£8.0m-£8.5m FPL Midfielders Review and Best Options from GW9

This article covers the review and analysis of £8.0m-£8.5m FPL Midfielders till now with stats. Going ahead we analyze the upcoming fixtures of these £8.0m-£8.5m FPL Midfielders- Saka, Diaz, Maddison, Kulusevski, Bowen, Foden and Mount and conclude the best picks in this category from GW9 onwards. Article written by FF_EyeTest(Do follow him on Twitter).

Link to all our FPL GW9 blogs including Wildcard Guide, Fixtures to target, Predicted 11, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

£8.0m-£8.5m FPL Midfielders Review

📊 REPORT CARD (FIRST 8 GWS):

🔫 Bukayo Saka (£7.8m) ➡️ 37 pts

Arsenal have started the season in red hot form & currently find themselves on top of the league with 18 pts from 7 games. Bukayo Saka has gone under the radar I feel… Quite a few people might’ve switched from him to Luis Díaz after he blanked in GW2 & 3 hence he dropped in price twice which sees him now available for £7.8m only! But those who kept faith in him/transferred him in in GW5/6 have reaped rewards as he’s returned in all of the last 4 GWs! 1 goal & 5 assists so far, tbh he’s not the most attractive of options in the £8m price bracket but certainly ticks along very nicely! Arsenal still haven’t earned a penalty yet this season so we still don’t know who’ll take them!

⭐ FPL wise Rating: 8.5/10

📊 STATS 📊

📸 Appearances: 7 (all starts)
⏱️ Mins per game: 88
➕ Touches per game: 55.3
⚽ Goals: 1
🅰️ Assists: 5
👟 Shots per game: 2.4
🏹 Shots on target per game: 0.6
🔑 Key passes per game: 2.1
❌ Big chances missed: 1
✅ Big chances created: 1

Further Read: FPL Players And Teams To Target From FPL Gameweek 9

🔴 Luis Díaz (£8.2m) ➡️ 32 pts

The 25-year-old Colombian international is the second-highest points scorer so far & is currently the most owned(26.5%) player in his price bracket. Liverpool might not have started the season the way they would’ve liked to but Luis Díaz certainly has been one of the best players in the squad so far. 3 goals to his name already in 6 apps, he’s looked very sharp & lively… 16 shots & 7 of those on target shows how direct he is! He’s also missed 2 big chances & hit the woodwork twice! He’s returned in 2 of the 3 home games which includes a 14 point haul in a 9-0 win over Bournemouth!

⭐ FPL wise Rating: 8.5/10

📊 STATS 📊

📸 Appearances: 6 (all starts)
⏱️ Mins per game: 88
➕ Touches per game: 55.8
⚽ Goals: 3
🅰️ Assists: 0
👟 Shots per game: 2.7
🏹 Shots on target per game: 1.2
🔑 Key passes per game: 0.7
❌ Big chances missed: 2
✅ Big chances created: 0

Further Read: FPL GW9 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide

🐓 Dejan Kulusevski (£8.1m) ➡️ 32 pts

With the addition of Richarlison in the summer, it was always going to be one of Son/Kulusevski/Richarlison who miss out the odd game for Spurs hence Kulusevski was an unpopular pick from the start! But he was nailed for the opening GW due to Richarlison being suspended for a game & he showcased his class against the Saints and hence Richarlison has found it difficult to get starts so far! The Swedish international has started six of the opening seven games of the season, a goal & 3 assists to his name already shows that he has certainly picked up from where he left off last season!

⭐ FPL wise Rating: 8/10

📊 STATS 📊

📸 Appearances: 7 (6 starts)
⏱️ Mins per game: 72
➕ Touches per game: 36.6
⚽ Goals: 1
🅰️ Assists: 3
👟 Shots per game: 1.4
🏹 Shots on target per game: 0.3
🔑 Key passes per game: 1.7
❌ Big chances missed: 0
✅ Big chances created: 2

🏆 Phil Foden (£8m) ➡️ 32 pts

The only thing that stops Foden from being a great FPL asset is the “Pep Roulette” but so far we’ve all been surprised to see Foden start all 7 of Man City’s PL games! Will we see this trend continue for long? Of course not. Now with the fixture pile up coming up, we are expected to see “Pep Roulette” in full swing! But whenever he plays, he’s a real threat & that’s what we get from Pep’s players. 2 goals, 3 assists & an xGI of 3.44 in his 7 appearances suggests that he’s in top form! The 22 year-old Englishmen has also accumulated 32 pts so far!

⭐ FPL wise Rating: 8.5/10

📊 STATS 📊

📸 Appearances: 7 (all starts)
⏱️ Mins per game: 76
➕ Touches per game: 58.1
⚽ Goals: 2
🅰️ Assists: 3
👟 Shots per game: 1.4
🏹 Shots on target per game: 0.7
🔑 Key passes per game: 1.7
❌ Big chances missed: 2
✅ Big chances created: 2

Further Read: FPL GW9 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

🦊 James Maddison (£7.9m) ➡️ 29 pts

Maddison has been the only shining light so far in what has been a dismal start to the campaign for Leicester! 3 goals & an assist in 6 appearances to his name already despite having a tough fixture run suggests he should be in a lot of teams now! He’s only owned by 6% of FPL managers atm but I’m sure that number will keep increasing… (We’ll speak about it more in the next topic)!
One of the positives of owning Maddison is that he shoots a lot & is on almost all set pieces (excluding pens). 3.3 shots per game (1.2 on target) is the highest in this price bracket!

