Article written by @soumyadut(Do follow) on the “Best Premium FPL Midfielders(£8.0-£12.5 Million)” for the 2023/24 FPL Season
“Avengers: Infinity War” movie – T’Challa, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Bucky Barnes, James Rhodes, and the entire Wakandan army is fighting to keep the Outriders at bay while Shuri is fighting against time to take the Mind Stone out of Vision. They all know it’s a futile battle and the end is inevitable.
Suddenly, a large beam of light lands nearby, and the Avengers and Wakandans stop to look up as the axe flies through the air, electrocuting the Outriders. Thor appears with his new axe Stormbreaker, alongside Rocket and Groot.
Bruce Banner: [laughing with joy] Hah! Hah! Hah! You guys are so screwed now!
That’s the power of premium or marquee players in a team game. It gives you the confidence that no matter what happens, on any given day the premium asset will save the day. Which is also the reason we see so much impatience when they blank for 2/3 GWs. We forget they are also humans, and they can’t succeed every time. For example, even Thor could not stop Thanos from killing Vision and eventually snapping in the movie. But on his day, Thor did kill Thanos in the movie EndGame (albeit for a short while) and so does every premium player – he absolutely kills your rivals with mammoth hauls on most days.
Hello and welcome to the last segment of midfielders to consider for GW 1. In this article, I will cover Premium Midfielders (£8.0 m – 12.5 m)
Link to all our 2023/24 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, differentials, players to target, budget enablers and more. Completely free to access as well!
Link to all our FPL Midfielders analysis blogs including 4.5 midfielders, 5-5.5 midfielders, 6-7.5 Million Midfielders, and 8 to 12.5 Million midfielders in one place!
Premium FPL Midfielders Analysis
£8.0 Million FPL Midfielders
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
Martinelli scored 6 goals and 7 assists in 21-22, but his breakout season only came last year.
| Among MF priced £8.0 m or below – 22/23 | Martinelli |
| Shots | 3rd |
| Shots in the Box | 2nd |
| Total Touches in Opposition Penalty Area | 1st |
| Big Chances | 4th |
| xG | 4th |
| xA | 3rd |
| xGI | 2nd |
| GI | 1st |
| Goals Scored | 1st |
| xPts | 2nd |
| Bonus Points | 3rd |
| FPL Points | 1st |
He was the 5th highest scoring MF in the entire game despite playing least mins among those Top 5. And ironically this is the key reason doing the rounds for his reduced appeal – he is currently in less than 15% of teams although being the 3rd among MF in terms of value per million. Apparently, he is a rotation risk especially after Arsenal signed Havertz. So, let’s address those concerns here.
Martinelli got injured in GW 36 and missed the last two games. Out of the first 36 games, Martinelli played all 36 (club highest) starting 34 of them and coming on as a sub on 2 occasions. For context, Saka is the only other Arsenal MF/ ST player to have played all 36. And yet till GW 36, Martinelli had outscored Saka on almost every metric
| Till GW 36 – 22/23 | Saka | Martinelli |
| Shots on Target | 29 | 32 |
| Big Chances | 11 | 16 |
| Big Chances Created | 8 | 12 |
| NPxG | 7.71 | 11.21 |
| xG | 10.00 | 11.21 |
| xA | 7.92 | 9.34 |
| xGI | 17.9 | 20.6 |
| Goals | 13 | 15 |
| BPS | 645 | 648 |
| xPoints | 166.57 | 178.14 |
| FPL Points | 194 | 198 |
Now coming back to mins risk: there are supposedly 3 players who are Martinelli’s contenders – Havertz, Trossard and Jesus. Let’s address them one by one.
Martinelli plays on the left across the Front 3. Havertz plays on the right when playing as a winger or a False 9, not left. Nelson also prefers to play on the right.
There were rumours about him getting rotated when Trossard was signed before GW 21. So, is Trossard a risk to Martinelli’s starts? Data says otherwise. Between GW 21-36, Martinelli played all 18 games starting 16 games and coming on as a sub in 2 of them. Among Arsenal MF/ ST, only Ødegaard (18 starts) and Saka (17 starts, 1 sub appearance) featured more.
