Everton’s latest midfield signing is 32-year-old Christian Norgaard (£5.0m), who arrives for a small £7 million fee from Arsenal.
The Danish international was very much a bit-part player during the Gunners’ 2025/26 title win, but previous stats suggest he could become a genuine Fantasy Premier League (FPL) target for managers.
A BRIEF HISTORY
| SEASON | CLUB | DIVISION | STARTS (SUB) | GOALS | ASSISTS | FPL POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Arsenal | Premier League | 1 (6) | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2024/25 | Brentford | Premier League | 34 (0) | 5 | 5 | 107 |
| 2023/24 | Brentford | Premier League | 30 (1) | 2 | 1 | 74 |
| 2022/23 | Brentford | Premier League | 21 (1) | 1 | 6 | 71 |
| 2021/22 | Brentford | Premier League | 35 (0) | 3 | 4 | 101 |
| 2020/21 | Brentford | Championship | 15 (2) | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019/20 | Brentford | Championship | 40 (2) | 0 | 3 | – |
It all began at Lyngby, then Brondby. After a season at Fiorentina didn’t work out, he joined ambitious Championship side Brentford to reunite with Thomas Frank.
In six seasons, the Bees were promoted and became a stable top-flight team. But he couldn’t resist Arsenal, despite knowing he’d be a back-up.
Norgaard’s sole league start came on the last day at Crystal Palace, when both teams were preparing for European finals. This was his only outing over 25 minutes in length, and even that one ended at half-time.
“I felt I needed a change and to play a bigger football role. When I spoke to David Moyes and others at the Club involved in the transfer, I heard about the whole project, and I was very intrigued. Coming here just makes that feeling even stronger.” – Christian Norgaard
IMPRESSIVE DEFCON STATS
He actually scored on the opening night of 2021/22, when newcomers Brentford defeated Mikel Arteta’s side. But top-flight attacking returns were quite rare (except for his final year), keeping him off FPL radars.
Throughout 122 Premier League appearances in west London, he exceeded eight points on just four occasions.
However, this was before defensive contributions (DefCon) came to the game – something which Norgaard is staggeringly good at.
| SEASON | STARTS | CBIRT | CBIRT PER 90 | REACHED DEFCON | RATE OF STARTS | BEST CBIRT TOTALS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 34 | 405 | 12.93 | 17 | 50.0% | 23, 20 |
| 2023/24 | 30 | 406 | 14.59 | 21 | 70.0% | 25, 23, 21 |
| 2022/23 | 21 | 300 | 15.31 | 16 | 76.2% | 23, 23, 20 |
| 2021/22 | 35 | 508 | 14.97 | 23 | 65.7% | 26, 14, 22, 21, 21, 21 |
In a match, midfielders gain two extra FPL points if they collect 12 clearances, blocks, interceptions, recoveries and tackles (CBIRT). Each of his four campaigns as a regular had a ‘per 90’ average that was comfortably more than that.
Norgaard ended 2021/22 as the league leader for tackles and CBIRT, coming fourth for the latter in 2023/24 and 2024/25.
To put these great numbers into context, last season’s DefCon king was Elliot Anderson (£6.5m). He averaged 13.94 CBIRT per 90, and was rewarded in 70.27% of starts.
Just doing some crude maths, he’d have finished 2024/25 with 141 points – averaged at a very nice 4.2 points per start – had DefCon been around a year earlier. You’d take that for a £5.0m midfielder.
ANY FPL POTENTIAL?
Truth be told, FPL’s £5.0m midfielder bracket offers very little, so the chance of owning a DefCon monster like Norgaard is tempting. Throw in a bit of dead-ball threat – he was the fifth-best midfielder for set-piece shots (20) in 2024/25 – and he’s one of the most appealing picks in this price tier.
- READ MORE: Best £5.0m midfielders for FPL 2026/27
- READ MORE: Who has the best early 2026/27 fixtures?
Especially when Everton’s opening six-match run tops our Fixture Ticker. He could be a gem for those using a Bench Boost chip in Gameweeks 1 or 2.
But is Norgaard nailed-on to start at the Toffees? He’ll replace the departed Idrissa Gueye, but there are other central midfielders like Hayden Hackney (£5.5m), Tim Iroegbunam (£5.0m) and the recovering James Garner (£6.0m). Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m) can play deeper, and Merlin Rohl (£5.0m) – although recently being used successfully on the right – could revert to his natural position if David Moyes buys a winger.
More clues will arrive as Gameweek 1 gets nearer. But an often-starting Norgaard could prove to be exceptional FPL value.
Moyes likes his seasoned veterans (Coleman, Gueye etc). By contrast, he is often reticent to throw raw youngsters in early (Rohl, Dibling, George etc). You’d imagine Norgaard stands a good chance of being a trusted Moyes lieutenant – and a potentially excellent fifth midfielder for FPL managers.
