It's almost time for the 2021-22 season to get underway and the clock is ticking on getting your Fantasy League Premier League team ready in time for the big kick-off.
With £100 million at your disposal, will you be flooding your team with the costliest players on the game or spreading the wealth across your 15-man squad to ensure strength in depth?
Whatever you choose to do, help is at hand as Goal lists the values and merits of picking some of the new signings in England's top-flight league, as well as some must-have players and bargain buys.
Contents
The new signings
There has been plenty of transfer activity already in the Premier League, and the drama should continue until the window closes on August 31.
But will you be including any of the league's newcomers in your team? From Junior Firpo to Jadon Sancho, Goal looks at some of the new arrivals and whether they're worth having as part of your squad.
Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea | Forward | £11.5m
Having re-invented himself somewhat with Inter - winning Serie A in the process, Romelu Lukaku is back in the Premier League and back with Chelsea after completing a £98 million ($136m) transfer.
Lukaku has had his fair share of critics over the years - who could forget when Zlatan Ibrahimovic mocked his first touch? - but Belgium's record goalscorer knows how to hit the back of the net. He has a history of scoring highly in fantasy football and knows all about how to thrive in England.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Albert Lokonga | Arsenal | Midfielder | £5m
Signed for £18 million ($25m) from Anderlecht, Albert Lokonga is not expected to be a first-team regular, especially at the start of his Arsenal career, as he adapts to his new surroundings and gets used to life in the Premier League.
Goal 's Gunners correspondent Charles Watts has predicted that Lokonga will still get plenty of first-team experience in his first season in England, although that could well be restricted primarily to the cup competitions, with Thomas Partey (£5m) likely to be first choice in that position in the league.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐
Nuno Tavares | Arsenal | Defender | £4.5m
Mikel Arteta moved to bring in promising left-back Nuno Tavares from Benfica as he looks to add depth and competition in the full-back areas.
Tavares has already featured in pre-season for Arsenal, impressing on his debut as he scored in a 2-2 draw with Rangers on July 17. He is, however, expected to be back-up for first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney (£5m) and there are better options available at the £4.5m mark.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐
Ben White | Arsenal | Defender | £4.5m
Arsenal's decision to splash out £50m ($69m) on Ben White should see him slot straight into their starting XI and become an ever-present in the Premier League. That's good news for FPL bosses, with the former Brighton centre-back available for just £4.5m.
Indeed, the England international is the best value Gunners defender who is expected to play regularly, although the north Londoners' defensive record will need to vastly improve for White to be considered an essential pick.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Emiliano Buendia | Aston Villa | Midfielder | £6.5m
Arriving from Norwich City, Aston Villa summer signing Emiliano Buendia is not alien to the Premier League having accumulated 94 points in the Canaries' relegation season in 2019-20.
Whether he'll be operating alongside Jack Grealish (£8m) remains to be seen but Bunedia, who claimed two assists in just 45 minutes during Villa's 4-0 friendly win over Walsall recently, looks a very appealing pick, especially given his relatively low price.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Marc Guehi | Crystal Palace | Defender | £4.5m
Crystal Palace swooped to sign Chelsea defender Marc Guehi in the summer, with the England Under-21 centre-back looking to test himself at the highest level having not made a senior Premier League appearance for the Blues.
The 21-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Swansea City, is almost certain to be in Patrick Vieira's starting XI, especially considering the mooted fee of around £20m ($28m) that Palace paid to take him from Stamford Bridge.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
Junior Firpo | Leeds United | Defender | £5m
Leeds fans are likely to be excited by the signing of Junior Firpo, who has joined the Premier League club from Barcelona having made 41 appearances over two seasons for the Catalan giants.
