FPL Budget Defenders (£4.5) Analysis Ahead Of 2021/22 Season

When crafting the perfect GW1 draft, FPL Managers are constantly looking for value. This is usually in the form of enablers that allow more funds to be invested in other parts of the squad. FPL Budget defenders, primarily priced at £4.5, offer tremendous value if they start and return.

It is always important for managers to remember: these assets are priced at £4.5 for a reason. We shouldn’t be expecting huge hauls from them every week. However, if they start consistently, they can offer appearance points at the bare minimum.

Then again, if we can pick consistent starters who may play out of position, then there’s a higher chance for attacking returns. The expectation for these defenders should be low, but every point counts.

There are a plethora of decent £4.5 defenders to choose from; however, in this blog, we will look at 5 standout picks from the bunch that are worth considering in your GW1 squads, along with potential options to keep an eye out for.

Check out our Best Premium Defenders(6.0 Mil+) To Target For The 2021/22 FPL Season and Best Mid-Priced Defenders(5 to 5.5 Mil) To Target For The 2021/2022 FPL Seasonin case you haven’t already. Here is a link to all our FPL Defenders blog for your reference.

Budget FPL Defenders in order of Number of Appearances Last Season:

• Luke Ayling LEE – 38 apps (started all games)
• Ben White ARS – 36 apps
• Matthew Lowton BUR – 32 apps
• Rayan Ait-Nouri WOL – 21 apps
• Calum Chambers ARS – 10 apps

Luke Ayling LEE £4.5

The Leeds defender started all 38 games last season, and it is safe to say he should be a secured starter this season in the Leeds squad. He leads in total touches in the box (70) and 2nd for big chances created (5) among all other £4.5 defenders.

What makes Ayling appealing primarily is his security of starts. He should be nailed in a Leeds defense that kept 11 clean sheets last season. He is 1st for most blocks (36) and 1st for ball recoveries (279) among all £4.5 defenders.

Ayling typically plays on the right side of the Leeds defense. Depending on what formation Bielsa deploys, he sometimes plays in a right full-back position, allowing him to venture farther up the pitch and contribute to the attack. The return of the center-backs of Cooper and Llorente should hopefully allow Ayling to play further up more.

Further Read: A Guide to FPL Team Structure | 21/22 FPL Season (Pre Wildcard)

Ben White ARS £4.5

Completing his move to Arsenal from Brighton, Ben White should be a regular starter for an Arsenal side who do not have external cups and tournaments to worry about. It will be interesting to see how Arteta plans to utilize White in the Arsenal defense.

White himself is the 4th best budget defender for total ball recoveries (186). He is also 2nd best for total interceptions of all budget defenders (64).

He joins an Arsenal defense who was the 4th best for least big chances conceded. He made his debut for Arsenal in their preseason game against Chelsea and looked decent. He was stable on the ball and passing around the back, while making a couple crucial blocks in defending.

Further Read: Best FPL Assets to Consider From Promoted Teams for 21/22 FPL Season

Matthew Lowton BUR £4.5

The Burnley right-back put up amazing attacking numbers last season. Hopefully we can see more under new manager Bruno Lage. Wolves’ have a favorable run of fixtures from GW4 to GW14, so he could be a decent budget defender to own during that time.

Among £4.5 defenders, Lowton is 1st for big chances created (7). He provided the most crosses into the box among budget defenders with 159 crosses and had the most shots taken outside of the box (18).

Burnley typically play a 4 in the back, while puts Lowton at a right-back role. He has more attacking freedom, and he’s allowed to stay wide and get involved in the attack.

Further Read: FPL 2021-22: Best Rotational Pairs of Teams for Alternate Easy Fixtures

Rayan Ait-Nouri WOL £4.5

The inclusion of Ait-Nouri may be a bit of a surprise for most who venture on this blog. How is a player who only claimed 54 points last season from 21 appearances who plays for a questionable Wolves side on this list of budget defenders to look out for?

The French fullback has caught the eye of many FPL managers recently due to the preseason games where he has played all the games starting at left midfield.

Under new head coach Bruno Lage, could Ait-Nouri hold his starting position into the start of the season? Will he thrive, potentially being a huge out-of-position asset for FPL?

While we can take a gamble that he can hold his position in this starting XI, it is important to remember he scored one goal and one assist last season.

Statistically, he is 1st among all budget defenders for most shots on target per 90 minutes (0.38), and he is 2nd among all budget defenders for most shots per 90 min (1.03).

Ait-Nouri is definitely one to keep an eye on, especially if he maintains his left midfield role.

Further Read: Best Mid-Priced Defenders To Target For The 2021/2022 FPL Season

Calum Chambers ARS £4.5

Despite only making 10 appearances last season, Chambers could be a standout budget defender to target from an Arsenal side whose defense was the 4th best for least big chances conceded.

Rotation from international tournaments affected the starting security for most of Arsenal’s squad, including Chambers. However, with only domestic football to worry about this season, we could see Arteta look to solidify his starting XI with minimal rotation.

There is a bit of competition for the right-back spot in the Arsenal starting XI, with the likes of Bellerin and Cedric vying for that spot. Chambers has started the last two out of four preseason games for Arsenal, both of which they won (against Millwall and Watford).

Chambers is also 2nd among budget defenders for key passes per 90 (1.32), as well as 2nd for touches in the box per 90 (2.15). Definitely worth consideration if he secures his starting spot.

Other Notable £4.5 Defenders to Keep Under the Radar:

• An alternative to Calum Chambers could be Rob Holding, who became a starter in the Arsenal defense towards the end of the season in Gabriel’s absence. We have to see how Arteta lines up his defensive line.
• An alternative to Ait-Nouri in the Wolves defense could be Conor Coady. The attacking threat is minimal, but the security of starts for the centerback makes him a decent budget defender.
• Tyrick Mitchell from Crystal Palace could be an interesting bargain. The Palace left-back has said that, under new manager Patrick Vieira, that, “I think the things that have changed in my game personally – I’m more attacking.” (Credit: Tweet from @ColmVHayes on Twitter). It will be interesting to see how he fares.
• Everton’s Mason Holgate made 28 appearances last season, and, while we have yet to see whether he is nailed or not, he could be a budget way into an Everton defense with a very favorable fixture run from the start.

Conclusion on FPL Budget Defenders ahead of the 2021/22 FPL Season:

Out of the FPL budget defenders we’ve discussed in this blog today, here’s how I would rank them from top choice to least.

1. Luke Ayling
2. Ben White
3. Rayan Ait-Nouri
4. Calum Chambers
5. Matthew Lowton

Remember: these are budget fpl defenders. The expectations should be low for them – we should be thankful even with mere appearance points! Any extraneous returns are a huge bonus.

The likelihood is that these FPL budget defenders will be effective bench options who will come in via automatic substitutions whenever necessary.

I hope this analysis has given more thought to which budget defenders at £4.5 may potentially be a decent choice for your squads.

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