Who are the best premium defenders for the 2024/25 Fantasy season?

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

Premium Defenders (£5.0m and above)

City of Manchester Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) and Liverpool Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) has the attacking threat to end Arsenal’s dominance in the defender rankings in the 2024/25 Fantasy season.

Gvardiol’s performances towards the end of his debut season, 2023/24, highlighted a shift in Pep Guardiola’s tactics, which allowed the Croatian to move forward from left-back and become more influential in his side’s attack.

All of Gvardiol’s attacking returns this season – four goals and two assists – have come in Man City’s last 10 matches. He has also kept five clean sheets for a total of 79 points, more than any other defender in Fantasy during that period.

Alexander-Arnold’s position under new Liverpool manager Arne Slot could also determine how much fund managers invest in his defence.

At £7.0m, he is the most expensive defender in 2024/25, but there is a reason for that – despite only featuring on 28 occasions last season, his 47 shots and 64 key passes ranked second and fourth among defenders respectively. If Alexander-Arnold is eventually moved into central midfield, his goal and assist potential will certainly improve under Slot.

At the moment, though, Alexander-Arnold has yet to take part in pre-season due to his efforts with England at UEFA EURO 2024, and it seems very likely that there will still be questions over his role when the season gets underway.

Choose Gabriel over Saliba?

Arsenal’s resilience away from home, however, played a big part in helping White Ben (£6.5 million), William Saliba It is Gabriel (both £6.0m) lead the defender rankings for 2023/24.

The Gunners have kept 11 clean sheets in those matches, more than any other team have managed in home OR away games.

As the only defender to start all 38 matches, Saliba’s solid position ensured his possession percentage rose to 40%.

Still, there is no doubt that Gabriel offers the biggest goal threat in the league’s weakest defence. Arsenal scored 22 goals from set pieces last season, more than any other team. Gabriel – who started 34 games – had 28 shots from such situations, compared to Saliba’s seven.

Newcastle United duo Kieran Trippier (£6.0 million) and Fabian Schar (£5.5m) along with Tottenham Hotspur Pedro Porro (£5.5m), boast a huge attacking threat.

On the downside, both Newcastle and Spurs – unlike Arsenal, Man City or Liverpool – have a £4.5m starting centre-back as an alternative, which could lessen the appeal of their more expensive defenders as managers look for value in defence.

Munoz stands out for £5.0m

Crystal Palace Daniel Munoz is one of the most interesting options in the £5.0 million category.

The arrival of new coach Oliver Glasner transformed the Colombian’s prospects last season. Attacking as a winger, Munoz was the seventh-highest scoring defender from Gameweek 25 onwards, earning 57 points thanks to four assists and five clean sheets.

It’s true that he’s a little more expensive than the Eagles quarterback. Joaquim Andersen (£4.5m), but there’s no doubt Munoz is worth the extra outlay in this instance. Following Glasner’s arrival, his 18 key passes ranked fourth in his position, while his five big chances created placed him second.

The downside for Munoz is that, like Alexander-Arnold, he is late returning to pre-season training due to his international commitments over the summer.

Continuing on the subject of Alexander-Arnold, his potential move to midfield could also unlock Conor Bradley (£5.0m) as a discount route into Liverpool’s backline. The Irishman averaged 4.9 points per game (pps) in 2023/24, second only to Arsenal’s White’s 5.1pps.

An assessment of the overall performances of £5million-rated defenders this season includes Munoz and Bradley in the top five.

Bradley has recorded 0.84 returns (clean sheet, goal or assist) per 90 minutes, combining one goal and three assists with three clean sheets in 10 appearances.

AFC Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi is undoubtedly the safest choice to start the season and could be worth considering early on. The defender’s four goals, six assists and six clean sheets earn him second place in the analysis.

From Chelsea Bad Taste mirrored Munoz’s 0.56 returns per 90 to show why he could also be a starting option, with his right-back rival Reece James (£5.0m) suspended for the first three Gameweeks. The Frenchman provided six assists in 27 outings last season.

Top £5.0m defenders, 2023/24

What Bradley would also have in his favour here is that, unlike his £5million rivals, he would be the cheapest option in defence for his club.

That’s essentially the main narrative among £5.0m defenders right now, and with cheaper options in those defences, it might be more advisable to pick a £6.0m asset like Gvardiol and look at the budget range to help free up funds for Erling Haaland (£15.0 million) upfront.

Next: Who are the best midfielders on a budget?

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