William Saliba (£6.2m) was an unexpected and, ultimately, sorely missed absentee for Arsenal in Gameweek 22. Reports suggest the Frenchman is likely to spend another match on the sidelines.
Mikel Arteta said last weekend that he was “very worried” about Saliba’s injury, which has since emerged as a hamstring issue. He added this week that he “hopes” and “thinks” his near ever-present centre-half will be back in time to face Manchester City in Gameweek 24.
Even if that is the case, it still of course leaves owners with Gameweek 23 to navigate and a tricky Gameweek 24 clash to return to.
With that in mind, below we have discussed the best and most discussed options to replace Saliba in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
INJURY LATEST AND WHAT’S BEEN SAID
In Tuesday’s pre-Champions League press conference, we heard the following on Saliba from Arteta:
“He’s evolving well, the last few days he was feeling much better already but this game comes a bit too soon for him.
“Yes, I hope [he will be back for the clash with Manchester City in Gameweek 24].” – Mikel Arteta speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League tie
This was backed up in Friday’s presser, with the Gunners boss saying Saliba should “in for next week, this week let’s see how it goes”.
Saliba tops the ‘transfers out’ leaderboard ahead of Gameweek 23, with almost 480,000 sales at the time of writing.
So, if you’d rather offload him than wait and see if he’s fit enough to feature next weekend, here are some replacements to consider.
GABRIEL MAGALHAES / JURRIEN TIMBER
We’ll start out with the most straightforward swap, for those FPL managers reluctant to lose an Arsenal defender ahead of a few appealing fixtures.
Gabriel Magalhães (£6.4m), for example, is a similarly nailed-on starter to Saliba when fit and tends to carry a greater attacking threat than his fellow centre-back, with more returns (three goals, two assists versus two goals), goal attempts (18 this season versus three) and the second-most big chances (seven) of any FPL defender so far in 2024/25.
The Brazilian sits in just under 29% of teams at the time of writing, about 4% more than Saliba.
If you’re looking to free up a little cash, there’s also Jurriën Timber (£5.6m), who has rebounded from an injury-stricken 2023/24 to start 18 league matches for Arsenal this season.
The Dutchman, whose versatility enables him to play at full-back or fill in at centre-back as he did against Aston Villa, has the same number of attacking returns as Saliba (two; one goal, one assist) but has far outperformed his defensive colleague since August – 43 penalty box touches (which is also more than Gabriel’s 33) to 11, and 11 shots to three.
He is also Arsenal’s leading defender for chance creation this season, and is currently owned by less than 5% of all FPL managers,
The Gunners should be capable of keeping clean sheets in three of their next four fixtures, too, further boosting the appeal of a “sideways” move like this.
Their next opponents Wolves, meanwhile, have conceded more goals from set pieces than any other side this season – apparent good news for the Premier League’s dead-ball specialists.
VIRGIL VAN DIJK / IBRAHIMA KONATE
As mentioned, Saliba may well be back by the time Arsenal line-up against City in Gameweek 24.
But if you sell him for a Liverpool defender, you instead get a Double Gameweek of slightly nicer fixtures – Bournemouth (A) followed by Everton (A) – that weekend.
Should you make such a move ahead of the Gameweek 23 deadline, you also get your chosen Reds asset in time for Ipswich (H) this weekend, with Wolves (H) to follow in Gameweek 25.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m) is the highest-owned defender in FPL and likely the most exciting pick of that particular bunch, given his penchant for attacking returns.
But the seemingly wantaway Reds right-back is also the game’s most expensive defender, so may be out of reach for some Saliba sellers.
Instead – with the opposite flank currently a bit of toss-up between Andrew Robertson (£5.9m) and Konstantinos Tsimikas (£4.6m) – Ibrahima Konaté (£5.1m) and Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m) represent two solid, reliable starters in another of the league’s best backlines.
There’ve been some concerns over Konaté’s injury record and even his current readiness to play several games in quick succession.
On managing his French centre-half’s workload, Arne Slot confirmed in his Friday presser that Konaté “still has some pain in his knee”, adding: “Don’t exaggerate it, but he probably feels it’s safe for him to play.”
“I think he now comes to a moment where he should be able to play three times a week.”
Assuming he is indeed fit enough to feature in both Double Gameweek 24 matches, then, Konaté presents a way into Liverpool’s defence at an affordable price point, particularly for those downgrading from Saliba given the extra million you bank could help with any number of moves, including for an Assistant Manager.
Stats-wise, he has also been almost as threatening in front of goal as van Dijk (11 shots and two big chances, versus the Dutchman’s 16 shots and four big chances) despite making six less appearances and playing over 600 fewer minutes.
The pair have a goal and assist each this season, but interestingly van Dijk has hit the target with as many of his efforts (five) as famed goal threat Gabriel.
While he does offer security of minutes that fewer others in the league possess, the main drawback of van Dijk as a Saliba replacement is his price – particularly for managers with little cash to spare, or those who have already gone big at the back.
JAMES TARKOWSKI / JARRAD BRANTHWAITE / VITALII MYKOLENKO
Having talked up Liverpool’s appeal in large part due to their Double Gameweek 24, we would be remiss to not mention Everton’s options here as well.
Perhaps more so for those managers who don’t have Jordan Pickford (£5.0m) in goal, there are the equally priced James Tarkowski (£4.8m) and Jarrad Branthwaite (£4.8m).
