Is it now essential to double up on Arsenal’s defence in FPL?

With popular early-season picks from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur struggling for clean sheets, The Scout assesses whether it is now essential to double up on Arsenal’s mean defence in Fantasy Premier League.

Mikel Arteta's resilient backline has made a huge impact on the player standings in the opening eight Gameweeks of 2025/26 Fantasy. 

The Gunners have collected five clean sheets and conceded a mere three goals, with Gabriel (£6.4m) - who is an injury doubt for this weekend - plus Jurrien Timber (£6.0m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) all ranking among the top five defenders.

Indeed, thanks to their added attacking potential, the Arsenal trio place among the top six players across ALL positions. 

Their displays are in stark contrast to those of highly owned assets such as Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) and Spurs' pair Micky van de Van (£4.7m) and Pedro Porro (£5.6m). 

All three are among the eight most-selected defenders, found in at least 20 per cent of squads. Yet neither Liverpool nor Spurs have produced a single clean sheet across the last four Gameweeks. 

That recent lack of resilience has not gone unnoticed by managers in Fantasy. Along with Spurs' Cristian Romero (£5.1m), the above trio are the most-sold defenders ahead of Friday's 18:30 BST deadline, with all four being sold by 80,000+ owners. 

So, should managers who are on the lookout for new defenders double up with TWO members of Arsenal's rearguard, or are there better options at other clubs?

Who is most likely to get clean sheets?

Arsenal and Newcastle United lead the way for clean sheets this season, with five each in the first eight Gameweeks. 

For the Magpies, Dan Burn (£5.1m) has been the top performer on 45 points, just three behind the Gunners' Calafiori. 

One of the most helpful statistics here is "big chances", which are situations where a player is expected to score. It stands to reason that the fewer big chances a team concede, the more likely they are to keep a clean sheet.

There's no surprise, then, to see Arsenal and Newcastle as the top two sides here, allowing their opponents just five and eight big chances respectively. Indeed, if you take Newcastle out of the equation here, Arsenal have conceded HALF the number of big chances of any other side, such has been their resolve.

Listed below are the 10 clubs who have conceded a maximum of two big chances per match on average (16 in total).

Clubs with fewest big chances conceded

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The table above highlights that Spurs still remain one of the likeliest sides to collect a clean sheet, with their 11 big chances conceded putting among the best five defences.

What's also very noticeable here is the presence of two of the three promoted sides, Leeds United and Sunderland, high in the table.

Leeds have certainly been the unluckier of the two, which could be good news for owners of centre-back Joe Rodon (£4.1m). They are the third-best defence for conceding the fewest shots in the box and big chances, yet they have conceded 13 goals and kept only two clean sheets.

The statistics show just why Sunderland's key picks have thrived in Fantasy. The Black Cats have produced four clean sheets and conceded only six goals, the same as Manchester City. 

As a result, their centre-backs Omar Alderete and Nordi Mukiele (both £4.1m) are the top two players for value in Fantasy, in terms of points per million (ppm) spent.

Alderete ranks joint-seventh among defenders on 45 points, while Mukiele sits one point behind them. At their price of £4.1m, this means they have returned 11.0 and 10.7 ppm spent respectively. 

Man City and AFC Bournemouth are also among those who have turned that resilience into clean sheets for managers in Fantasy, producing four and three respectively. 

Which Arsenal defender is most likely to score?

A breakdown of the Arsenal trio helps to show the different attacking potential offered by Gabriel, Calafiori and Timber.

As a centre-back, Gabriel only ventures forward for free-kicks and corners due to his aerial threat. As you can see in the table below, all five of his shots in the box have been headed shots from set-pieces. 

Crucially, Arsenal have markedly improved their output from set-piece situations when compared with last season. They have scored a league-high seven goals from corners - which is already half their total of 14 from 2024/25 - in just eight matches.

As the Gunners' No 1 aerial threat, Gabriel's ability to profit from those situations means he has had three big chances, more than the combined total of Calafiori and Timber.

Arsenal defenders' attacking potential 

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Nonetheless, both full-backs boast very strong numbers of their own. Calafiori is clearly all about goal threat down the left side - his 16 shots and 11 shots in the box both rank top in his position.

