Managers in Fantasy Premier League will be weighing up their strategies after the prices for the 2018/19 season were revealed.
This is because Mohamed Salah will cost £13.0m in 2018/19, a rise from last season’s starting price of £9.0m.
The rise was on the back of a record 303 FPL points for the Liverpool midfielder in his debut season at Anfield.
Kane value?
Harry Kane is £0.5m cheaper, at £12.5m, the same price as he started 2017/18.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker was the top-scoring forward in FPL on 217 points and the most-bought player last season. He earned over 5.3m transfers in.
Managers will have to decide on whether to go for these two big hitters or look to build a more balanced squad.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be an alternative to, or partner for, Kane up front.
Costing £11.0m this season, the forward averaged 6.7 points per match (ppm) after his move to Arsenal in January.
Missing Man City?
Managers who opt for both Salah and Kane may have to forgo Manchester City's major midfield players.
Like Salah, Raheem Sterling has risen in price due to his exploits in 2017/18. The City winger costs £11.0m, up from £8.0m in the previous campaign.
Team-mates Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane are available for £10.0m and £9.5m respectively.
Mid-price midfielders
Seeking out options in the mid-price bracket will become vital.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Jesse Lingard and Pascal Gross each cost £7.0m and can offer such solutions in midfield.
Ryan Sessegnon (£6.5m) and Diogo Jota (£6.5m) are the most expensive promoted players on offer.
Zaha and Arnautovic reclassified
Managers will have to change their plans from last season after Marko Arnautovic and Wilfried Zaha were reclassified from midfielders to forwards.
These two will each cost £7.0m, but despite the reclassification, they remain tempting options in the mid-price forwards bracket, as does Everton's Cenk Tosun at the same price.
Costly Chelsea pair
The Chelsea pair of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are two of the most expensive defenders, at a cost of £6.5m each.
They have been among the top three scoring FPL defenders in each of the last two seasons.
But managers who invest heavily in attack may have to limit their spend in defence.
The likes of James Tomkins, Cedric Soares and Florent Hadergjonaj offer an attacking threat from the back and all cost just £4.5m.
Fabianski and Ryan value
Last season’s top-scoring goalkeeper, David De Gea, is the most expensive in that position at a cost of £6.0m.
However, managers might be tempted by West Ham United's new No 1, Lukasz Fabianski, and Brighton & Hove Albion's Mat Ryan. Each remain at just £4.5m.
This pair were the top two players for points-per-million value in 2017/18.
Cut-price candidates key
Salah and Kane are expected to supply plenty of goals and points and will be among the most popular captain picks in any Gameweek.
But finding the cut-price candidates to free up the cash to spend big elsewhere remains as essential as ever.
