How to get a balanced team including Erling Haaland

It’s official, managers can now make their first draft picks for the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League.

The start of the campaign may be a long way from many of the transfers to come in the transfer window, but that won’t stop FPL players from being locked into the sample squad. For the past two seasons, those drafts have always featured a certain Erling Haaland.

Having amassed 489 points across his Premier League campaigns, the Manchester City striker is often the default choice. However, now valued at £15m – the most for any player in the history of the game – managers should think twice before including him in their squad.

Such a cheap price may put off would-be owners, but is it still possible to build a well-established FPL team with a two-time Golden Boot winner alongside you? Well, the answer is yes.

While it’s tempting to go with the established goalkeeper and forget about him in FPL, the most cost-effective strategy is to rotate between the £4.5m options. When you already have the most expensive player in FPL history in your squad, every penny counts.

There are good options in this price bracket, although last season’s favorites Bernd Leno and Jordan Pickford have risen to £5m. Chelsea’s Djordje Petrovic is arguably the biggest shout at just £4.5m, but there are question marks over whether or not he will play ahead of Robert Sanchez (also £4.5m) under new Blues boss Enzo Maresca.

Because of this, we went to West Ham for a stop Alphonse Areola and Brentford Mark Flekken. The latter has had a tricky start to the campaign but could be used in Gameweeks 1 and 3 for the home games at Crystal Palace and Southampton, while Areola can provide cover away from home against Palace and Fulham in Gameweeks 2 and 4.

Let’s start with the strongest defense of the 2023/24 Premier League season: Arsenal. All of their starting defenders are expensive in nature, with Ben White (£6.5m) the top scorer among them last term. However, you can save another £0.5m if you want a strong second player William Saliba for £6m. Gabriel is the same price but finished 15 points worse than his centre-back counterpart.

Man City were the next strongest defense and the obvious choice is Josko Gvardiol (£6m), who enjoyed a sort of late season. However, for just £5.5m you can grab it Kyle Walker, who was often immune to Pep roulette last season. He managed to get the same points as Guardiol and made 32 appearances. Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias also come for the same price.

We’re down to £5m, with Aston Villa signing in the summer Ian Maatsen. He reached the Champions League final on loan at Borussia Dortmund last season and produced three goals and two assists in 23 games at left back. His attacking style should make him a score magnet and he is likely to start if he costs the club £37.5m.

Now we need other budget operators to cover the rest of our defense. With no obvious £4m front-runners, we’ve chosen two £4.5m regulars. One is Micky van de Ven Tottenham, who managed 81 points last season, and the other is a right-back for Leicester City. Ricardo Pereira. The Portuguese defender provided three goals and many assists in the Championship last season.

The inclusion of Haaland means we’ve had to make some big cuts in midfield, but our team still boasts some great players. One of those is the captain of Arsenal Martin Odegaard, one of the founders of the Gunners. Only five midfielders scored more than 186 points last term and he comes in for £8.5m, cheaper than team-mate Bukayo Saka (£10m).

Another £8.5m star expected to deliver returns next season Bruno Fernandes. Manchester United have an interesting first six games, starting with games against Fulham and Brighton, and the Portuguese will be at the heart of things for the Red Devils in the 10th place. He was the ninth leading midfielder last year with 166 points. Think of his figure if United play well this season.

The next choice in the center of the park is the star of Crystal Palace Eberechi Eze. The attacking midfielder flourished under Oliver Glasner towards the end of last season and the departure of Michael Olise now makes him the Eagles’ biggest attacking threat. The 26-year-old scored 136 points last season and is worth an attractive £7m.

Our choice of a fourth midfielder is dangerous. Now that we are considered a midfielder and not a striker in FPL, we chose Chelsea Christopher Mr. At £6.5m, he seems like a no-brainer if he gets regular minutes, but injuries meant he didn’t feature for the Blues last season. If he can stay fit, the 2022/23 Bundesliga top scorer could be a good option.

Also linked with a £6.5m bid is the Man City dynamo Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese is a regular starter for the champions and was Man City’s third top scorer last year. As long as Pep Guardiola doesn’t sign too many new players this summer, he should be a regular provider next term.

One of our front men is already locked up in the area, with Haaland a gem in this group. But who will support Man City’s attacking comeback?

Well, Ollie Watkins first following a major campaign. The Aston Villa striker actually overtook Haaland in terms of FPL points last season, with only Cole Palmer (244) and Phil Foden (230) bettering his 228. At just £9m, we think he’s the perfect signing, especially as Villa tighten up in the summer transfer window.

And now by opening up our budget, we’ve chosen to keep that third place on our bench safe and sound. There are only four £4.5m strikers in FPL at the time of writing, so we look to Leicester. Tom Cannon. He did not feature last season but produced three goals and two assists when he was called up.

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