We pick out the best premium midfielders as we continue our look over the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price list.
Having already assessed the £8.0m midfielders in a standalone piece, here, we switch our attention to those priced up at £10.0m or above, plus Jarrod Bowen (£8.5m), who is the only player in that price rung.
Our look at mid-price midfielders in the £6.0m-£7.5m bracket will follow soon.
With unlimited transfers allowed during the World Cup downtime and a Wildcard to use before then, we’re mostly focusing on Gameweeks 1-8 in this series.
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- READ MORE: The best premium FPL defenders for 2022/23
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Opta stats on the players featured in these articles are available in our Premium Members Area, where you can now get a full year’s subscription for just £2.49 a month.
MOHAMED SALAH
Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) was the top-scoring player in FPL last season, as he won a share of the Golden Boot by scoring 23 Premier League goals.
His tally of 14 FPL assists, meanwhile, was more than any other player bar Jarrod Bowen.
The appeal of Salah lies in his consistency: he has produced 230+ points in each of his five campaigns on Merseyside (see below). Combine that with Liverpool’s favourable opening fixtures, and it’s easy to see why 58.0% of FPL managers have already signed up the ‘Egyptian King’.
We did see a dip in Salah’s form in 2022 when he returned from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), but even during that spell (Gameweek 24 onwards), he remained a goal threat and ranked second among all FPL players for goal attempts, shots in the box and expected goals (xG).
Averaging 23.6 Premier League goals per season under Jurgen Klopp, Salah is as close as you’ll get to guaranteed points in FPL.
SON HEUNG-MIN
The man who shared the Golden Boot with Salah last season, Son Heung-min, is available for £12.0m in 2022/23.
The South Korean international produced 23 goals – none of which were from the penalty spot – and 10 assists last term, averaging 7.4 points per match.
Notably, he was directly involved in 51% of his side’s goals when on the pitch, a league-high figure amongst midfielders starting regularly.
| Player | Team | FPL goal involvement |
| Son Heung-min | Tottenham Hotspur | 51% |
| Jarrod Bowen | West Ham United | 51% |
| James Maddison | Leicester City | 48% |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 47% |
| Ismaila Sarr | Watford | 47% |
* minimum 750 minutes played
Now, despite that inevitable prise rise, Son is still the third-most-popular FPL midfielder, only trailing Liverpool duo Salah and Luis Diaz (£8.0m).
After Richarlison’s (£8.5m) move to north London, Son may be afforded a bit more minute management and perhaps the occasional rest next season. However, that should be put in context, given that it applies to most top players representing those involved in Europe.
As for Tottenham Hotspur, they appear to be heading in the right direction under Antonio Conte. In fact, only Liverpool and Manchester City have had a better 2022.
Furthermore, Spurs have a decent start, with the Lilywhites hosting Southampton, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham during the first six Gameweeks, plus an appealing away trip to Nottingham Forest.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE
Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m) produced 15 goals and eight assists in 25 Premier League starts last season to help Man City clinch the title.
After a slow start, the Belgian playmaker hit form at just the right moment, registering 21 attacking returns in 20 outings from Gameweek 17 onwards.
In that time, he also posted league-leading totals for bonus points (29), plus creative metrics like created chances and successful final-third passes.
It’s worth noting that De Bruyne massively outperformed his xG (+8.77) in 2021/22, but to counter that, he now has the prolific Norwegian forward Erling Haaland (£11.5m) to feed, which could potentially boost his assist numbers.
Pep Guardiola’s troops are the only Premier League team who avoid a ‘big six’ side in the first six Gameweeks, with their Etihad clashes against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest particularly appealing for captaincy.
RAHEEM STERLING
Raheem Sterling’s (£10.0m) move to Chelsea has the potential to shake up the midfield category.
The England international was limited to just 23 starts in 2021/22, but still netted 13 goals and assisted a further seven, averaging a very decent 6.4 points per start.
His attacking output during his time at Man City is also worth noting: Sterling has hit double figures for goals in five successive Premier League campaigns, with only Salah, Harry Kane (£12.5m) and Jamie Vardy (£9.5m) more prolific over that period.
READ MORE: FPL new signings: Sterling back on watchlist after Chelsea move
With pitch time looking more assured again, Sterling could potentially thrive in Thomas Tuchel’s set-up.
As for Chelsea, they face only one of last season’s top six in their first seven outings and rank third on our Season Ticker for fixture difficulty during that period.
OTHER CANDIDATES: THE PROS AND CONS
Jarrod Bowen was one of the surprise stars of the 2021/22 season, as he produced 12 goals and 17 assists in 34 Premier League starts.
As a result, he was one of just five players to break the 200-point barrier, ending the campaign with 5.7 points per match.
A price hike was always likely, then, and FPL managers will now have to part with £8.5m to secure his services.
Given that West Ham United face Man City, Spurs and Chelsea in the opening six Gameweeks, plus tricky opponents in Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion, it’s unlikely we’ll see him in many Gameweek 1 sides.
However, he could be a useful asset further down the line, perhaps from Gameweek 7 once the Hammers’ fixtures ease.
Bruno Fernandes (£10.0m), meanwhile, has dropped in price after an underwhelming 2021/22 season, in which he produced a fairly modest 10 goals and seven assists.
However, with a new manager arriving and penalties potentially reclaimed if Cristiano Ronaldo (£10.5m) departs, it may be premature to completely write off the Portuguese playmaker, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he appears back on the FPL radar before the year is out.
FPL POINTS PROJECTIONS
Our algorithm-generated FPL points projections for the 2022/23 campaign have been refreshed again in the last few days.
These will be further updated as pre-season continues and more team news information becomes apparent.
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