Goalkeepers: Ederson (£5.5m); £4.0m option
Boring, yes! Safe, incredibly! However Manchester City’s favorable start to the season means I want a member of their back line into my side. Without a pre-season to go off, we don’t know which City defenders will be in the XI come Burnley away on the 11th August, which only increases the Brazilian keepers appeal. Come WC1, it’s probable I’d move away from Ederson to a guaranteed City starter, should one become obvious.
David Raya is another in consideration with Brentford high in the ticker, but the uncertainty surrounding his future means he’s an avoid for now.
Defenders: Trent Alexander Arnold (£7.5m), Oleksander Zinchenko (£5.0m), Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m), James Tarkowski (£4.5m); Sub Rico Henry (£4.5m)
I can’t imagine I need to go into details about why I’ve selected Trent Alexander Arnold, I imagine he will be the most selected defender going into GW1.
Arsenal have again been handed a nice start to the season & I imagine I will need a defender to go with the two midfielders I will select. No real stand out for me, but I’ve always been a fan of Oleksander Zinchenko and I just prefer him to one the central defenders. In the unlikely event Ben White comes in at £4.5m again, then he will be the man.
Brighton were the go to team for value last term & although I expect most to have considerable increases come 23/24, should Pervis Estupinan come in around £5.0m then he will be a steal. A start to the season of Luton Town (H), Wolves (A) & West Ham (H) is as good as it gets.
My fourth & fifth choice options at the moment are James Tarkowski & Rico Henry. Both should come in around £4.5m and start the season in favorable fashion. The former will likely be a regular on my bench, but a home game with Fulham combined with Henry’s game with Spurs means the pair will swap in GW1.
Midfielders: Marcus Rashford (£9.0m), Bukayo Saka (£9.0m), Gabriel Martinelli (£8.5m), Solly March (£6.5m); Sub Harrison Reed (£4.5m)
Three home games in their opening four matches means at least one Arsenal attacking option is a must heading into the new season. Should the 23-24 campaign start tomorrow then I’d likely go with two Gunner midfield options. Can’t imagine need much detail as to why I’m selecting them, but Gabriel Martinelli & Bukayo Saka would probably just get the nod ahead of Martin Odegaard.
Marcus Rashford enjoyed the best season of his career in 22-23 and is another I’d imagine will be in most squads. Home games with Wolves and Nottingham Forest in United’s opening three only increases his appeal.
At the moment I’d be coin flipping between Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma, but I’ve opted for the former currently as it’s probable he’ll come in slightly cheaper.
Harrison Reed completes my midfield options, but he would be the third option on my bench. With prices not yet revealed, the best £4.5m option is unclear.
Forwards: Erling Haaland (£13.5m), Evan Ferguson (£6.5m); Sub Bryan Mbuemo (£6.5m)
Erling Haaland. Captain. Enough said.
I’m currently on a Brighton triple up in the hope they teach Premier League newcomers Luton Town a lesson in GW1. Should Evan Ferguson have a good pre-season then it’s probable he’ll be one of the most popular budget striking options. Ferguson was superb when called upon last term and it’s not a surprise to see some of the Premier League elite linked with the Irish striker.
My third striker in the first draft is Bryan Mbuemo. Bar a home game with Spurs in their opener, Brentford enjoy a nice start to the season. Mbuemo’s appeal is massive due to the suspension of strike partner and Brentford talisman Ivan Toney.
All price predictions come via the excellent livefpl