The former Real Betis star should slot straight in at left-back, after first-choice from last season Eugene Alioski departed, but with the likes of Luke Shaw (£5.5m) and Lucas Digne (£5.5m) available for only slightly more, he'll need to hit the ground running if he's to prove a popular FPL pick.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
Patson Daka | Leicester City | Forward | £7.5m
Zambia international Patson Daka looks an exciting signing for Leicester City, with the 22-year-old having scored an incredible 27 league goals in just 28 matches for Red Bull Salzburg last season.
The Premier League will, of course, be far more challenging and with Jamie Vardy (£10.5m) and Kelechi Iheanacho (£7.5m) likely to start as the first-choice front pairing, it might prove difficult for Daka to get starts in the league at the beginning of his Foxes career.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
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Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool | Defender | £5.5m
Liverpool added to their options at centre-back by bringing in Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig in the summer, and he joins the Reds with a reputation of being one of Europe's top young defenders.
Will he prove value for money in FPL? It's difficult to tell at this stage as Jurgen Klopp will need to decide between Joe Gomez (£5m) and Konate as to who partners Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) - with Joel Matip (£5m) also an option - but it does look as though he will at least be in for the first game of the season. Impress in that fixture and he's likely to keep his place.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
Jack Grealish | Manchester City | Midfielder | £8m
Manchester City broke the British transfer record on August 5 when they announced the £100m ($139m) signing of Jack Grealish and many FPL managers will now be scrambling to work out how they can fit the 25-year-old into their squads.
With a game price of £8m, it's fair to say Grealish would've been worth a lot more had his transfer gone through before FPL launched for the new season but, with so much attacking talent available to Guardiola, the England international undoubtedly won't play every game. Still, he should offer plenty of value over the course of the campaign and his move to City appears a match made in heaven.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jadon Sancho | Manchester United | Midfielder | £9.5m
Jadon Sancho finally completed his protracted move to Manchester United on July 23 and the FPL community have now discovered what price has been allocated to the England winger.
Costing the same as Marcus Rashford (£9.5m), Sancho's output at Dortmund last season - eight goals and 11 assists in the league - offers a promising outlook. The only concern for FPL bosses is rotation, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also having the likes of Rashford, Mason Greenwood (£7.5m) and Anthony Martial (£8m) competing for a place in the XI.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Francisco Trincao | Wolves | Midfielder | £6m
With an FPL price tag of £6m, it's difficult to tell whether Francisco Trincao will prove to be an inspired pick or a waste of a midfield position. The signs are positive - with Barcelona having been convinced enough to buy him back in 2020 - although a big determining factor will be how well he settles in in England.
Bruno Lage will be hoping to get the best out of him although with competition for places provided by the likes of Pedro Neto (£6.5m), Adama Traore (£6m) and Daniel Podence (£5.5m), there's no guarantee that he'll be regularly starting matches, especially at the start of the season.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
Return to topThe essential picks
There are certain players in Fantasy Premier League that, if you want to do well in your mini-leagues, you simply cannot do without them.
Many of them are part of the most expensive players in the game but if you want the guarantee of regularly-high returns, you shouldn't go too wrong by selecting two or three of Goal 's suggestions below.
Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | Midfielder | £12.5m
Liverpool's Egyptian King has carved out a reputation as one of the world's best players and his record in FPL is simply astonishing. In his last four seasons at Anfield, Mohamed Salah has never dipped below 230 points, with last season's 22 goals seeing him finish second in the Golden Boot race.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | Midfielder | £12m
Eighteen goals and 14 assists in his first full season in the Premier League tells you everything you need to know about Bruno Fernandes and why he needs to be in your team.
The Portuguese will again be expected to be the Red Devils' creator-in-chief for the 2021-22 season and when you add in the fact he takes penalties, and his fair share of free-kicks, Fernandes - who was the game's top-scoring player last term - is the perfect FPL midfielder.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Luke Shaw | Manchester United | Defender | £5.5m
Coming off the back of arguably the best season of his career, Luke Shaw will be looking to continue his imperious form from the 2020-21 campaign as Manchester United look to mount a serious title challenge.
