Have you got stuck into Fantasy Football yet? Get some Fantasy Premier League favourites in with our guide to the most popular...
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Those halcyon days of quiet before the Premier League kicks off are not to be wasted: this is FPL season, where you need to start building your Fantasy Football team.
Clubs are on preseason, making signings in the background and preparing attacks on the league table. So should you be - so let's get down to a little bit of scouting before you make some transfers.
Every summer, the FPL managers flock to the same players. Perhaps the Golden Boot winner from the previous season is popular; perhaps there's an incredible bargain that the Premier League admins are underrating. Well, this year's no different - here's a run-through of who the most popular signings are at this early stage...
Goalkeepers
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The most popular goalkeepers on FPL are rarely keepers at top clubs. Sure, they keep clean sheets but if you look further down the list, there are some bargains to be had.
Emi Martinez of Aston Villa is the most coveted keeper on the list this season, with 39.3% of FPL managers picking the Argentinian. Villa are a good side, Martinez impressed last season and at £5.5m, he's cheaper than the likes of Ederson and Mendy at £6.0m.
Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) is second, with Watford's Ben Foster (£4.0) third.
Defenders
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Perhaps it's his performance at the Euros this summer - but Luke Shaw (£5.5m) has leapfrogged Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) as the most popular defender in the game with 42% of managers choosing him. He's also £2.0m cheaper, which helps.
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At £4.5m, Wesley Fofana is a snip in third, while the Premier League player of last season, Ruben Dias (£6.0) is fourth on the list.
Just 12.5% of managers have gone with Andrew Robertson (£7.0m). Could that be due to expense? Or do people simply think he's not going to have a good season?
Midfielders
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Given that he plays on the wing, Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) is listed as a midfielder. But since Salah has top-scored for Liverpool every season and takes the penalties for the Reds, it's not a bad bet - almost half of all managers have the Egyptian king in their side.
Another penalty specialist, Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m), is not far behind with over 40% of the game picking him. Jack Grealish (£8.0m) is in 37% of teams despite rumours of him going to Manchester City while Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m) is only in 15.8% of teams. Perhaps that's because City simply have so many creators and goalscorers to pick?
Forwards
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He's never played in the Premier League before but Ivan Toney (£5.5m) is the most popular forward on the game. Brentford are great going forward and Toney netted 31 goals in the Championship last season, after all.
Ollie Watkins (£7.5m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.0) are also popular as reliable strikers outside the big six, while the luxury option, Harry Kane (£12.5) is the fourth-most popular forward on the game - perhaps down to transfer speculation, mixed performances at the Euros and Tottenham's change of manager.
Teemu Pukki (£6.0m) is the cheapest striker in the top ten.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