There were similarly rumours that Martinelli would be rotated when Jesus is fit. So, let’s tackle that as well. Jesus was injured between GW 17-26. But what happened when both Martinelli and Jesus were fit?
| GW 1-16 | GW 17-26 | GW 27-36 | ||||
| Martinelli | Jesus | Martinelli | Jesus | Martinelli | Jesus | |
| Starts | 14 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 8 |
| Sub App | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 14 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
So basically, Martinelli is almost as nailed as Saka and Ødegaard in terms of starts. Sure, he might be hauled off early in certain games. But given his explosiveness he would have damaged enough by that time. Martinelli provides the cheapest route (along with Jesus) to the rampant Arsenal attack. So, ignoring him can cost you dear in your mini-league.
Players who are worth keeping tabs on in terms of pre-season friendlies or transfers (in alphabetical order):
- Diogo Jota (Liverpool) – Two goals and an assist in Liverpool’s first pre-season game
Personal Opinion – Salah and TAA are the first two names which should be locked among Liverpool assets. Given their mixed run of opening fixtures, is Jota or any 3rd Pool asset worth a place? Still, if you want to take the punt, Darwin Núñez is the way to go as he is cheaper and more attacking.
Follow all pre-season updates here: All Clubs Pre-season tracker
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£8.5 Million FPL Midfielders
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Since Bruno Fernandes joined Man United, the club has played a total of 188 games.
He made the squad for 187 of them, starting 173 & coming in as a sub in 12 games.
2 games he was in the squad but didn’t play.
Has missed 1 game through illness.
Has missed 0 games due to injury.
If that’s not consistency, I don’t know what is. He has recently been made the captain of the squad. So, he will be more than eager to make a statement. Additionally, he is on penalties and gets a fair share of free kicks and corners too.
There’s no doubt Bruno is an elite asset, and his key stats suggest the same too.
| Among MF priced £8.5 m or below – 22/23 | Bruno |
| Mins | 3rd |
| Shots | 2nd |
| Shots on Target | 1st |
| xA | 1st |
| xGI | 1st |
| BPS | 2nd |
| Bonus Points | 2nd |
| xPts | 1st |
| FPL Points | 4th |
But if we dig deeper, that is where it gets even more interesting
| Among MF priced £8.5 m or below – 22/23 | Bruno |
| Total Final 3rd Passes | 1st |
| Successful Final 3rd Passes | 2nd |
| Key Passes | 1st |
| Big Chances Created | 1st |
| Total Opposition Half Passes | 1st |
| Total Final 3rd Passes | 1st |
| Accurate Final 3rd Passes | 2nd |
| Total Throughballs attempted | 1st |
| Successful Throughballs | 1st |
Bruno has been outstanding last season in providing chance after chance but how Man Utd missed a genuine No 9 !! Rashford tried his best to fill in as an ST. But he is not in the same mould as RVP or Rooney. If Utd sign Hojlund or a top striker this summer, or even a backup ST so that Rashford can be fresh for the EPL matches, Bruno might make a mockery of that £8.5 m price tag.
Further Read: 2023/24 FPL Pre Season: All Clubs Friendlies Fixtures & Updates
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Saka is currently the highest-owned Midfielder in FPL (2nd highest overall after Haaland) …partly because of the fixtures, partly because of his exploits last season. Let’s look at the fixtures first
Arsenal scored 35 goals across these 14 matches (H&A) against these opponents. Furthermore, 5 out of the 7 fixtures have an FDR of 2. Not to forget, Saka is on penalties as well(He took one vs Barcelona in the pre-season and missed).
Now let’s look at Saka’s numbers last season: Saka had the 2nd highest goal contributions amongst MFs (behind Salah) and 4th highest scoring MF.
