Best Premium FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season

After having discussed the best 4.0m defenders, the best 4.5m defenders, and most recently the best 5-5.5m defenders in previous posts, we are now moving on to the final bracket, that of the Premium FPL Defenders. Despite being the smallest in terms of number of options, containing just 9 players, almost all players in this bracket are nailed, and they are priced at £6.0m and above for a reason.

FPL hall-of-farmers like Trent, Robbertson, Trippier, and Gvardiol make up this price bracket, along with most of the Arsenal defense! Due to there being such a limited number of options in this bracket, and the fact that just one of these players will set managers back at least 6m, which is a lot in the post-15 Million Haaland world that we inhabit, they require more detailed analysis, to make sure that the money is being well spent… So, let’s take a look at the best Premium FPL defenders for the 2024/25 FPL season!

Link to all our 2024/25 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!

Best Premium FPL Defenders to Target

Gabriel (£6.0m)

It would take a brave man to go without an Arsenal defender this season, and Gabriel is the best of the Arsenal bunch in my opinion. Gabriel, despite being benched at the start of last season, is the most probable man to partner Saliba in GW1. Despite the signing of Italian Defender Califiori (£6.0m), Gabriel is likely to retain his place at the heart of defense alongside Saliba, and get’s into this list just ahead of his french teammate due to his goal threat. Saliba (41.1%) is currently the highest-owned defender in the game, so Gabriel is also, technically, a differential pick (11.9%)!

Gabriel had double the xG/90 of Saliba last season, and has consistently maintained an xG/90 of around 0.11 over the course of the last 3 seasons, much higher than Saliba’s average of just over 0.4. He averaged close to 1 shot per 90, which is in the top 12% of CBs across Europes top 5 leagues last season, and close to triple Saliba’s 0.26/90.

Admittedly, the fixtures don’t look great. Trips away to Villa, Spurs and Man City all present their own challenges, but on the flip side, facing 2 promoted sides at Home is always a good opportunity for points. Arsenal defenders are definitely ones to ‘set and forget‘, and if I only had the budget to pick one premium, I’d be most confident in Arsenal keeping the most clean sheets.

As mentioned, the fixtures aren’t ideal, which is why Arsenal defenders have not featured very heavily in this series, but their defensive record last season is too good to ignore. The Brazilian central defender was part of a defensive unit which kept 18 clean sheets over the course of the season, 5 more than any other team. Furthermore, the Gunners conceded just 29 goals all season, an exceptional tally; defensive structures do not just disappear overnight, their solidity is likely to continue.

An alternative to consider is Ben White, who is priced at £6.5m, ever so slightly more expensive than Saliba and Gabriel. He faces little to no competition for his position (unlike Gabriel), and carries much more of an attacking threat in that he has a much higher xA/90 than Gabriel, and managed 8 goal involvements compared to Gabriel’s 3. Having said this, a 0.5m price difference is a bit of a deal breaker for a lot of managers; is an xGI/90 difference of 0.05 really worth the money?

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Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0)

The most expensive defender in the game this season, and previously the 2nd highest in the history of the game, Trent comes in at an eye-watering £7.0m, a price which any player would struggle to justify! But if any defender is worthy of that price-tag, it is surely the scouse right back. With 3 goals, 5 assists and 8 clean sheets, Trent bagged himself, and his lucky owners, 122 points last season – but we all know he is more than capable of smashing that total this time around.

210 points in 19/20 and 208 in 21/22, Trent should never be underestimated. What’s more, we should not forget that Liverpool had the 3rd best defensive record in the league last season, both in terms of goals conceded and expected goals conceded, despite being perceived as leaky. New manager Arne Slot will only enhance the red wall, as his Feyenoord team had the best defensive record, according to the expected data, both last season and the season prior. His more possession based style of play will lead to fewer transitions, and fewer big chances conceded on Alison’s goal, enhancing the appeal of Trent and Robbo.

So why not Robertson (£6.0m)? Robertson had a better xG/90 than Trent last season, and a better xA/90, is he not the better pick? While this is true, the scot played 500 minutes fewer than TAA last season, meaning that his numbers are slightly less reliable as they come from a smaller sample size. Furthermore, since his arrival at Liverpool, this is only the second time that Robertson has averaged more xGI/90 than his full-back partner, the first being during his first at the club. Therefore it is more likely that last season was the exception to the rule, rather than an example of what’s to come.

During pre-season so far, Bradley (RB) has been deployed high up the pitch during the buildup and in the final third, whereas Tsimikas (LB) has been occupying much deeper positions, so if this is anything to go by, Trent will be the most attack-minded. Trent also has a much wider range of passing as well as a distance shooting ability that Robbo just doesn’t possess, meaning that, although he is more expensive, he is the better asset.

I think Liverpool will be more defensively solid this season, and that Trent will play a key role not only in build-up but also in chance creation. Robertson is a good differential, especially if you are short on cash, but Trent is the best Liverpool pick in terms of FPL Defenders.

Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m)

The final player to make the list of Premium FPL Defenders to target is Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol. Priced below Trent at 6.0m, Gvardiol is the most expensive of the City defenders, but also the most enticing. At 32.6% TSB, he is the second-highest owned defender in the game (at the time of writing), meaning that those who choose to go without him are taking a big risk…

Despite the fixtures being a mixed bag, Gvardiol is possibly the most nailed a City defender can be, and has the ability to haul not only through clean sheet points, but also attacking returns. Last season, the Croatian bagged himself 4 goals and 2 assists, which is great considering he started the season off fairly slowly, only managing to secure himself a spot in the starting XI in November.

City are City, they are title favourites for a reason and their players should not be ruled out. Of all the City defensive options, Gvardiol is arguably the most nailed, and the most attacking, even if he is 0.5m more expensive. The only big problem with him is that his selection limits managers to just 2 other City players, when, an attacking sky-blue triple-up is always alluring.

My other issue is that we can never be sure how nailed City assets are, and £6.0m is a lot to spend on a player who we’re not sure will start week in week out, regardless of how attacking they are or how good the fixtures are. Having said this, he is in almost a third of all FPL teams at the time of writing, with Ipswich at home in GW2, managers who go without are taking a risk. In addition, Pep changes his system and player roles every season, so there’s no guarantees that Gvardiol will pay the same attacking role he did last season; just something to keep in mind.

Fun fact: In the last seven games last season Gvardiol registered four goals, 2 assists and kept four clean sheets. His 68 pts during the period were the joint highest amongst all players along with Mateta.

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Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW1 of the 2024/25 FPL Season

FPL Gameweek 1 Articles:
Top FPL GW1 Differential Picks(<10% TSB) To Target Ahead Of GW1 Deadline
FPL GW1 Scout Selection- Top Picks for GW1 with Stats and Analysis
Best FPL Drafts with Salah + Haaland with Pros/Cons and Key Notes
AllAboutFPL FPL GW1 Team Reveal with Key Notes
Top FPL Gameweek 1 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL Team Structure Analysis with Drafts and Ratings
FPL GW1 Tips- Best Formations & Structure, Haaland + Mo?, More

Must Read articles:
Premier League Penalty & Set Piece Takers | 2024/25 PL Season
2024/25 Pre-Season Summary of All 20 Premier League Teams
Best FPL Rotational Pairs and Combinations for 2024/25 FPL Season
Best FPL Budget Enablers For The 2024-25 FPL Season
List of Free to Join Prize FPL Mini Leagues Ahead of 24/25 Season
List of Creative FPL Team Names for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £6.5m FPL Midfielders Comparison For 2024/25 FPL Season
Team wise Best FPL Differentials(<10% TSB) for the 2024/25 Season
Best Liverpool FPL Assets to Target for FPL GW1
2024/25 FPL Season – Teams & Players to Target | Fixture Analysis
Best FPL Picks Outside Top 6 Teams | 2024/25 FPL Season
2024/25 FPL Season- New Rules & Changes | What’s New in FPL?
Players to Avoid in FPL GW1 Drafts
Underpriced FPL Assets from Traditional Big 6 Teams
Ultimate 2024/25 FPL Pre-Season Guide: Tips, Preview & More

GW1 Drafts and Analysis:
AllAboutFPL FPL GW1 Team Reveal with Key Notes
204/25 Season FPL Team Structure Guide with Drafts & Ratings
Best FPL Drafts with Salah + Haaland with Pros/Cons and Key Notes
Initial FPL GW1 Drafts for the 24/25 FPL Season with Pros & Cons

Position-Wise Analysis:
Defenders and Goal Keepers series:
Best FPL Goalkeepers to Target For The 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £4.0 Million FPL Defenders For The 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £4.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best £5-5.5 Million FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best Premium FPL Defenders for the 2024/25 FPL Season(>=6.0 million)

Midfielders Series:
Best Premium FPL Midfielders (£8.0 – £12.5 Million) | 24/25 Season
Best Mid-Priced FPL Midfielders (£6.5 -£7.5 Million) | 24/25 Season
£4.5 Million FPL Midfielders Watchlist for the 2024/25 FPL Season
Best Budget FPL Midfielders (£5.0 -£6.0 Million) | 24/25 Season

Forwards Series:
Best Premium FPL Forwards Analysis Ahead Of 2024/25 Season
Best FPL Budget Forwards (£4.5 – £5.5 Million) | 24/25 FPL Season
Best FPL Mid Priced Forwards (£6 – £7 Million) | 24-25 Season
Best FPL Mid Priced Forwards (£7.5 – £8 Million) | 24-25 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 2024/25 Pre-Season articles including all position-wise analysis, team previews, fixture analysis, position-wise analysis, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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