We’re closing to knowing which £4.0m Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defenders will start the season after Saturday’s pre-season friendlies.
It’s the three newly promoted clubs, all of whom were in action, who are offering these cut-price options.
And it’s the games involving Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United that headline this Scout Notes article.
The final warm-up matches of Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are also featured.
Our pre-season minutes tracker is already fully updated from these fixtures, as is our pre-season guide.
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- READ MORE: FPL pre-season: Watkins scores again, Tarkowski + DCL injuries
BOCHUM 2-1 LUTON TOWN
BOCHUM 1-3 LUTON TOWN
- Goals: Lockyer | Berry x2, Adebayo
- Assists: Giles | Woodrow, Doughty, Adebayo
Watch match highlights here (unofficial)
£4.0m DEFENDER WATCH
Mads Andersen (£4.0m) didn’t play a minute as two Luton Town sides were in action in Germany.
One of the best hopes for starts among the £4.0m defender pool, Andersen had racked up more game-time than any of his team-mates going into the double-header against Bochum.
The Dane was among the substitutes in the second string’s 3-1 win over their hosts.
But the news was positive from boss Rob Edwards, who revealed that Andersen was only ill and that he would have played in the first fixture of the day – the one that featured most of the first-teamers – had he been fit.
“He’s fine, he was ill in the night unfortunately. A sickness bug. He really wanted to give it a go, bless him. He was going to be involved in the first game, then we said ‘let’s see how you are, if we can get you into the second one’. But he looked washed out and I didn’t want to risk him.
“He’ll be alright in a couple of days, I’m sure.” – Rob Edwards on Mads Andersen
Issa Kabore (£4.0m) and Amari’i Bell (£4.0m) also started at right wing-back and centre-half respectively in the stronger-looking XI. With much of Luton’s creativity coming from the wing-back department last season, Kabore is one to watch. He’s also not got much competition, with the versatile Chiedozie Ogbene (£5.0m) – more of an attacker and playing up front in this game – his main challenger so far in pre-season.
ONE OR TWO SPOTS UP FOR GRABS
New signing Ryan Giles (£4.5m) was also once again preferred to Doughty at left wing-back, with the former assisting Tom Lockyer (£4.5m) from a corner. This does look like one of the areas of uncertainty going into Gameweek 1.
Ogbene and Elijah Adebayo (£5.0m) are also competing for the one slot alongside the more nailed Carlton Morris (£5.5m). Ogbene didn’t really capitalise on his chance here, with Adebayo later playing a part in two goals in the second friendly.
“I don’t know the team fully yet, there are spots that are available.” – Rob Edwards
Thomas Kaminski (£4.5m) made his Luton debut between the sticks and was kept very busy as the Hatters came under the cosh against a side that finished 14th in the Bundesliga last season. Owners of Brighton and Hove Albion assets would have been encouraged by the volume of chances carved out by the German side.
Luton XI for the 2-1 defeat: Kaminski, Kaboré, Mpanzu, Lockyer, Bell, Giles, Nakamba, Clark (Nelson 82), Chong, Morris, Ogbene (McAtee 82).
Luton XI for the 3-1 win: Macey, Doughty, Francis-Clarke, Odell-Bature (Luker 84), Potts (Bateson 26), Johnson, Watson, Campbell (Nelson 87), Berry (McAtee 87), Adebayo, Woodrow.
MAINZ 3-0 BURNLEY
TWO £4.0m DEFENDERS IN XI
Burnley were involved in a 120-minute-long friendly in Germany.
While the scoreline looks alarming, two of Mainz’s strikes came after the 90th minute when Vincent Kompany effectively had the reserves out.
“It’s really important to point out that, after 90 minutes, it was 1-0. Really, we had a goal disallowed that was absolutely onside. So the fair result was probably one-all after 90 minutes.
“We had four or five really big chances, one on one with the goalkeeper, didn’t punish them but we got punished.” – Vincent Kompany
We again saw Ameen Al-Dakhil (£4.0m) as an unconvincing full-back, this time on the right, while Jordan Beyer (£4.0m) was stationed at centre-half. As was the case at the start of the summer, Beyer looks the best bet for game-time among Burnley’s cluster of £4.0m options.
GAMEWEEK 1 COMING TOO SOON?
There were bright showings from new signings Luca Koleosho (£5.0m) and Zeki Amdouni (£5.5m), on the right wing and in the hole respectively, but the Clarets still look short in several areas (central midfield, full-back, up front) going into Gameweek 1. Let’s not forget that Kompany led his side to the Championship title despite a dismal pre-season 12 months ago but it might not be until the end of August that we see him assemble a squad capable of mounting a comfortable Premier League survival bid. Manchester City, then, should be encountering their opening-day opponents at a good time.
Koleosho and Amdouni both fired off-target after excellent individual runs, with Amdouni and Scott Twine (£5.0m) missing clear openings and Jay Rodriguez (£5.5m) seeing a goal chalked off for offside.
Burnley XI: Trafford (Muric 60), Al-Dakhil (Vitinho 60), Beyer (Ekdal 60), O’Shea (Taylor 60), Roberts (Dodgson 90), Brownhill (Cork 60), Gudmundsson (Costelloe 90), Zaroury (Bruun Larsen 77), Koleosho (Amdouni 60), Redmond (Twine HT), Foster (Rodriguez 60)
SHEFFIELD UNITED 0-3 STUTTGART
£4.5m forward starts
It’s been a sorry pre-season for the Blades, with blanks drawn in four out of six friendlies and star striker Iliman Ndiaye (£5.5m) exiting.
