Cole Palmer’s (£10.5m) record-breaking price rise for 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League has not stopped managers from rushing to own him.
The Chelsea star has climbed £5.5m in cost this season after topping the overall player standings last campaign with 244 points.
Palmer has quickly established a significant advantage in ownership over any other midfielder since Fantasy was launched on Wednesday afternoon.
Just over 24 hours after the game went live, more than 1million managers have already entered their squads - and Palmer can be found in over 53 per cent of them.
When looking at the ownerships per position, Palmer has been selected by over 16 per cent more managers than the second most-popular midfielder, Anthony Gordon (£7.5m) of Newcastle United.
Most-owned midfielders 2024/25
| Player | Cost | Owned |
|---|---|---|
| Cole Palmer | £10.5m | 53% |
| Anthony Gordon | £7.5m | 36% |
| Eberechi Eze | £7.0m | 33% |
| Phil Foden | £9.5m | 32% |
| Mohamed Salah | £12.5m | 31% |
There is far more indecision in the other three positions.
Under two per cent separates the two top-owned goalkeepers and forwards, and there is only a nine per cent disparity between the top two defenders.
FPL managers overlook Haaland
While Palmer already appears irresistible, the same cannot be said for Erling Haaland (£15.0m) after he was handed a starting price of £15.0m, the highest of ALL TIME in Fantasy.
The Manchester City forward sits in only 30 per cent of squads as managers look to spread those funds throughout their line-ups instead.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak (£8.5m) have proved the most-popular Haaland alternatives for managers’ frontlines. Indeed, they are the two most-owned players in the game so far, found in 56 per cent and 54 per cent of squads respectively.
Similarly to Haaland, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) is around the 30 per cent ownership mark, which makes him only the fifth most-popular midfielder.
If this trend continues, both Haaland and Salah would take on the unusual roles of differential captains in the early stages of 2024/25.
For the Norwegian, in particular, this would represent a huge turnaround from last season, when his ownership - which started around 80 per cent and rose to over 92 per cent at one point - made him the runaway favourite in the vast majority of Gameweeks.
Haaland owners looking for bargains
It’s fair to say that Haaland’s ultra-premium cost is having an impact all the way through managers’ opening squads.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro (£5.5m) is the most-chosen budget forward to play alongside Haaland, with over 22 per cent of Fantasy managers backing the Brazilian.
That immediately marks out Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz (£6.0m) as a great cut-price differential. He costs just £0.5m more than Joao Pedro and has a far kinder opening run of opponents.
Most-owned forwards 2024/25
| Player | Cost | Owned |
|---|---|---|
| Ollie Watkins | £9.0m | 56% |
| Alexander Isak | £8.5m | 54% |
| Erling Haaland | £15.0m | 30% |
| Joao Pedro | £5.5m | 22% |
| Kai Havertz | £8.0m | 14% |
Haaland’s £15.0m price tag has also had a knock-on effect at the back. Those who are going without Haaland are investing in premium defenders instead.
Arsenal’s William Saliba (£6.0m) offers the most secure route into the league’s meanest defence, with the Gunners keeping 18 clean sheets last campaign.
Saliba is currently in 39 per cent of squads, while both Man City’s Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro (£5.5m) are found in more than a quarter of squads.
Among the cut-price contenders, Newcastle’s Dan Burn, Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen and Villa’s Ezri Konsa all have the early fixtures to justify their popularity at £4.5m apiece.
Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis is among a host of ultra-low £4.0m starters for the promoted clubs who can help free up cash for owners of Haaland, with over 15 per cent of managers already bringing him into their squads.
Most-owned defenders 2024/25
| Player | Cost | Owned |
|---|---|---|
| William Saliba | £6.0m | 39% |
| Josko Gvardiol | £6.0m | 30% |
| Pedro Porro | £5.5m | 25% |
| Dan Burn | £4.5m | 22% |
| Joachim Andersen | £4.5m | 18% |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold | £7.0m | 18% |
| Ezri Konsa | £4.5m | 18% |
Between the posts, Arsenal’s defensive exploits in 2023/24 mean that David Raya (£5.5m) is the most-popular goalkeeper at present.
Nonetheless, managers should be looking for value here, with save points and bonus points just as crucial as clean sheets.
Pairing Brentford’s Mark Flekken (£4.5m) with his deputy Hakon Valdimarsson (£4.0m) offers a solution at a mere cost of £8.5m, for example.
Most-owned goalkeepers 2024/25
| Player | Cost | Owned |
|---|---|---|
| David Raya | £5.5m | 21% |
| Matt Turner | £4.0m | 20% |
| Jordan Pickford | £5.0m | 18% |
| Mark Flekken | £4.5m | 14% |
| Alphonse Areola | £4.5m | 12% |