FPL wise Rating: 8/10

📊 STATS 📊

📸 Appearances: 6 (all starts)
⏱️ Mins per game: 90
➕ Touches per game: 66.8
⚽ Goals: 3
🅰️ Assists: 1
👟 Shots per game: 3.3
🏹 Shots on target per game: 1.2
🔑 Key passes per game: 2.2
❌ Big chances missed: 1
✅ Big chances created: 0

Further Read: FPL Players And Teams To Target From FPL Gameweek 9

⚒️ Jarrod Bowen (£8.1m) ➡️ 15 pts

Now let’s focus on Mr. Jarrod Bowen… What happened to this guy? 29… I repeat, a mammoth total of 29 attacking returns last season which saw him earn a £2m increment in starting price from £6.5m to £8.5m but he now finds himself available for only £8.1m after failing to return even once in the first 8 GWs… Bowen has played the full 90 in six of West Ham’s seven games so far this season! He has taken 15 shots but only one of them was on target which says a lot. Not only him, the whole West Ham team have found it very tough so far and have started the season poorly. They only have 4 points from 7 games & currently sit at 18th in the PL standings! The Hammers are also joint bottom for goals scored (3) along with Wolves. Of course it’s early days but they haven’t found their last season’s form yet & need to start picking up points soon to have a good season overall!

FPL wise Rating: 5.5/10

📊 STATS 📊

📸 Appearances: 7 (all starts)
⏱️ Mins per game: 89
⚽ Goals: 0
🅰️ Assists: 0
👟 Shots per game: 2.1
🏹 Shots on target per game: 0.1
🔑 Key passes per game: 1.0
❌ Big chances missed: 1
✅ Big chances created: 0

Alternatively, you can vote for us via Twitter by tweeting “I am voting for @allaboutfpl in @The_FCAs for #BestInFantasyFootball(Editorial)!” on Twitter. The pre-loaded tweet is below, just click vote now!

🔵 Mason Mount (£7.6m) ➡️ 14 pts

Lots of changes in the Chelsea team & staff included maybe has had a negative impact on Mount & that’s the only excuse I can find for him starting the season badly! He’s looked out of sorts so far & like Bowen, he’s also seen a £0.4m price drop from the start of the season and is now available for £7.6m! He recorded an assist against Southampton in GW6 in their 2-1 loss but still was dropped by Tuchel the following game against West Ham in which they won 2-1 & he came on for the final 30 mins of the game!

FPL wise Rating: 5/10

📊 STATS 📊

📸 Appearances: 6 (5 starts)
⏱️ Mins per game: 66
➕ Touches per game: 49.5
⚽ Goals: 0
🅰️ Assists: 1
👟 Shots per game: 1.5
🏹 Shots on target per game: 0.3
🔑 Key passes per game: 1.3
❌ Big chances missed: 0
✅ Big chances created: 0

🏆 Riyad Mahrez (£7.6m) ➡️ 12 pts

When the Algerian is nailed he can be a crazy fantasy asset but unfortunately at Pep’s team almost no one is nailed. One of the toughest jobs all FPL managers find is guessing Man City’s starting lineups! Mahrez has started only 2 of Man City’s 7 games so far and has played a total of 222 minutes! He recorded an assist coming off the bench against Nottingham Forest which is his only attacking return so far this season… He is of course the most rotation prone player of all the players in this price category so it’s understandable that he’s only owned by a mere 1.6% of FPL managers atm…

FPL wise Rating: 4.5/10

📊 STATS 📊

📸 Appearances: 6 (2 starts)
⏱️ Mins per game: 37
➕ Touches per game: 36.7
⚽ Goals: 0
🅰️ Assists: 1
👟 Shots per game: 1.0
🏹 Shots on target per game: 0.2
🔑 Key passes per game: 1.0
❌ Big chances missed: 1
✅ Big chances created: 0

Best £8m-£8.5m FPL Midfielders from GW9-GW16

👀 LOOK AHEAD (FIXTURE ANALYSIS):

🦊 James Maddison 🦊

Leicester have one of the best fixture runs from GW9 till GW12/13. From GW13, they face WOL(A), MCI(H), EVE(A) & WHU(A) which ain’t easy on paper but Leicester are very much capable of scoring in any game!
Our main focus here is their next 4 fixtures which are against teams who have conceded a minimum of 9 goals in total already this season & three of those fixtures are at the King Power Stadium which makes Maddison almost a must have till GW12 atleast!

