are opting for more budget in the midfield rather than going for the higher-tier forwards like Watkins and Bowen.
Whether that is the way to go is yet to be seen, as this is the first season where DefCons are going to be a part of the game. Traditionally, the way of doing so would be to distribute your defenders' funds elsewhere and opt for 4.5s, but once again; DefCons are a huge part of why that isn't the case. So, it feels like Midfielders are on double duty at this point, with a ton of pressure to provide value both offensively and defensively to make up for the shift to investing in Defenders.
The Best Premium Midfielders: £15.0m - £8.0m
Mohamed Salah - £14.5m
Mohamed Salah, also known as the Egyptian King, has been the talk of the FPL word this past week after Liverpool lost against Crystal Palace during the Community Shield. While it was a 2-2 draw, Salah attained both zero goals or assists as well as zero defensive contributions, which is a lot to consider. So, obviously, a ton of people have been taking Salah out of their drafts (which has resulted in him losing the crown of highest ownership).
So, is Salah worth binning off now that he's underperformed in a final? Well, I wouldn't say so, if you're considering just this 'cup' final alone. I feel as though the defensive contribution stat isn't really where Salah shines, and so if you're considering DefCons Salah would never rank well. But, as shown by u/FplSeason on Reddit, Salah would've still performed highest on points anyway even without those defensive contributions, so I think it's really a zero factor.
The biggest reason that I think Mo Salah shouldn't be in your FPL draft is because of his price; and whether you think you can redistribute the funds to earn more points, put simply. Salah is at £14.5m, and that's a high price tag. With this, Liverpool is looking to be an incredibly strong attacking team, and there is a chance that the points will be more spread between the likes of Wirtz and Ekitiké. So, while he is an absolute points monster, there's a chance that Salah does have a less stellar season than we're used to.
But, Salah hasn't really been a massive final performer in the past, and so I don't know if this is worth writing him off completely. He's never scored in open play during a final, and I don't think that he looked terrible for a preseason for a team still coming together and working out where all the pieces belong. Also, the passing of a teammate is just going to make things a little harder; and, I know that FPL isn't about emotions, but I think that this defeat is only going to fuel his drive in the longterm.
Whether you agree is a different question; the eye test is completely opinion based, and so I think that playing Salah is definitely a question of what you can do that's better. Will I have Salah in my team? Yes. Have I considered removing him? Also yes. But, can I deny that the statistics from last season make it worth at least taking one last chance on the Egyptian King. I don't blame you if you'd rather spend that elsewhere, though. Just, don't let the Community Shield be the deciding factor.
Cole Palmer - £10.5m
Having captained Cole Palmer last season to win the final of a mini-league cup unsuccessfully, I know that he's had his dry spells. But, he's still just a magnificent player, and his performance in the Club World Cup has shown that we're probably headed towards his peak as a player.
I don't think this is controversial, as Palmer has the highest ownership in the game. But, I still think it should be said that the template is a template for a reason. Palmer has great underlying stats and he's the most consistent player in a Chelsea squad that has great fixtures.
Palmer also doesn't have much for defensive contributions, but much like Salah he doesn't really need them to perform well at a top level.
Bukayo Saka - £10.0m
Bukayo Saka is another solid premium, with a ton of potential. With an injury last season, he missed out on a ton of points in comparison to the latter two players, and that does put him as an injury risk. But, the potential is there, and the first few fixtures aren't awful either.
With Liverpool's inconsistent defense, there's a chance that Saka can earn an assist or goal in that fixture. And, the Manchester City and Newcastle matchups can also be up in the air, depending on each team's form going into the new season. So, it's not like they've got a terrible run of fixtures, and Saka is a consistent performer.
But, is he worth putting into your team over Salah and Palmer? I personally don't think so, not for now at the very least. I feel as though Gyokeres still needs to settle in for Saka to unlock his true potential, and so I don't really know if Saka is going to have an explosive start to the season without that funnel for assists. And, once again, he isn't really an option for DefCon.
So, while I don't think he's terrible, I think the only time I'd ever consider him is if I wanted to sacrifice Salah or Palmer in my drafts (and opt for no Haaland either). However, he is also the best captaincy option in GW2 vs Leeds, and so it doesn't feel like a terrible option if you do feel like taking the risk of giving up one of those other two players.
Bruno Fernandes - £9.0m
Bruno Fernandes might be one of the best options in the midfield for FPL. With a crazy high defensive contribution stat (with him attaining the equivalent of 22 points last season from DefCon alone), as well as great attacking returns, Fernandes is looking to be stellar. With a Manchester United team that looks scary with the signings of Mbeumo and Cunha, there's a chance that Bruno can really make waves this season.