The England defender managed one goal and five assists last season, while his form at Euro 2020, that saw him score once and create three more, will have further convinced FPL managers that the adventurous full-back, who should also take plenty of corners and free-kicks, could a big point scorer.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ruben Dias | Manchester City | Defender | £6m
Manchester City centre-back Ruben Dias was a colussus in his first campaign in English football last time out, with his assured displays helping Pep Guardiola's side win the Premier League title as he recorded 141 FPL points along the way.
Despite massive competition for places at City, Dias is one that his manager rarely likes to rotate, with the Portuguese set to play a huge role once again heading into the 2021-22 season.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | Midfielder | £12m
With Kevin De Bruyne having revealed he played with torn ligaments during Euro 2020, it's unclear if he'll be fit and raring to go for the start of the 2021-22 season.
That said, when Guardiola is able to call upon the services of the Belgian, he is always at the centre of Manchester City's attacking play, with De Bruyne having incredibly produced double figures for assists in the league in all but one of the last six seasons.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Harry Kane | Tottenham | Forward | £12.5m
We may not know where Harry Kane will be playing his football this coming season - with the Tottenham striker heavily linked with a move to Manchester City - but one thing that is almost certain, he'll score plenty of goals.
Last season's Golden Boot winner is the joint most expensive player on the game at £12.5m although his goal record warrants such a lofty price, with Kane having scored 23 and claimed 14 assists in 2021-22 alone. He'll undoubtedly record high numbers again, whether he's lining up for Guardiola or Nuno Espirito Santo.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Heung-Min Son | Tottenham | Midfielder | £10m
When you look at the most expensive players on the game, Heung-Min Son, given his record in the Premier League, should be considered something of a bargain at £10m.
The South Korea international, who recently committed his future to Spurs, has produced double figures in goals and assists in each of the last two seasons and should enjoy another productive campaign, whether he's playing alongside Kane or not.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Return to topThe bargain buys
From Michu to John Lundstram, there have been plenty of FPL bargain buys over the years whose performances at low pices have elevated them to cult hero status.
So, if you're looking to fill your squad with players who are £4.5m and under, you've come to the right place as Goal takes a look at some of the potential hidden gems ahead of the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
Billy Gilmour | Norwich City | Midfielder | £4.5m
Scotland international Billy Gilmour will spend the season on loan at Norwich City where he'll undoubtedly get a lot more football than he would've done at Chelsea.
The 20-year-old will be determined to prove himself in the Premier League and while he won't be a prolific scorer, out of all the midfield players priced at £4.5m - the cheapest on the game - he probably stands the best chance of scoring the most points.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
Luke Ayling | Leeds United | Defender | £4.5m
Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling had an impressive first season in England's top flight last term, recording 100 points in total, and his place in the starting XI doesn't appear to be under any immediate threat.
It's perhaps a little surprising that, given Leeds' more than respectable ninth-place finish that he hasn't seen his price increase this season, so the FPL community should take advantage and look at selecting a consistent performer who offers a steady stream of points.
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Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
Robert Sanchez | Brighton | Goalkeeper | £4.5m
Robert Sanchez is one of the cheapest starting goalkeepers available in FPL in 2021-22 and looks an excellent option to be your No.1, especially when you consider Brighton's early-season fixtures.
Graham Potter's side face Burnley, Watford, Brentford and Crystal Palace before the end of September and their defensive record is particularly good at home, where they only conceded 22 goals last season - the seventh best in the league.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐
Brandon Williams | Manchester United | Defender | £4m
Manchester United defender Brandon Williams is probably the club's third-choice left-back, with there having even been suggestions that he would be loaned out to gain experience in the 2021-22 campaign.
That said, the injury to Alex Telles (£5m) that could see him miss the start of the season may well open the door to Williams to be in the XI to face Leeds on August 14, depending when Luke Shaw (£5.5m) is due back, given his exertions last season and at Euro 2020 with England.
Must-have rating (out of five): ⭐⭐
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