Four bargain picks for your FPL team this season

With just days until the new Premier League season is kicked off at Old Trafford with Manchester United hosting Fulham on Friday night, those who have not yet selected their FPL team better get a shift on. 

Prices were released a couple of weeks ago and there are a significant number of increases, most pertinently Erling Haaland now costing prospective owners an eye-watering £15m. With 63 goals to his name across the previous two seasons, though, it would take a brave virtual manager to avoid selecting the Norwegian goalbot, which means your £100m allocated budget has to be able to stretch. 

Budget-friendly players are not bad ones, remember, and below I have selected four low-cost options for your consideration in each position ahead of the new campaign getting under way. 

Goalkeeper – Alphonso Areola (West Ham, £4.5m)

Alphonso Areola was the sixth-highest scoring goalkeeper last season so any FPL managers who had him from the get-go would have no doubt ended the season with an air of smugness. 

His price has risen slightly this term, inclining from £4m to £4.5m, however that could still represent some good value given he is now the solidified No. 1 at the London Stadium and there are high hopes that the Hammers will endure a positive campaign in 2024/25, thanks to a host of high-class arrivals in the summer and under the stewardship of Julen Lopetegui. 

Whether you select the Frenchman as your first choice or back up, including him as a part of your squad will free up some cash for the heavy-hitters further up the pitch, and could prove to be a shrewd decision given his price could rise further should he endure a strong start to proceedings. 

Defender – Ian Maatsen (Aston Villa, £5m)

Discarded by Chelsea but impressing whilst on loan with Borussia Dortmund for the second half of last season, where he was an integral cog in the German side reaching the final of the Champions League after joining in January, Dutch wing-back Ian Maatsen could be a worthy consideration for your team this season. 

The 22-year-old loves to bomb forward and join the attack whenever the opportunity presents itself, and with so much talent in Villa’s ranks – especially going forward – could pick up a decent number of assists this term. Ollie Watkins is one of the biggest aerial threats in the whole division and will relish latching onto crosses from wide areas, whilst late-arriving box-darting midfielders such as John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey, Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley have the ability to score plenty of cut-back crosses should Maatsen provide them. 

The former Blues defender, who has also previously spent time on loan at Charlton, Coventry and Burnley, provided three goals and two assists for Dortmund throughout the second half of last season and will be eager to prove himself in the top-flight right from the off this time around. At just £5m, he looks like a snip. 

Midfielder – Ben Brereton Diaz (Southampton, £5.5m)

This selection is undoubtedly a bit of a wildcard but it could bear fruit. Ben Brereton Diaz enjoyed a solid second half to last season on loan at Sheffield United, and whilst the South Yorkshire club struggled with the rigours of top-flight football and ultimately succumbed to the drop, the form of the Chilean international was certainly positive. 

The attacking midfielder scored six times and registered an assist for the Blades in 14 appearances between January and May and earned himself a move to Premier League returnees Southampton during the summer. He is priced at a very modest £5.5m and looks set to start most games for the Hampshire club as they bid to avoid the drop and push for a mid-table finish – Diaz could therefore prove to be a shrewd bargain to pad out your midfield. 

Forward – Rodrigo Muniz (Fulham, £6m)

Rodrigo Muniz burst onto the scene for Fulham last term and captured the attention of FPL tacticians everywhere after enduring a fruitful spell in front of goal towards the latter part of the season. The 23-year-old took some time to get going at Craven Cottage, but after a slow start ended the campaign with a very respectable nine goals in 26 appearances, which included braces against Bournemouth and Tottenham. 

What is most eye-catching about the Brazilian, though, is the favourable run of games that await him at the beginning of the season. Fulham have a tricky opener away at Manchester United on the opening day, but then face off against Leicester, Ipswich, Nottingham Forest, Everton, Brentford and Wolves in their proceeding 11 games. There are some more challenging ties in amongst those fixtures, but if Muniz can get himself a handful of goals early on against the sides Fulham would deem beatable then he could stand you in good stead for the rest of the campaign. 

Emile Smith-Rowe has joined the west London club from Arsenal and big things are expected from the £34m England international, who will bring plenty of creative flair to the midfield and provide Muniz with some potentially profitable goalscoring opportunities. At a budget-savvy £6m, the South American could accompany the gold-plated Haaland up top very effectively indeed.