On the other hand, his position does seem to be less offensive this time around, so his attacking returns may not be as impactful. And, with Arsenal GW1 and Manchester City GW4, there is a chance that United have a rough start to the season as the new signings begin to integrate into the team. So, Fernandes might not end up being the gem he should be on paper. But, if you're looking to take the risk, it definitely has the potential to pay off.
Florian Wirtz - £8.5m
Put simply, if you have to pick a singular Liverpool midfielder, go for Florian Wirtz.
In a Liverpool team that's so aggressive and focused on attack, Wirtz is at the middle of every single play. He seems like the catalyst to the team's aggression, and at £8.5m there's a chance that he is the breakout star of the season. In their 4-2-3-1 formation, he's always at the center and is always in that key role, which definitely means he is in the position to make the most impact in the midfield.
Of course, there's the counterpoint of him not being Premier League tested, but even against an incredibly formidable Crystal Palace team, it felt like he was still the best player on the pitch.
There's not much to say on the statistical side, as I don't think that the Bundesliga is comparable to the Premier League. But, I genuinely do think that we're going to be hearing a lot of his name over the coming months, and that he's part of the template for a solid reason. Even if Liverpool fails to perform to the highest standard, I feel like Wirtz might be at the middle of every attacking return they have.
Why no Mbeumo/Cunha/Marmoush/Foden?
These are the premiums that I've left out of this list, and while I do think that all of these players are solid in a general sense, there are a few reasons why I (and many FPL experts) don't even have them near our draft.
All of these players are around the £8.0m/£8.5m mark, and so really need to justify that price tag. With the two United players, it's definitely a case of them being new arrivals and seeing if they can perform away from Wolves and Brentford respectively. I don't think either is a terrible option, but for me if I was going to spend on a United premium, Bruno Fernandes is just more proven and solid while also having those DefCon points.
With the City players, both of them are generally minutes risks (with Foden having a pre-season injury) and 'Pep Roulette' is definitely a consideration. So, with neither being nailed, investing so much into a player that could be a minutes risk doesn't fare too well. However, if you decide to take a risk on Marmoush and he does start (and perform), you could have one of the best 'differentials' in the game (at 13%, so not huge, but enough to put you in the higher ranks).
Mid-Price Midfielders - £7.5m - £6.0m
There are a lot of players in this category, and so I'll be going over my top couple picks and interesting points of discussion. In this category I'm mainly looking for players that I think exceed their price, and there haven't been too many that do so.
So, players like Kudus, Ndiaye, and Mitoma are definitely decent picks, but they haven't stood out to me as the kind of players I'm looking for in an FPL team to the point where I want to be making them a key part of my strategy. Gakpo looks strong but I think Wirtz covers him, and I feel like Bournemouth are going to have a weak start to the season with how their preseason is looking.
In general, I haven't opted for any players at this price point in my draft, as I think that the £5.5m category can provide enough in a couple of players. So, if you're looking for an extra £6.5m that isn't covered below, those are my top three picks, but otherwise I think that there's really not a lot here that I wouldn't just upgrade to a premium or downgrade to a £5.5m option.
Morgan Rogers - £7.0m
Morgan Rogers was a mainstay in my drafts until his injury in preseason. While he's still looking likely to start GW1, I simply don't want to take the risk, but things might change as we get towards the deadline.
However, on a more general note, Rogers is a £7.0m that feels like a premium midfielder. With such a great performance last season, and Aston Villa looking really sharp in the preseason, I do think that Rogers is an exciting pick. Hopefully Villa can confirm soon that he's able to start in GW1, as I do think that he's the best midfield pick in this price range if you can afford him over a 6.5m.
Ismaïla Sarr - £6.5m
Ismaïla Sarr is also a player that I think should be higher than he is in cost. Coming off of their FA Cup win and Community Shield victories, Crystal Palace look great, and the underlying data suggests that Sarr is one of the best options at this price point. But, there are a couple of things that have made Sarr a question mark for me.
First of all, the opening fixtures don't look great for Crystal Palace. While not terrible, the Chelsea fixture into the Nottingham Forest fixture both feel like games where there will be a low number of goals conceded from both opponents, and so I'm unsure if Sarr will be able to make as much of an impact in those games.
Starting from GW3, however, I do think that Sarr is a great choice. In fact, the Aston Villa matchup may seem bad on paper, but Aston Villa has lost four out of their last five games against Crystal Palace, and drawn the other one. So, I feel as though I would gamble with Sarr on that gameweek if he did fit into my squad.
I feel as though if my team wasn't so stacked in the midfield already, and we had more of an emphasis on the importance of the premium attackers, Sarr would be the £6.5m pick for me in a heartbeat.
