The Scout's panel of Fantasy Premier League experts reveal which premium players they can't afford to leave out of the 2023/24 game.
What the experts say
Lee Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
Erling Haaland (£14.0m) is a given and with many FPL managers avoiding Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) in favour of a more balanced five-man midfield, I'm more inclined to go with Salah. I'll reluctantly have to hold fire on Harry Kane (£12.5m) for now. Budgeting for both Haaland and Salah works if you use the £4.0m defenders to your advantage.
Utkarsh Dalmia (@Zophar666)
I plan on starting the season with only one premium, Haaland, who I will captain every week. With so many good midfielders in the £7.5m-£8.5m bracket, I want more of those rather than spending £12.5m on Salah.
Holly Shand (@HollyShand)
Looking at the new pricing structure and the kind prices of midfielders from Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, I'll be looking at one premium - Haaland. I'm not sure Salah is worth £4.0m extra compared to Bukayo Saka or Martin Odegaard (both £8.5m), and a double-up on them looks most appealing.
Sam Bonfield (@FPLFamily)
My first draft only had Haaland and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m) from the premium category. But the more I think about starting the season without another premium, the more worried I am. Kane or Salah seem important owns. They will be among the top points-scorers and, most importantly, they allow an easy route to a change of team structure in the early weeks.
I will likely try to save budget with the cheaper £4.0m defenders such as Amari'i Bell and Jordan Beyer (both £4.0m), and then invest in someone like Justin Kluivert (£5.0m) in the fifth midfielder spot to free up the money needed to have Kane and Haaland together.
See: Who are the best £4.0m defenders in 2023/24?
Nick Harris (@WGTA_Nick)
I'll be sticking with just the one premium in Haaland. There are plenty of quality players just outside the premium bracket that I want to incorporate into my team, such as Saka and Marcus Rashford (£9.0m).
Gianni Buttice (@GianniButtice)
I will be going without Salah and Kane to accommodate an extra couple of £8.0m-£9.0m midfielders in Saka and Rashford who offer great value and similar upside. Haaland, of course, is a lock.
Pras (@Pras_FPL)
Given the price hikes for Haaland, Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier (£6.5m), as well as other good options like Rashford and the Arsenal midfielders, my first instinct is to only go with Haaland for now. As team value develops over the season, I am sure there will be opportunities to add Salah and/or Kane later.
Harry Daniels (@FPLHarry)
Right now I only plan to own Haaland and Alexander-Arnold, and leave out Kane and Salah. There are so many good midfielders under £10.0m, particularly from Arsenal and Man Utd, that I've run out of space and budget for Salah. I'm comfortable with this, especially given I don’t plan on captaining him. The likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Kaoru Mitoma (both £6.5m) also offer great value in my midfield.
Ali Jahangirov (@FPLGunz)
With the uncertainty over Kane's future at Spurs and many alternative options much cheaper than Salah, I am leaning towards only having Haaland out of the three. Points will be widely spread across Liverpool assets like Cody Gakpo (£7.5m), Luis Diaz (£7.5m), Diogo Jota (£8.0m) and Darwin Nunez (£7.5m), so £12.5m for Salah is a stretch.
Mark McGettigan (@FPLGeneral)
The way the prices have fallen has me leaning towards owning just one of the big-hitters. Haaland is a must-have for captaincy so there won't be space for Salah or Kane to begin with. Spreading the cash around the squad for the likes of Alexander-Arnold, Saka, Rashford and Son Heung-min (£9.0m) is my plan.
Also in this series
Part 2: Who are the best-value picks?
Part 3: What is the best formation for 2023/24?
