FPL preset squads: The No Haaland draft

The Scout is helping Fantasy Premier League managers to build their 15-man squads ahead of Gameweek 1 with some ready-made solutions. 

The No Haaland draft

A huge cost of £14.0m has proved no deterrent to managers’ owning Erling Haaland for their opening squads.

The Manchester City forward has been selected by a massive 86 per cent of managers, despite being handed the joint-highest-ever starting price in Fantasy.

That popularity is all the more incredible given that Haaland costs at least £5.0m more than all but three other players in the 2023/24 price list.

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The Scout looks at how managers could reinvest those funds, building a 3-5-2 formation brimming with big-hitters who have the form and fixtures to challenge the Norwegian for the armband in the early Gameweeks.

Goalkeeper

Andre Onana (£5.0m) has four Old Trafford matches in the first seven Gameweeks to make a fast start to his Manchester United career.

The Red Devils kept a league-high 11 clean sheets at home last season, lifting the summer signing's appeal as a more budget-friendly route into their backline than Luke Shaw (£5.5m).

Defenders

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m) and Man City’s John Stones (£5.5m) can record their best-ever Fantasy campaigns thanks to new roles for their clubs.

Both defenders regularly move into central midfield when their sides have possession, with Alexander-Arnold used in a deep-lying playmaker position in his final 10 outings of 2022/23.

The Liverpool right-back's 23 key passes and nine big chances created both placed first for the Reds in that run, while his 15 shots ranked fourth.

Stones has been quick to show his attacking potential by scoring Man City’s opening goal of pre-season. 

His all-round potential easily makes him worth the extra outlay over Pep Guardiola’s £5.0m-priced defenders.

Brighton & Hove Albion's Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m) also boasts big potential from the outset.

A run of four home matches in six has earned the Ecuadorian a huge 51 per cent ownership.

Estupinan’s 28 shots and 46 chances created both placed third among defenders after Roberto De Zerbi arrived as head coach in Gameweek 9 last season. 

Midfield

The Haaland funds allow for a five-man midfield which includes a trio of big-hitters: Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), Marcus Rashford (£9.0m) and Bukayo Saka (£8.5m).

Crucially, those three could prove Haaland’s strongest rivals for the captaincy in the opening Gameweeks.

In Gameweek 1, Saka is at home to Nottingham Forest and Rashford entertains Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Haaland is away to Burnley.

In Gameweek 2, Salah welcomes AFC Bournemouth to Anfield while Haaland hosts Newcastle United.

Saka and Rashford are again appealing options in Gameweek 3, hosting Fulham and Nott’m Forest respectively, while Haaland travels to Sheffield United.

Phil Foden (£7.5m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m) can be key acquisitions in the mid-price bracket from the very start of the campaign.

The departure of Riyad Mahrez raises hopes that Foden can finally secure a regular role under Guardiola this season. 

In the first six Gameweeks, Man City face four of the six sides who have been promoted to the Premier League in the last two seasons.

Man City's first six fixtures

Mitoma, meanwhile, is the third most-owned midfielder due to Brighton’s run of home matches.

The Japanese averaged 6.0 points per start at the Amex Stadium in his debut Fantasy campaign in 2022/23.

Forwards

Arsenal’s kind schedule means a double-up with Saka and Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) looks too good to ignore.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), four of Arsenal's opening five matches score only two. 

Arsenal’s first five matches

Managers have been quick to react to that run of opponents, with the Brazilian’s 31 per cent ownership second in his position in Fantasy.

Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) is among the most in-form forwards over the summer, scoring in two of Aston Villa’s three friendlies.

Crucially, that includes a strike against his Gameweek 1 opponents, Newcastle, which precedes a pair of favourable encounters with Everton and Burnley.

Indeed, Watkins’ name could be added to the armband rivals to Haaland in Gameweek 2 when he entertains the Toffees.

Bench

Over 30 per cent of managers own Alphonse Areola (£4.0m), who may replace Lukasz Fabianski (£4.5m) as West Ham United’s no 1 this season.

In defence, Burnley’s Jordan Beyer, Sheffield United’s George Baldock and Luton Town’s Amari’i Bell are secure starters at a cost of only £4.0m.

West Ham’s Divin Mubama (£4.5m) is a budget forward to sit on the bench. He has three goals in pre-season and could earn minutes as a substitute in 2023/24.

Also in this series

Part 1: Haaland, Alexander-Arnold and a 3-5-2
Part 3: Haaland, Salah AND Alexander-Arnold
Part 4: Planning ahead with strong bench