Who are the best budget midfielders for 2024/25 Fantasy?

The Scout compares players' statistics, prices and fixtures in each position to help managers pick their opening squads for 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League, ahead of the Gameweek 1 deadline at 18:30 BST on Friday 16 August.

Budget midfielders (£6.5m and under)

The summer international tournaments have helped a host of cut-price midfielders in Fantasy to grab the pre-season headlines. 

A significant number of first-team regulars have missed part - or indeed all - of their clubs’ recent friendlies due to their involvement in UEFA EURO 2024 or Copa America 2024.

Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers (£5.0m) is among the standouts to profit from their absence.

The winger has impressed centrally as a No 10 and was fielded up front in their most recent friendly against Athletic Bilbao, with England star Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) absent due to a late return to pre-season.

Rogers’ assist for Jaden Philogene (£5.5m) in the 3-2 win took his summer tally to three goals and two assists, and his versatility increases his chances of significant pitch time at the start of the season as Unai Emery eases his regulars back to action.

Rogers' assist v Athletic Bilbao

Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb (£5.0m) has also made his mark in the absence of his international team-mates.

While his appeal is likely to be as a short-term option only, Bobb could provide outstanding value, particularly given City host promoted Ipswich Town in Gameweek 2.

Bobb has scored twice and supplied three assists over the pre-season, matching the five goal involvements of Erling Haaland (£15.0m). 

Christopher Nkunku’s (£6.5m) displays under new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca have established the Frenchman as the most-popular pick in this category.

Mainly playing as a No 8, Nkunku has been involved in a team-high four goals, scoring three and assisting another. He can currently be found in over 18 per cent of squads.

Pinpointing the clubs with the kindest early schedules is equally crucial as it helps managers in their quest to seek out the good value picks.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), there are nine clubs who have a match which scores two in three of the first four Gameweeks - Villa, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Nottingham Forest.

By assessing the key budget-friendly picks from those clubs last season, managers in Fantasy can get a better idea of their prospects should they secure starting roles in the early part of the campaign.

Bobb’s huge potential is obvious if you are willing to take a risk on him playing enough minutes. 

According to the Expected Goal Involvements (xGI) statistics last season, he was expected to earn 0.70 attacking returns - either a goal or an assist - every 90 minutes, far ahead of his rivals here.

Villa’s Leon Bailey (£6.5m) was the standout pick in terms of attacking returns, with 0.8 per 90 minutes. The Jamaican combined 10 goals with 11 assists in 22 starts.

Southampton’s new arrival Ben Brereton Diaz (£5.5m) mirrored the 0.58 xGI per 90 minutes of Bailey. He produced six goals and an assist in 14 outings while on loan at Sheffield United.

Meanwhile, Fulham new boy Emile Smith Rowe (£5.5m) sits fourth here, with an xGI of 0.52 per 90 minutes, underlining his early prospects. 

Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy (£5.0m) has been one of the best performers over the summer, producing four goals and three assists. That mirrors his impact last season, with his 0.74 attacking returns per 90 minutes earning him second place in the analysis.

Elsewhere, Nott’m Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Man Utd’s Alejandro Garnacho, both priced at £6.5m, are identical on 0.39 xGI per 90 minutes ahead of their kind opening runs of opponents.

Among Gibbs-White’s team-mates, Anthony Elanga surpassed Callum Hudson-Odoi (both £5.5m) per 90 minutes for both attacking returns and xGI, suggesting Elanga could be the better pick.

Budget midfielders comparison, 23/24

Elsewhere in the £6.5m bracket, players such as Tottenham Hotspur’s Brennan Johnson and West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus merit attention when the fixtures improve, while the same applies to Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Man City star Rodri when they are up to full match sharpness. 

Next: Who are the best premium midfielders?

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