However, this is where the good story ends. When we look at the underlying stats, we realise how Saka massively overperformed last season.
| Among MF | Saka |
| Shots on Target | 11th |
| Big Chances | 19th |
| Big Chances Created | 29th |
| xG | 9th |
| xA | 10th |
| xGI | 8th |
| nPxG | 12th |
This doesn’t make Saka a bad asset. We have seen how underlying numbers mean nothing in FPL (remember Lingardinho in WHU colours?). Arsenal have scored the 2nd highest number of goals in the league last season. So, it makes a strong case to go with more than 1 attacker for those initial fixtures at least. But is Saka worth the extra £0.5 m over Martinelli and Jesus?
Players who are worth keeping tabs on in terms of pre-season friendlies or transfers (in alphabetical order):
- Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)
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Personal Opinion – Nailed, of course. But worth the 2nd or 3rd Arsenal spot? I doubt. There is better value in Martinelli, Jesus, Gabriel, Saliba, Saka, and even Ramsdale.
Arsenal Friendlies Summary:
- Saka ⚽️⚽️AAA
- Marquinhos ⚽️A
- Nketiah ⚽️
- Jorginho ⚽️
- Odegaard A A
- Trossard ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
- Havertz ⚽️⚽️
- Vieira ⚽️
- Jesus ⚽️ A
- Martinelli ⚽️A
- Tierney A
- Amario Cozier-Duberry A (FPL Assist)
- Ben White A
Further Read: 2023/24 FPL Pre Season: All Clubs Friendlies Fixtures & Updates
£9.0 Million FPL Midfielders
Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)
Son’s consistency of returns is incredible
22/23 was an off-season by his standards and even then, he managed to break the 150-point barrier for the 7th consecutive season. But why did he have the off-season (if you can call it so)? Son clarified on air:
“I wondered a lot if I should even make this public, but I struggled with pain all season. I played through it for eight to nine months, but couldn’t go on anymore, so I made the decision finally and underwent surgery. Even for simple actions like passing or turning, every movement starts from your core muscles, that’s exactly where my pain was. I was only able to do 60 percent of what you could [normally] do at 100 percent.”
If 60% yielded 152 points, going by simple maths 100% would generate a return of 253 points, which is close to what Son achieved in 21/22. So, he was not off by a huge mark when he said this.
And lest we forget how effective he was when he was at 100% just a year ago:
| Among MF – 21/22 | Son |
| Shots on Target | 2nd |
| Big Chances | 2nd |
| xG | 2nd |
| Goals Scored | 1st |
| xGI | 2nd |
| GI | 2nd |
| xPts | 2nd |
| Points | 2nd |
| BPS | 1st |
| Bonus | 3rd |
The entire FPL community is looking forward to the new manager Ange Postecoglou’s fast, attacking style of play. And if morning shows the day, we are in for a treat as Spurs’ first pre-season friendly against WHU revealed. Although Spurs lost the match, they had a staggering 30 shots and 71% possession. And Son didn’t even play that match as he was working on his fitness to be ready.
Son might be an excellent asset and a cheaper alternative to Kane for the Spurs attack who have exceptionally good fixtures between GW 3 and GW 12. Don’t forget he is on free kicks and corners too and will take penalties in Kane’s absence. But for the first two GWs, I would suggest wait & watch
Further Read: FPL Team Structure Guide- 6 Different Team Structures with Drafts, Pros and Cons
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Rashford scored a staggering 30 goals in 56 appearances last season for the club. 17 of those came in EPL from 35 appearances (along with 7 assists).
| Among MF – 22/ 23 | Rashford |
| Shots | 2nd |
| Shots on Target | 1st |
| Shots in the Box | 2nd |
| Big Chances | 1st |
| xG | 2nd |
| Goals Scored | 2nd |
| xGI | 3rd |
| GI | 4th |
| xPts | 2nd |
| Points | 3rd |
| NPxG | 1st |
There’s no denying that this was by far Rashford’s best season. He was duly rewarded with a new long-term contract this month. So, he will be eager to prove himself to the fans. The fixtures would help his cause too. 8 out of the first 13 have an FDR of 2
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The only factor which might work against him is if Utd sign a ST. Rashford was listed as a Midfielder but played OOP for almost the entire campaign. Hence a proper No 9 might take off some appeal from Rashford. So do keep an eye on Utd’s transfer policies.
