Ah, the £4.5m Fantasy Premier League (FPL) forwards.

Every year, we dream of a ‘magic bean’ emerging from the pack of youth products and unwanted second-string players. Most years, it doesn’t happen.

Perhaps that’s a good thing: if there was a cheat code at the bottom of the bargain bin, everyone would own them. It would also make accommodating the heavy hitters elsewhere all too easy.

So, what of this season’s crop of sub-£5.0m strikers?

Here’s our glance through all 21 of them.

£4.5M FORWARDS – LAST YEAR’S STATS

The above picture tells a bit of a sorry story – but then, you wouldn’t expect many at that price to be free-scoring, rotation-proof strikers.

In fact, this lot combined for just one Premier League start in 2024/25. That was Chido Obi (£4.5m), for Manchester United.

Many of them had loan spells away from their parent clubs, too, the bulk of which were unremarkable.

To go from squad player at Plymouth Argyle to regular starter at Premier League level likely isn’t going to happen.

ELI JUNIOR KROUPI

Scoring more than all of the others put together was Eli Junior Kroupi (£4.5m).

Bournemouth snapped up the French teenager in February but then immediately loaned him back to old club Lorient.

Over the course of 2024/25, he plundered 22 goals in 30 league appearances for the Ligue II club. He’s also a France international at youth level.

Even as the most promising option from the £4.5m forward pool, how much game-time he’ll get is still a bit of an unknown. He could realistically be back-up for Evanilson (£7.0m) while Enes Unal (£5.5m) works his way back from a long-term injury. Kroupi has also featured on the left flank and in the ’10’ role in his embryonic career, so there’s the possibility of him getting minutes in those positions.

That’s if the Cherries don’t decide to send him out on loan again, as they’ve done with Daniel Jebbison.

Keep an eye on Bournemouth’s remaining friendlies to see how much Andoni Iraola really trusts the 19-year-old attacker. The south-coast side has three all-Premier League clashes to come soon.

“We have to see him come here. Always when you come to the Premier League there is an adaptation process, especially for someone that is so young, with a new language, a different style of football.

“But obviously when you sign a player it’s because you think they have the capacities to perform at this level.” – Andoni Iraola on Eli Junior Kroupi, speaking in February

Some Cherries fans are convinced about him…

ONE EYE ON THE TRANSFER MARKET

Sometimes, a budget option can emerge out of nowhere. Often it’s due to him moving clubs, from a side where he’s low down the pecking order to, say, a lower-table club where minutes are more forthcoming.

There are not many in the current £4.5m pool whom we can realistically expect that to happen to. Sunderland aren’t going to pin their hopes of survival on loaning Dane Scarlett (£4.5m), for instance, who wasn’t even a regular at Oxford United last season.

Marc Guiu (£4.5m) is an altogether different prospect, however. He’s further down the pecking order at Chelsea after the arrival of Liam Delap (£6.5m) and Joao Pedro (£7.5m). Nicolas Jackson (£6.5m), for now, remains with the Blues, too.

So, a loan move elsewhere could beckon.

And, in the last few days, there’s talk of Leeds United potentially making a move on the Spaniard.

He bagged six goals in the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2024/25, so he is a step above your Lankshears and Wheatleys of this world – no offence to them.

Your move, Leeds.

ROUNDING UP THE REST

There’s not much hope about the rest, in honesty.

Five of the 21 forwards currently available at £4.5m are from the promoted clubs but they barely featured at Championship level, so we’re not expecting them to lead the line in the Premier League.

Ashley Barnes (£4.5m), who Burnley re-signed in the winter after his spell at Norwich City fizzled out, is not going to be a regular starter barring recruitment disaster and an injury crisis. Now 35, it sounds like he’ll be more of a Lallana-like cheerleader.

In the case of Ahmed Abdullahi (£4.5m), his non-involvement at Sunderland after signing from Gent was due to him being injured for the entire campaign.

He’s featured and scored already in pre-season and looks a prospect but he’s a raw talent, so he could go out on loan. If not, minutes are possible off the bench.

“We weren’t able to see Ahmed last season because of injury, but now he is ready to start and it means he can have a full pre-season. We’ll get to know the real Ahmed, now.

“He is still very young, so we don’t know exactly what his potential is. It will be interesting to see him through a full pre-season.” – Regis Le Bris, speaking last week

Elsewhere, we’ve touched on Obi above. Despite the failures of Rasmus Hojlund (£6.5m) and Joshua Zirkzee (£6.0m) last season, Rubem Amorim only started the young striker once in the league. United surely swoop for another senior forward or two in the summer, too.

Finally, a bit of an unknown quantity in Zepiqueno Redmond (£4.5m).

The 19-year-old Dutch attacker has joined Aston Villa from Feyenoord for free this summer, following the expiry of his contract.

Redmond has only made four league appearances in his fledgling career, with the rookie fast-tracked to the Feyenoord first team in November 2024 amid an injury crisis up top.

He’s played across the frontline but more recently starred off the left flank against England in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in June, scoring twice.

We’ll hopefully get a good look at him in Villa’s next friendlies to see if he’s deemed a squad option in the first team or destined for a loan move.

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