A bargain FPL XI to consider after the World Cup break
The Premier League is almost back - and with it, the selection headaches for your FPL squad.
The World Cup break means there's something a little different in Fantasy Premier League this year; you get unlimited transfers.
If you're like us, you'll probably spend a good part of Christmas dreaming about how you can fit Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah into your team. To get yourself a few heavy hitters, you're going to have to sacrifice elsewhere, but never fear: we've got some great bargain options for you.
Here is an XI of the best Fantasy Premier League budget options to consider ahead of the Boxing Day deadline, organized in a 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Danny Ward – £4.1mAfter Kasper Schmeichel's shock move to Nice in the summer, there were question marks over who would guard the net for Leicester this season.
Wales international Ward seems to have won this battle. He didn't cover himself in World Cup glory, and he got off to a shaky start as Brendan Rodgers' Foxes looked like relegation fodder in the opening weeks of the campaign, but he improved at the campaign thread.
The 29-year-old has kept five clean sheets in his last six Premier League appearances before the break, conceding just one goal - and that was at Manchester City.
Only Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale have kept more clean sheets this season. £4.1m is an absolute steal.
Defence: Ben White – £4.7mWhite left the England side for as yet unknown personal reasons midway through Qatar 2022, but there are no signs that he will be kept out of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal XI. He immediately returned to training and took part in the Gunners' mid-season friendlies.
The versatile defender was exceptional before the World Cup break. As a right-back, White has extra license to advance, as he demonstrated with an excellent assist against September in October.
£4.7m is a bargain.
Defence: William Saliba – £5.3mAnother Arsenal defender to consider is Saliba. It is a little more expensive, but justifies the costs.
Having kept pace with White alongside Gabriel in the center of defence, the Frenchman has been arguably the most successful centre-back of the Premier League season so far.
Saliba has barely played for France so should return from Qatar relatively fresh. He's produced a number of man-of-the-match screens and even scored a few goals so far.
His price has risen exponentially since the summer, when it was unclear how far he was in Arteta's plans, but £5.3m is still relatively good value.< /p>
READ: 14 brilliant stats that show how good Arsenal have been in 2022-23 so far
Defence: Sven Botman – £4.4mIt was a bit of a headache that Louis Van Gaal omitted the brilliant Botman from his Netherlands World Cup squad, but Eddie Howe and legions of enthusiastic Newcastle fans aren't complaining .
The 22-year-old hasn't looked entirely convincing in his first two Premier League appearances following his summer move from Lille, but he's grown in the campaign and already looks incredibly assured. Botman is a key pillar of the Magpies' superlative defensive record this season - no team has conceded less and no team has more clean sheets.
Kieran Trippier, given what he offers in the future, is Newcastle's obvious choice - but Botman is a total of £1.5million cheaper and a guaranteed starter. Plus, given his 6'4" frame, you'd imagine it's only a matter of time before he hits the end of a free kick.
Defence: Ben Mee – £4.6mThe experienced former Burnley defender has had its ups and downs this season, but he helped Brentford keep their sheets clean against Bournemouth, Brighton and Chelsea and contributed a goal against Wolves and an assist against Man City before the break.
Not the kind of player you want in your starting XI every week, but...
The Premier League is almost back - and with it, the selection headaches for your FPL squad.
The World Cup break means there's something a little different in Fantasy Premier League this year; you get unlimited transfers.
If you're like us, you'll probably spend a good part of Christmas dreaming about how you can fit Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah into your team. To get yourself a few heavy hitters, you're going to have to sacrifice elsewhere, but never fear: we've got some great bargain options for you.
Here is an XI of the best Fantasy Premier League budget options to consider ahead of the Boxing Day deadline, organized in a 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Danny Ward – £4.1mAfter Kasper Schmeichel's shock move to Nice in the summer, there were question marks over who would guard the net for Leicester this season.
Wales international Ward seems to have won this battle. He didn't cover himself in World Cup glory, and he got off to a shaky start as Brendan Rodgers' Foxes looked like relegation fodder in the opening weeks of the campaign, but he improved at the campaign thread.
The 29-year-old has kept five clean sheets in his last six Premier League appearances before the break, conceding just one goal - and that was at Manchester City.
Only Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale have kept more clean sheets this season. £4.1m is an absolute steal.
Defence: Ben White – £4.7mWhite left the England side for as yet unknown personal reasons midway through Qatar 2022, but there are no signs that he will be kept out of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal XI. He immediately returned to training and took part in the Gunners' mid-season friendlies.
The versatile defender was exceptional before the World Cup break. As a right-back, White has extra license to advance, as he demonstrated with an excellent assist against September in October.
£4.7m is a bargain.
Defence: William Saliba – £5.3mAnother Arsenal defender to consider is Saliba. It is a little more expensive, but justifies the costs.
Having kept pace with White alongside Gabriel in the center of defence, the Frenchman has been arguably the most successful centre-back of the Premier League season so far.
Saliba has barely played for France so should return from Qatar relatively fresh. He's produced a number of man-of-the-match screens and even scored a few goals so far.
His price has risen exponentially since the summer, when it was unclear how far he was in Arteta's plans, but £5.3m is still relatively good value.< /p>
READ: 14 brilliant stats that show how good Arsenal have been in 2022-23 so far
Defence: Sven Botman – £4.4mIt was a bit of a headache that Louis Van Gaal omitted the brilliant Botman from his Netherlands World Cup squad, but Eddie Howe and legions of enthusiastic Newcastle fans aren't complaining .
The 22-year-old hasn't looked entirely convincing in his first two Premier League appearances following his summer move from Lille, but he's grown in the campaign and already looks incredibly assured. Botman is a key pillar of the Magpies' superlative defensive record this season - no team has conceded less and no team has more clean sheets.
Kieran Trippier, given what he offers in the future, is Newcastle's obvious choice - but Botman is a total of £1.5million cheaper and a guaranteed starter. Plus, given his 6'4" frame, you'd imagine it's only a matter of time before he hits the end of a free kick.
Defence: Ben Mee – £4.6mThe experienced former Burnley defender has had its ups and downs this season, but he helped Brentford keep their sheets clean against Bournemouth, Brighton and Chelsea and contributed a goal against Wolves and an assist against Man City before the break.
Not the kind of player you want in your starting XI every week, but...
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