Budget Midfielders - £5.5m - £4.5m
Elliot Anderson/Moisés Caicedo/Carlos Baleba - £5.5m
Elliot Anderson is the template pick for a lot of teams, and for good reason. With an insane equivalent of 36 points that would've been earned from Defensive Contributions last season, it does feel like Anderson is the safe pick if you want consistent points every week. And, Nottingham Forest have a great fixture run, and have come off of a preseason in which they've kept clean sheets consistently.
Moisés Caicedo and Carlos Baleba both also have similar underlying stats with a massive skew of DefCon potential. Balbela is linked to Manchester United though, currently, and has the worst fixture run of the three, but all three of the picks feel incredibly similar at that price point.
However, the downside here is that Defensive Contributions aren't massive gains every week for a midfielder, and they're only going to result in a slow but consistent points gain. I do feel like that's consistent enough, though, if you're running one of these £5.5ms, but the massive tradeoff here is the lower attack potential. Especially for Anderson, Nottingham Forest have looked really poor when it comes to their offensive output, and so it does feel as though there is a trade-off here.
But, for a while when I wasn't sure if I could justify a Nottingham Forest defender, Anderson was in my drafts. And, there's a reason why he's a solid part of the template in general. It does feel like a very safe pick, and the other two of these picks also feel solid if you're okay with having a £5.5m that can just consistently rack up DefCon points throughout the season while consistently starting.
Tijjani Reijnders - £5.5m
On the other hand, Tijjani Reijnders is a massive gamble here. He's not proven at a Premier League level, and he could be a victim of Pep Roulette. But, from the eye test and preseason alone (in which he scored multiple times against Palermo) he's been a consistent starter in the City squad, while also having a decent attacking threat.
I don't think that picking Reijnders is a huge risk with all things considered, as you can still just transfer into any of the other £5.5ms if it doesn't work out. But, it's still definitely playing into the hands of fate, especially when considering price changes.
So, I do think that he has a lot of potential and is a bargain if he can perform at that price point, but whether it's actually worth picking him is probably a case of how much you want to stray from the template and take a chance.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - £5.0m
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is a very big surprise at £5.0m and playing for Everton. With this, there's a good chance that he becomes a regular starter for Everton; in which case he's an absolute steal at £5.0m. But, that is provided that Everton perform, and I'm personally not a fan of investing in offensive Everton players due to their inconsistency up front.
He's also not completely nailed yet, and it'll take time for him to fit into the team fully, and so I don't know if he'd make a GW1 squad. But, Everton has him on set pieces and it's looking like he's a part of their plan, and so I do think he's worth considering in the long term if you need someone to fill that £5.5 slot.
Granit Xhaka - £5.0m
Minus his yellow-card output, Granit Xhaka has been a solid low-price FPL performer in the Premier League for years at Arsenal. His return this year doesn't seem very different, as an experienced player who's nailed to start every game and can perform decently well, with great DefCon potential.
The only problem is that he's playing for one of the promoted teams in Sunderland, as well as the fact that he does pick up yellow cards quite often. With this, he still seems like a solid option at £5.0m, if you just want a consistent starter.
Le Fée is also an interesting option from Sunderland, but he's not nailed at all with many saying he won't be a regular starter.
Pape Matar Sarr - £5.0m
Pape Matar Sarr is a real sleeper pick, in my opinion, if you want to gamble on the performance of Tottenham Hotspurs. With their performance last season and preseason performance against AC Milan, it does feel as though investing in Spurs assets can be a gamble, even if Thomas Frank is a better manager who can take them in a better direction.
Sarr is directly covering James Maddison, who has unfortunately gone out indefinitely with an ACL injury. With this, it looks like he's going to get decent playing time, and so might be a shout if you think that Spurs will actually do well; the fixtures aren't terrible, if you ignore GW2 against City, and they have one of the best GW1 fixtures.
I personally don't really want to invest into any Spurs players until I see how they start the season, but I could definitely see Sarr as a golden pick if he does continue to start to replace Maddison.
Closing Time
With so many midfielders to choose from, this year of FPL is looking more varied than ever. These are just my opinions on my favourite midfielders this season, and all of these have made it into my own drafts one way or another. If you're looking for a good set of midfielders, the template seems to be 3-4 premiums, maybe one mid-budget, and then one budget pick.
If you want more great FPL content, check out FPLZone! We'll be here throughout the whole season to bring you FPL updates and news every week, so you can stay in the know. We'll be here the whole season, going over our picks for transfers, chips, and even captaincy. So, keep an eye out.
In any case, thank you for your time, and I'll see you on the pitch.
