With the 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League season only days away, FPL expert Andy North has revealed his current 15-man squad and explained his choices. Andy isn't currently planning to use a chip in Gameweek 1.
Goalkeeper
Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.5m): If last year is anything to go by, Brentford should concede a lot of shots and invite save points from their 'keeper. The ex-Liverpool man has a nice run of fixtures up until Gameweek 7.
Defenders
Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m): The Dutchman is the new poster boy for defensive contribution points. The Liverpool captain should benefit massively from this addition to the game. He’s also known for a bullet header, which can lead to attacking returns. He's locked in my team.
See: What are defensive contribution points?
Micky van de Ven (£4.5m): Aside from Manchester City in Gameweek 2, Tottenham Hotspur's fixtures are very nice up to Gameweek 11. Van de Ven should do well with the new defensive contribution points. Hopefully, Spurs will also keep more clean sheets under Thomas Frank.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m): Seems cheap for a defender who plays on the right wing and is likely to receive defensive contribution points. Hopefully West Ham United can improve defensively, so he gets more clean sheets this season.
Midfielders
Mohamed Salah (£14.5m): I am opting for the Egyptian over Erling Haaland (£14.0m). Salah almost doubled the Norwegian's output last season and that opening-weekend fixture against AFC Bournemouth is pure captaincy material.
Cole Palmer (£10.5m): Having added Joao Pedro (£7.5m) to their roster, we should see more goals at Chelsea this season. Palmer is their penalty-taker and takes the majority of their set-pieces, so he has a lot of routes to points.
Florian Wirtz (£8.5m): Another new signing but this time for Liverpool. Wirtz could be the bargain of the season and the Reds have strengthened their squad. I am excited to see what he can do in the Premier League.
Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m): Spurs' new signing feels like a bit of a risk in terms of how they will line up under Frank. But a Gameweek 1 fixture at home to Burnley should prove a nice opportunity to see what he can do. On his day, Kudus is electric, but I am worried about potential rotation.
Forwards
Ollie Watkins (£9.0m): I love Aston Villa's fixtures and love his price point. He will almost certainly be replaced by Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) when Arsenal's fixtures get better, but Watkins looks great for the early weeks of the season.
Villa's first seven fixtures
| Gameweek | Opp. | FDR* |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle (H) | 3 |
| 2 | Brentford (A) | 3 |
| 3 | Crystal Palace (H) | 3 |
| 4 | Everton (A) | 3 |
| 5 | Sunderland (A) | 2 |
| 6 | Fulham (H) | 3 |
| 7 | Burnley (H) | 2 |
*Fixture Difficulty Ratings: 1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Joao Pedro (£7.5m): Chelsea's new forward lit it up at the FIFA Club World Cup and should lead the line for the Blues this season. He's had a slight price hike, but he should be good value.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (£6.5m): The Wolverhampton Wanderers frontman is only owned by 5.9 per cent of managers. Their first fixture isn't great, against Manchester City, but after that Wolves could be a good investment. Strand Larsen could be on penalties and Wolves have added Jhon Arias (£5.5m) to make up for losing Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£6.0m).
Bench
Antonin Kinsky (£4.0m): This could be any £4.0m goalkeeper as I am not planning to Bench-Boost in Gameweek 1. If I stick with Kelleher as my starting goalkeeper then I might opt for Brentford's No 2 Hakon Valdimarsson (£4.0m) for security, so that if Kelleher gets injured or suspended then I also have his deputy on my bench.
Ezri Konsa (£4.5m): At £4.5m he screams value. Villa's fixtures are great but Konsa does not perform as well for defensive contribution points as you might think. I am happy to have him as an option when needed.
Maxime Esteve (£4.0m): A locked-on £4.0m option who plays for a promoted side known for keeping clean sheets? Yes please. I won’t be expecting a lot but he has the potential to become a hero.
Enzo Le Fee (£5.0m): At £5.0m he could be a nice option to bring off the bench when needed. I expect Sunderland to still be in the Premier League at the end of this season and Le Fee will be on set-pieces. He should also do well for defensive contributions.