In this article, we pick out the best premium and mid-price Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defenders for 2024/25.
There are 41 defenders currently priced up at £5.0m or above, with the best and most talked about options discussed below.
- READ MORE: Best £4.0m defenders for FPL 2024/25
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) finished last season with just five assists, his lowest total since his debut campaign.
Injuries did disrupt his season, however, while only one other FPL defender could better his 6.55 expected goals assisted (xGA).
He also racked up 47 non-penalty shots, so the underlying stats paint a more promising picture.
A player with a very high ceiling, Alexander-Arnold could potentially hit the ground running in 2024/25, given that Liverpool have the best fixtures of all the top teams.
It includes a trip to Ipswich Town in Gameweek 1, who can leave their left-flank exposed when Leif Davis (£4.5m) drives forward.
How Alexander-Arnold is used by new manager Arne Slot will be key.
The 25-year-old started to ‘invert’ under Jurgen Klopp, but both full-backs could push forward in wider roles under Slot, looking for overlaps in the final-third.
Above: Right-back Conor Bradley’s touch heatmap from Saturday’s 1-0 friendly win over Real Betis
It’s all guesswork right now, of course, but at £7.0m, set-piece specialist Alexander-Arnold should be given serious consideration, whichever role he fulfills.
If you want a cheaper route into Liverpool’s backline, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson are £6.0m.
Van Dijk was by some distance the leading Fantasy defender for shots in the box last season, with 41. As for Robertson, he often featured as a wide centre-back, but like Alexander-Arnold, his role under Slot will ultimately decide his appeal.
The Reds, meanwhile, posted some promising defensive stats last year, admittedly under former coach Jurgen Klopp. They finished joint-fourth for clean sheets (ten), third for goals conceded (41) and third for expected goals conceded (xGC, 46.17).
JOSKO GVARDIOL
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