Defence is a huge topic of discussion this year. Do you go big at the back? Do you want 3, 4 or even 5 premium defenders? Well these options should give you the opportunity to use 1 or 2 bargains to help you use that money elsewhere in your squad.
Lewis Dunk (£4.5m) – Brighton
Dunk makes the list, basically in case he moves to Leicester. A £4.5m regular starter in the foxes backline could be an absolute steal. He’s a solid defender, and has formed a good partnership with Duffy, but due to the uncertainty around Brighton I don’t think I would be confident in using him if he stays with the Seagulls.
Charlie Taylor (£4.5m) – Burnley
A player with a lot of potential, the marauding left back could be in a much stronger Burnley side this year and be a real outlet on the left. Dyche isn’t averse to allowing his fullbacks to bomb on, take Matt Lowton a couple of years back as an example, so if he is nailed on to start he could be a solid option in this bracket. Burnley’s fixtures really take a positive turn after gameweek 4, so he could be a wait and see option, or a choice for early wildcarders.
Issa Diop (£4.5m) – West Ham
Certain starter, and a huge favourite amongst my West Ham supporting friends, you could do worse than choose this French man mountain at such a cheap price. After their awful first game against City, West Ham play Brighton (A), Watford (A), Norwich (H) and Villa (A), so have some real possibility of clean sheets. I’ve seen West Ham defenders discussed for a possible rotation pair, and Diop could be a great option if you go down this route.
DeAndre Yedlin (£4.5m) – Newcastle
Currently injury, but on his way back, Yedlin could be a sleeper pick. I’ve just watched Newcastle play 3-5-2 with their first game under Bruce and it seems he is really going to give the fullbacks license to attack, and Yedlin will be number 1 choice. He’s very quick, overlaps well and can cross, so if you are looking for a sleeper attacking fullback option, Yedlin could be it. As a word of caution though, I do not expect Newcastle to be as strong defensively this year, so he could be an option in home games as a part of a rotation pair.
Matt Targett (£4.5m) – Aston Villa
Targett is an interesting option, as he is now looking like the nailed on LB for Villa and had a decent return of 36 points in 10 games for a pretty poor Southampton side. With Villa using a big man upfront I can see assists for an attacking fullback in this villa side, however they are obviously as concern defensively. Villa start with Spurs (A), Bournemouth (H), Everton (H), Crystal Palace (A) and West Ham (H) so there could be a few high scoring games. Do you want to risk his lack of clean sheets for attacking outputs?
Martin Kelly (£4.0m) – Crystal Palace
Kelly is the current darling of the FPL community, an enabler and a likely starter now Wan-Bisakka has left for Manchester. He’s the most likely start at £4.0m in the game, and joins a defence that was solid last year. My main concern with Kelly is that I do not feel Palace will be as strong at the back this year. If Zaha goes they may be unable to get out on the counter as well, and Wan-Bissaka was a great 1 on 1 defender. If you want to save money in defence, Kelly is your go to guy.
Max Aarons (£4.5m) – Norwich
There has been a lot of talk about Max Aarons this preseason, as he has been linked with Crystal Palace heavily and even Manchester United before he signed a new five year deal. 6 assists in the league last year, and playing in an attacking Norwich side make him one to watch, and if Norwich outperform what everyone is expecting, especially defensively, then he could be a good 5th defender.
Jack Stacey (£4.5m) – Bournemouth
Stacey has been brought in as one for the future from Luton this season, but if he can make the right back position his own, he is a young attacking talent that could be exciting to watch. Likely one for the coming years rather than this season, he’s one to watch for me in what is likely to be a leaky Bournemouth defence.
Verdict
Kelly currently jumps out as the most likely starter in the £4.0m bracket, however I think if you are looking for a bargain there a lot safer options at £4.5m, such as Dunk, Targett or Taylor. There is a reason these players are bargains, so if any of them interest you, take a lot of care during preseason to make sure they will be number 1 choice in their position and that you are comfortable having them as a bench option heading into the season.
Hopefully amongst those I have found you this years Wan-Bissaka!
Written by @LotmerFPL