Timber, meanwhile, is more about all-round potential. The right-back's nine shots in the box and 11 chances created are both among the top three defenders this season. 

Watch: All seven Arsenal corner goals this season

Can other defenders rival Arsenal's for goal threat?

When it comes to goal threat, Crystal Palace's Daniel Munoz (£5.6m) is Calafiori's nearest rival, with 11 shots and 10 shots in the box. The Colombian has been far more accurate, though. Whereas Calafiori has had only one shot on target, Munoz is joint-top for this statistic in defence, with five, the same as Timber.

Listed below are the 12 defenders who have had a minimum of six shots in the box, with Leeds and Sunderland again representing the promoted clubs.

Leeds pair Rodon and Pascal Struijk (£4.5m) have offered a strong aerial threat in the box at free-kicks and corners. Both rank among the top three for headed shots at set-pieces in the assessment, with six and five respectively.

Sunderland's Alderete and Dan Ballard (£4.6m) also feature, with the latter particularly impressing. Although he's only started three matches, Ballard's seven headed shots at set-pieces are more than any defender this season. Notably, he returned to Sunderland's line-up in Gameweek 8, delivering a 10-point haul at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Defenders with most shots in box

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Who's most likely to get defensive contribution points?

Among the Arsenal contingent, Gabriel wins hands down for defensive contribution (DC) points.

See: What are defensive contribution points?

The Brazilian has hit the threshold on three occasions to earn six extra points from the new metric. Calafiori and Timber, on the other hand, have failed to pick up any DC points.

The disparity is mainly down to their positions, with centre-backs dominating the points charts in the new metric. However, Gabriel's security of minutes is another reason why he profits more than his team-mates. Among the three outfield players to start every match for Arsenal, he is the only one who hasn't been substituted off.

Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi (£5.0m) and Everton's James Tarkowski (£5.5m) have been the main beneficiaries, with each of them collecting 14 points already - worth more than three clean sheets. The pair have picked up two extra points in seven of their eight starts, which is an 87.5 per cent success rate.

Indeed, Senesi's output this season makes the biggest argument against the need to double or triple up on Arsenal in defence. He has matched the 48 points of Calafiori and is just six behind Timber, despite having fewer clean sheets and attacking returns than either of the Gunners' pair.

Defenders with most defensive contribution points

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Elsewhere, Tarkowski is joined by his team-mate Michael Keane (£4.5m) in the analysis, with Everton among the three clubs to supply two centre-backs who have picked up a minimum of eight defensive contribution points. 

While Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m) and Chris Richards (£4.5m) will hope to improve their 50 per cent success rates, Sunderland's Mukiele and Alderete once again feature as the best performers. 

Mukiele has an 83.3 per cent success rate, earning two extra points in five of his six starts to total 10 points. Alderete, meanwhile, has been successful in four of his seven starts. 

So, is it now essential to double up on Arsenal's defence?

The team data indicates Arsenal are far likelier to keep a clean sheet than any other side right now, with Newcastle the only side that's near them for nullifying big chances.

Arsenal's upturn in threat from corners, in particular, shows why Gabriel should be the priority pick. The Brazilian's potential for goals at set-pieces is far greater than Calafiori and Timber and, added to his ability to earn defensive contribution points, he is their one must-have.

Nonetheless, the goal-threat statistics could barely make a stronger claim for doubling up on the Arsenal backline, and Calafiori's superior goal threat gives him the advantage over Timber as your second pick.

While there's an argument to even TRIPLE up, it is perhaps an unnecessary risk and would deprive you of having Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) as a big-hitter in midfield.

There are other defenders who can deliver instead of having a third member of Arsenal's backline. 

As shown by the goal-threat numbers, Palace's Munoz is a standout option, and the Eagles are set to embark on a kind run of opponents from Gameweek 10, while Marc Guehi (£4.9m), Lacroix and Richards could also reward investment.

Newcastle's Burn is their best asset for defensive contributions to go along with his clean sheets, while the statistics show why Sunderland's backline could be worthy of a place in your starting XI.