⚒️ Jarrod Bowen ⚒️

West Ham, like Leicester have started the season dreadfully & currently find themselves in relegation places but from GW9 onwards their fixtures turn to the good & they definitely need to string together a few wins in this period to have a good season ahead. In the next 8 GWs, they play at home 5 times & it includes 2 of the newly promoted teams! The thing is Bowen is not in form but I’ve always said that fixtures against bad teams defensively can help an out of form attacker come back to form & this is the period where I feel Bowen can get back to his best!

🔴 Luis Díaz 🔴

9 pts from the first 6 games is one of the worst starts Liverpool have had for some time & fixtures don’t get easier as they face the current Top 2 in GWs 10 & 11 but it is after that which we, FPL managers should look at! Barring Spurs away in GW15, the rest 4 fixtures could see Liverpool score 2/3+ in each of them! But it’s Liverpool we’re talking about, they score in almost every single game & if in top form they could score atleast a couple against Arsenal & Man City as well! Don’t forget that they face Brighton at Anfield this weekend & it’s their first game post Potter era!

Further Read: FPL GW9 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

🔫 Bukayo Saka 🔫

Arsenal have mixed bag run of fixtures till GW16 & one of the main disadvantages they have is that they blank in GW12 which lowers the appeal to have any of their attackers! They face 3 of the poorest defenses in the league plus also face 3 of the “Big six” in this period but they are a team in very good form atm & it will be very interesting to see how they approach their games in this period!

Further Read: FPL Players And Teams To Target From FPL Gameweek 9

🐔 Dejan Kulusevski 🐔

Tottenham too, similar to Arsenal have mixed bag run of fixtures & face 3 of the “Big 6” till GW16 but they don’t blank in GW12 but I still feel Saka is a better pick in this period than Kulusevski due to having more security of minutes! As mentioned earlier, Spurs have 3 very good attackers apart from Kane & one will always miss out so it’ll be tough to keep/have faith in Kulu in this okayish fixture run!

🏆 Phil Foden 🏆

Man City have a great run of fixtures from GWs 13-16… They also blank in GW12 + they play Liverpool at Anfield & Man Utd at the Etihad before that which doesn’t scream for a triple up at all! With no breaks from now up until the World Cup, Pep will definitely rotate a lot more than he’s had in the first 8 GWs so I’m not that keen on jumping on a player who is always a rotation risk. Yes, of course he can haul whenever he’ll start but it’s always difficult to predict when he’ll start.

Further Read: FPL GW9 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide

🔵 Mason Mount 🔵

Not fully sure if he’ll be nailed under Potter or not so let’s see in the next few GWs what Potter does and then assess and consider Chelsea mids/fwds… It’s not that Chelsea have great run of fixtures at all! The FDR table could be misleading at times(greens & whites) so it always depends on how an individual sees each fixture! For me, Palace, Villa, Brentford, Brighton & Newcastle are fairly tough away games so I’ll definitely avoid Mount for now!

🏆 Riyad Mahrez 🏆

Similar to Foden… Always a rotation risk! Whenever there is a good fixture and you want to punt on any Man City player, be it Mahrez or Foden or anyone, go for it! If they bang, you will shoot up the ranks!

If you like our content do consider supporting us by contributing to the website. ALLABOUTFPL is run by the community and for the community. All our content is and will always remain free.

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW9

£8.0m-£8.5m FPL Midfielders Review And Best Options From GW9
Top FPL Gameweek 9 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
Players to Transfer In for FPL Gameweek 9 Based on Eye Test
FPL GW9 Transfer Trends | Best Transfer Combinations & Tips
Man City GW1-8 Review | Best Man City Assets for FPL GW9-16
FPL GW9 Preview: Breaking Down FPL Dilemmas For Gameweek 9
Essential Players In Your FPL Gameweek 9 Wildcard Team
FPL GW9 Fixtures & Players To Target | Best Matchups | FPL Paz
Best FPL Budget Defenders Below £5.0m From GW9
FPL GW9 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW9 Deadline
FPL GW9 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More
FPL GW9 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
FPL Players And Teams To Target From FPL Gameweek 9
Predicted GW9 Lineups Of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL Stats Of Shithousery | GW8 Team Of The Weak
Vote For AllAboutFPL In Football Content Awards

Link to all our FPL GW9 blogs including Wildcard Guide, Fixtures to target, Predicted 11, Differentials, Captaincy metrics, transfer trends, and more. Completely free to access as well!

Alternatively, you can vote for us via Twitter by tweeting “I am voting for @allaboutfpl in @The_FCAs for #BestInFantasyFootball(Editorial)!” on Twitter. The pre-loaded tweet is below, just click vote now!

What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek of the 2022/23 FPL Season?

We’ll be covering player comparisons, differential picks, transfer trends, Buy, Hold, Sell analysis, eye test report, fixture analysis, captaincy metrics, FPL GW9 tips, and more. Keep checking allaboutfpl.com for all our blogs and subscribe to our free newsletter through the link below. We’ll also be posting regularly about the same on our social media accounts so follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook keep our notification ON.

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

Our content is always free and if you like our content do drop a comment, follow, subscribe, and support us. Your love is what keeps us going:)

FPL Gameweek 9 FPL Deadline Countdown

Login and set your team for FPL GW9 now!