Further Read: Best £6.0 -£7.5 Million FPL Midfielders | 2023/24 Season
£10.5 Million FPL Midfielder
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
KDB’s Man City stint has been a joy to watch both as a football lover and as an FPL player. Time & again he has stunned doubters – case in point De Bruyne’s 19-point haul against Arsenal in FPL GW33 which killed the Gunners’ title hopes completely.
However, if you look carefully at the numbers you will see that KDB has crossed the 200-point barrier only 2 times.
For context, Son (£9.0 m) and TAA (£8.0 m) has done it twice as well while Sterling (£7.0 m) has done it 3 times implying better value per million.
The main reason why KDB was kept by people was for captaincy for City’s juicy fixtures. With Haaland starting 33 games last season and performing exceptionally well, even that reason is taken care of. We don’t have to face the pain of Pep Roulette anymore.
Lastly and most importantly, KDB is injured and mostly will miss the opening few matches. So, I would suggest keeping him on the watchlist for now.
Further Read: Best £5-£5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
£12.5 Million FPL Midfielder
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
The man who needs no introduction, the FPL God himself, the Egyptian Pharaoh – presenting none other than Mo Salah.
Salah is not a human. Let’s admit it
His worst season had produced 231 points – that’s higher than the best season of many. People say his numbers are great because of penalties. Let’s bust that myth first
| NPxG among MF | Salah |
| 22/23 | 2nd |
| 21/22 | 1st |
| 20/21 | 1st |
| 19/20 | 1st |
| 18/19 | 1st |
Salah is an elite asset… penalties or no penalties. Before Perma-Haaland captain became a vogue last season, there were many who would trust Salah with the permanent captaincy band. And would still ace mini leagues – such was Salah’s calibre.
Yet every season, there’s a debate on Mo Salah vs No Salah especially in the opening few weeks. Mostly because once the season starts, people quickly eat humble pie and bring him in once he starts the season on a high. But is there really merit in going without Salah this year?
Salah & GW1 – Still a better love story than Twilight. Let’s look at how Salah has performed in GW 1 over the years
- 17/18 -⚽️A
- 18/19 – ⚽️
- 19/20 – ⚽️A
- 20/21 – ⚽️⚽️⚽️
- 21/22 – ⚽️A A
- 22/23 – ⚽️A
Unquestionably essential for GW1… right? Let’s dig deeper. Now let’s look at his opponents
- 17/18 – Watford – finished 17th in EPL in the previous season
- 18/19 – West Ham – conceded the highest goals in EPL in the previous season
- 19/20 – Norwich – got promoted from Championship in the previous season
- 20/21 – Leeds – got promoted from Championship in the previous season
- 21/22 – Norwich – got promoted from Championship in the previous season
- 22/23 – Fulham – got promoted from Championship in the previous season
Salah has been blessed with very kind opening fixtures for 6 straight years. But this time they face Chelsea (A) in GW1. Will the love story continue, or will we see a heartbreak?
But most of the FPL managers are eyeing Salah to captain him in GW 2 against Bournemouth at home. So, let us see how has Salah performed in GW2 historically.
First, let’s look at his opponents in FPL GW2
- 17/18 – Crystal Palace
- 18/19 – Crystal Palace
- 19/20 – Southampton
- 20/21 – Chelsea
- 21/22 – Burnley
- 22/23 – Crystal Palace
Except on 1 occasion, all were easy on paper … right? Now comes the interesting part: – Salah’s GW2 returns since 2018 = 1 Assist.
How did Salah perform against his current GW 2 opponents last season? Salah blanked both times when Liverpool met Bournemouth in 22/23. What hurt more was Liverpool won 9-0 at Anfield but still Salah blanked.
Salah is an explosive asset, and I wouldn’t bet against him hauling any day. Salah can make a mockery of any analysis on his day. Who would have thought, for example, he would score 21 points against Man Utd in GW 26 last season.
But going purely by numbers and fixtures, that money can be better utilized elsewhere in the initial weeks. Liverpool’s first 16 fixtures are very nicely divided across the midway line. Bring him in before GW 9 (along with TAA and possibly another Pool asset) to reap the most benefit.
