FPL General’s Gameweek 1 long-list + current team draft

With Fantasy Premier League (FPL) live for 2023/24, we’re welcoming back our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers for the new campaign. Here, FPL General shares his 25-man-strong long-list of players for Gameweek 1.

Our writers will be providing regular articles and team reveals throughout the new season, with only Premium Members able to access every single one.

You can sign up here for the new campaign – once you’re aboard, you’ve locked in the price of your Premium Membership for good, so long as you don’t cancel!

When FPL launched on July 5, I put together a 40-player long-list for the new season. Over the course of the last month, it has been whittled down to 25 players. These are the players I’m considering when drafting squads for the opening Gameweek of the season.  

Before I start, I don’t keep goalkeepers on this watchlist. It’s a position I’m struggling with this pre-season anyway. Usually, I opt for a set-and-forget £4.5m option, but none of them are filling me with confidence as we approach the start line. New Manchester United signing Andre Onana (£5.0m) is in my latest draft. I like the idea of spending the extra £0.5m on him then switching to the best £4.5m shot-stopper whenever the first Wildcard is played. 

FPL General’s Gameweek 1 Long-list: Defenders

• Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m)
• Kieran Trippier (£6.5m)
• Ben Chilwell (£5.5m)
• Luke Shaw (£5.5m)
• John Stones (£5.5m)
• Ruben Dias (£5.5m)
• Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.0m)
• Pervis Estupinan (£5.0m)
• Sven Botman (£4.5m)
• James Tarkowski (£4.5m)
• Jordan Beyer (£4.0m)

The big question from this group is whether to go with Alexander-Arnold or not. He was in my first draft but he’s not in the latest one. I knew as soon as I’d make a team without him that I’d like it, due to the upgrades that can be made elsewhere with the cash saving- and that was certainly the case. He hasn’t gone back in since. 

Trippier was fantastic for a large chunk of last season but the early fixtures for Newcastle, coupled with his price rise, means he’s unlikely to make the initial squad this time around. Botman probably won’t make it either, for the same reasons. He’s one I’ll come back to on the first Wildcard. I need to do a little more digging on the £4.0m defenders but at the moment, Burnley’s Beyer gets the nod.  

I don’t put too much weight on pre-season fixtures but it’s hard to ignore the positions Ben Chilwell has been getting himself into in the final third under Mauricio Pochettino. He’s very, very tempting. 

Shaw was in the first few drafts but with Onana now a route into the Manchester United defence for £0.5m less, that’s where I’m most likely to end up – if I go for a United defensive asset that is.

FPL General’s Gameweek 1 Long-list: Midfielders

• Mohamed Salah (£12.5m)
• Son Heung-min (£9.0m)
• Bukayo Saka (£8.5m)
• Gabriel Martinelli (£8.0m)
• Martin Odegaard (£8.5m)
• Marcus Rashford (£9.0m)
• Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m)
• Phil Foden (£7.5m)
• Jarrod Bowen (£7.0m)
• Bryan Mbeumo (£6.5m)
• Kaoru Mitoma (£6.5m)
• Eberechi Eze (£6.5m)

FPL legend Salah is on the list but he’s unlikely to make the Gameweek 1 team due to his price. Spreading the cash around the squad is more attractive to me. 

Hopefully, Son can have a big season. It’s tempting to go there for a differential but I’m going to give Tottenham Hotspur a miss altogether for Gameweek 1 and reassess them after a few games. 

If Foden starts the Community Shield and we get a Manchester City team leak before the Gameweek 1 deadline with news that he starts, I don’t think I’ll be able to resist the gamble! 

My midfield five is likely to look like most of the midfields that you’ll see on your timelines over the next seven days. Picking the fifth player is the hard part! 

FPL General’s Gameweek 1 Long-list: Forwards

• Erling Haaland (£14.0m)
• Ollie Watkins (£8.0m)

The forwards are the easy part. Three became two when Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) picked up an injury. Unless something major happens in the next week, Haaland and Watkins will be leading the troops into battle for Gameweek 1. 

FPL General’s Gameweek 1 Latest Draft