Tarkowski has been an ever-present name in the Toffees’ line-ups this season, keeping seven clean sheets (but none in his last five matches) and firing off 10 attempts at the other end, all of them inside the box with two big chances.
He has yet to register an attacking return, though, with Branthwaite similarly unproductive so far in that regard. The 22-year-old scored three goals last season but injuries kept him from a regular place in Everton’s backline this term until Gameweek 11. Since then, he has played every minute, which coincides with five of the team’s seven shut-outs to date.
Ashley Young (£4.6m) has a goal and three assists already in 2024/25, but the 39-year-old was dropped in David Moyes’ second match back at Goodison Park, which of course ended in a much-needed victory.
Post-match quotes from Moyes suggest that was to accommodate a third-centre back in Jake O’Brien (£4.5m), with the Toffees switching to a back-three system and deploying Jesper Lindstrøm (£5.0m) as a wing-back. In summary, then, FPL managers should perhaps be wary of selecting Young, if the target is achieving two starts in the Double Gameweek.
Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.3m) is more assured of minutes on the opposite flank, has taken the most shots (11) of all Everton defenders, and offers almost £2m in savings over Saliba.
DANIEL MUNOZ
He doesn’t have an imminent double like some of the aforementioned options, but Daniel Muñoz (£4.8m) remains a promising FPL pick regardless.
Crystal Palace’s marauding right-back comes into Gameweek 23 having kept back-to-back clean sheets on the road, and his upcoming fixtures are far from off-putting as the Eagles click into form with three wins in four and just one loss since Gameweek 11.
While the Gameweek 22 win over West Ham marked Muñoz’s third straight match without a shot, his frequent positioning as a de-facto right winger when Palace are on the attack suggest this may just be a temporary dip in the Colombian’s otherwise promising attacking numbers.
Indeed, he already has two goals and two assists to his name this season as well as the most Opta-defined ‘big chances’ (eight) of any FPL defender.
DEAN HUIJSEN
Another defender with an eye for goal is Dean Huijsen (£4.4m).
Since the young centre-back came into Bournemouth’s starting line-up in Gameweek 14, he’s scored two goals (a tally no other FPL defender can beat, even though a few – Saliba included – can match it), had six total attempts and two big chances.
The Cherries do now have what could be two of the toughest matches of the season over the next two Gameweeks, but the schedule from that point on presents plenty of opportunity for both clean sheets and the odd goal or two from set pieces.
Huijsen is also a surefire starter with Marcos Senesi (£4.6m) expected to be out until at least April, and represents a cheap enough Saliba replacement to enable further spending elsewhere in your squad.
He also comes in slightly cheaper than Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez (£4.8m), who has a goal and assist in his last three matches and is also a solid long-term pick if you can look past his next two – which are perhaps when Saliba owners will need a new face the most.
ANTONEE ROBINSON / LEWIS HALL
Antonee Robinson (£5.1m) isn’t as cheap as he once was and is also entering a trickier run of fixtures.
But Fulham’s attack-minded left-back remains the division’s assists leader among defenders, with his nine almost double that of the second-placed trio of Alexander-Arnold, Lewis Hall (£5.1m) and Rayan Aït-Nouri (£4.8m).
The Cottagers host Manchester United – for many reasons not the fixture it once was – next, and then must play Newcastle and Nottingham Forest before their schedule eases slightly for a few weeks.
Still, six assists in his last nine matches – including two at Anfield – and an ever-present status in Fulham’s defence suggest this is a player that shouldn’t be backed against, even in trickier-looking games.
Hall has also been a consistent points scorer over the last month or so, but his four matches after the trip to St Mary’s this weekend – and a poor performance in Newcastle’s Gameweek 22 loss to Bournemouth – drop him down the pecking order slightly here.
CHELSEA / NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Lastly, a word on Chelsea and Forest’s defensive assets.
The Tricky Trees have been immense at the back, keeping a joint league-high nine clean sheets this season before letting one slip against Liverpool and having a slight wobble against Southampton, while attacking returns and bonus points for the likes of Ola Aina (£5.4m) – two goals, one assist, 15 bonus points – and Nikola Milenković (£4.8m) – two goals and one assist – have seen three of Forest’s troops ranked in the top-10 defenders for total points ahead of Gameweek 23.
Over the next six Gameweeks, though, that defensive grit will likely be tested more than others on this list.
As for the Blues, there was the unusual occurrence of their entire starting backline registering an attacking return in Gameweek 22.
Of those, Marc Cucurella (£5.2m), and Trevoh Chalobah (£4.4m) both rank at the top of the defenders’ leaderboard for goals since Gameweek 16 began, with Tosin Adarabioyo (£4.2m) and Reece James (£4.8m) also now in the mix.
Monday’s goal involvements marked a third attacking return in eight matches for Cucurella, who has the most ‘big chances’ of any defender in that time, a third in seven for Chalobah, and a second in as many weeks for James, returning from his latest injury lay-off.
Yet rotation could still strike at any time with the number of players Enzo Maresca has at his disposal, including Levi Colwill (£4.5m), Malo Gusto (£4.9m) and Axel Disasi (£4.2m).
That’s especially the case for the easier-looking fixtures on the horizon, while for Saliba sellers, backing a side with just three clean sheets all season against Man City – even in the defending champions’ current state – doesn’t seem the wisest course of action, on paper at least.