Liverpool Pre-Season Goals & Assists Summary:
- Darwin ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️⚽️A
- Salah A A A A A AA ⚽️⚽️
- Luis Diaz ⚽️⚽️⚽️
- Gakpo ⚽️ ⚽️A
- Jota ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️AAA
- Doak ⚽️
- Clark ⚽️
- Van Dijk ⚽️A
- Szoboszlai A
- Robertson A
- Matip A
- Trent Alexander Arnold A
- Mac Allister A
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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2023/24 FPL Season
Pre-Season Friendlies Updates & Fixtures
2023/24 FPL Pre Season: All Clubs Friendlies Fixtures & Updates
2023/24 Pre Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
FPL GW1 Must Read Articles:
FPL GW1 Scout Picks Based On Stats, Analysis, And Matchups
2023/24 Season: Predicted GW1 Lineups of All 20 PL Teams
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks To Consider Ahead Of GW1 Deadline
FPL GW1 Team Reveal & Strategy – AllAboutFPL
FPL GW1 Tips & Preview – Breaking Down The Key Dilemmas
FPL Players And Teams To Target From FPL Gameweek 1 To 6
Drafts for FPL GW1:
FPL Gameweek 1 Drafts with Haaland + Salah and Trent Trio
FPL GW1 Drafts with 3-4-3 Formation | 2023/24 FPL Season
Initial GW1 Drafts for the 2023/24 Season with Pros and Cons
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of GW1 Deadline
Four Players Who Have Never Left My FPL GW1 Draft
FPL GW1 Team Reveal & Strategy – AllAboutFPL
FPL Goalkeepers Analysis:
Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best FPL Goalkeepers at Each Price Point for the 2023/24 Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations- Defenders and Goal Keepers
2023/24 FPL Season Positional Analysis:
Defenders:
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £5-£5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2023/24 FPL Season
FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations- Defenders and Goal Keepers
Midfielders:
£4.5 Million FPL Midfielders Watchlist for the 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £5 & £5.5 Million FPL Midfielders For The 2023/24 FPL Season
Best £6.0 -£7.5 Million FPL Midfielders | 2023/24 Season
Mbeumo vs Mitoma vs Eze vs Diaby- 6.5. FPL Midfielders Comparison and Verdict
Best Premium FPL Midfielders (£8.0 -£12.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Forwards:
Best Mid-Priced FPL Forwards (£7.0 – £8.0m) | 2023/24 Season
Best FPL Forwards in The £6.0 & £6.5M Price Bracket
Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £5.5 Million) | 23/24 Season
Ultimate Guide & FPL Calendar:
Ultimate FPL Pre-Season Guide & Tips for the 2023/24 Season
2023/24 FPL Season Schedule: Key Dates, Information & Timeline
Fixture Analysis:
FPL Fixture Analysis For The 2023/24 FPL Season | PL Fixtures
General FPL Blogs:
FPL Team Structure Guide- 6 Different Team Structures with Drafts, Pros and Cons
Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2023/24 PL Season
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2023/24 FPL Season
FPL Differentials- Players To Watch Ahead Of The 2023/24 Season
FPL Budget Enablers(Top Budget Picks Position wise)
Under Priced FPL Assets from Big 6 Teams
Best Differential FPL Team For The 2023-2024 Season
Players to Avoid in FPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 1
Initial Reaction to FPL Player Price Reveals for the 2023/24 FPL Season
List of Free to Join Prize FPL Mini Leagues Ahead of 23/24 Season
FPL Tips and Best Practices to Have an Enjoyable FPL Season
FPL Team ID- What is it? How to get a Low Team ID for 2023/24 FPL Season
Best FPL Team Names for the 2023/24 FPL Season
If you’re new to FPL, here is a link to all our FPL Beginners Guide including FPL Beginner’s Guide- How to play?, Bench boost, Team value, Triple captain, Effective ownership, Price Changes, Free Hit, Bonus Points, and more.
Link to all our 2023/24 Pre-Season articles including all team pre-season friendly updates, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!
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