Injuries have also hit Paul Heckingbottom’s side, to the point where budget FPL forward Will Osula (£4.5m) – a teenager who played just twice in the Championship in 2022/23 and who was also loaned out to Derby County – has now played more pre-season minutes than any other Sheffield United striker.
Oliver McBurnie (£5.5m), Daniel Jebbison (£5.0m) and Rhian Brewster (£5.0m) have all still to return to fitness, to put Osula’s medium-term first-team prospects in context.
The Blades will also surely reinvest part of that £20m fee from Ndiaye on a more proven goal-getter.
Osula actually performed admirably against Stuttgart (The Star had him as their top-rated player) but he doesn’t yet possess a ruthless streak: a second-half one-on-one saw him dither in front of goal and fail to get a shot away.
Summer signing Benie Traore (£5.5m) made his first Blades appearances alongside Osula up top.
A LOAD OF BALDOCKS
…is what we can expect to see in Gameweek 1, with George Baldock (£4.0m) sitting in 8.6% of embryonic FPL teams.
The wing-back was the only member of the Blades’ five-man defence against Stuttgart who costs £4.0m in FPL.
Auston Trusty (£4.0m), a left-sided centre-half newly signed from Arsenal, is still to make his debut, however.
Baldock’s short-term starts look more assured because positional rival Jayden Bogle (£4.5m) is out. He also chipped in with a goal and three assists in the English second tier last season.
The truth, of course, is that virtually none of us would be interested in Baldock or any of the other £4.0m options if they were more expensive by half a million; their appeal is their price tag and pretty much their price tag alone. Baldock may come up with the odd attacking return from wing-back but that will be offset by goal concessions, as we’re not expecting a deluge of clean sheets from the Blades.
Stuttgart scored twice down Baldock’s side at Bramall Lane, while opposite wing-back Yasser Larouci (£4.5m) was poor. Goalkeeper Wes Foderingham (£4.5m) was kept busy throughout.
Desperately short of central midfield options, as well as top-level strikers, they’re arguably in a worse shape than their two fellow promoted clubs going into Gameweek 1.
Sheffield United XI: Foderingham; Ahmedhodžić, Egan, Robinson; Baldock, Berge, Osborn, Slimane, Larouci; Traore (Hackford 73), Osula.
BOURNEMOUTH 2-0 LORIENT
- Goals: Brooks, Moore
- Assists: Ouattara, Senesi
SOLANKE INJURY UPDATE
Dominic Solanke (£6.5m) and Ryan Christie (£5.0m), Bournemouth’s front two for much of pre-season, didn’t kick a ball in the Cherries’ final warm-up game.
Solanke was an unused substitute as deputy Kieffer Moore (£5.0m) scored, while Christie – who has shone in a number 10 role – missed out altogether.
Neither issue sounds serious, however.
“Ryan I think it was a small issue. I think he even could have played today, but seven days from the beginning of the season, it doesn’t make sense to take any risk.
“Also we decided not to put Dom on, even if he was on the bench. Because if you feel anything that is not 100 per cent, it was not the moment to take risks.” – Andoni Iraola
It does sound like right-back Adam Smith (£4.5m) will miss out, so with Ryan Fredericks (£4.5m) also sidelined, we saw winger Jaidon Anthony (£5.0m) used as an orthodox full-back against Lorient. Any early Diogo Jota (£8.0m) adopters in FPL will be monitoring that situation ahead of Gameweek 2.
BROOKS IS BACK
David Brooks (£5.0m) finished as Bournemouth’s top pre-season scorer, sweeping home his third and final effort from a Dango Ouattara (£5.0m) cross to give the Cherries the lead.
Brooks has battled back from cancer and has barely featured in the last two seasons as a result.
He’s one to watch in this new, offensive-minded Bournemouth side, particularly as he chipped in with 13 attacking returns as a £5.0m FPL midfielder in 2018/19.
Iraolo’s outfit can soon expect more stern defensive tests than they were given here, with Murara Neto (£4.5m) rarely tested.
Bournemouth XI: Neto (Radu 61); Anthony (Hill 76), Mepham, Zabarnyi, Kerkez; Rothwell (Kilkenny 61), Cook (Senesi 76), Brooks (Kluivert 61), Ouattara, Billing (Traore 46); Moore.
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 0-0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Brennan Johnson (£6.0m) made his first Forest appearance of the summer, returning from injury to play 70 minutes of a goalless draw in Frankfurt.
He and a visibly frustrated Morgan Gibbs-White (£6.0m) had little to work with, however, with the hosts well on top.
Now an FPL midfielder, Johnson led the line in the absence of the injured Taiwo Awoniyi (£6.5m).
“He’s come back really strong, really committed to his rehab. He’s a fit lad anyway, so he didn’t need loads of precaution going into his first game.” – Steve Cooper on Brennan Johnson
Don’t let the clean sheet fool you ahead of a Gameweek 1 trip to Arsenal: this shut-out owed more to luck than solidity.
The still-unpriced goalkeeper George Shelvey was kept busy all afternoon, with one comedic double-miss from six yards underscoring what a charmed life his goal led.
There was plenty of encouragement for owners of Arsenal players, then, as there was on Thursday when Forest were battered 5-0 by Rennes.
Nottingham Forest XI: Shelvey, Aurier, Worrall, McKenna, Boly, Aina (Williams 70), Yates (Elanga 80), Mangala, Danilo, Gibbs-White, Johnson (Wood 70)
