Best £4.5m Defenders in FPL

FPL is here and the game has launched for the 24/25 campaign. Managers now have access to most of its features including price-tags. So, in this article we take a look at the best £4.5m defenders in FPL, and several who could be worth keeping an eye on.

Budget players can be hugely important for FPL managers. The community rely on budget players throughout the season because their inclusion means being able to fit the more expensive players into their teams, so let’s take a look.

Antonee Robinson

Fulham were a very mid-table team when it came to underlying defensive metrics last season. However, when stacked up against every other side they also ranked third best for clean sheets with 10. That tally was also shared by the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle.

Ranking first on the fixture ticker for the first six matches is a huge indicator that they could be one of the best teams to invest in. The Cottagers face Manchester United and Newcastle but they also face two of the three promoted sides.

Clean sheet potential is obviously a huge factor when considering defensive assets but Antonee Robinson (£4.5m) offers a little bit extra. The American full-back ranked sixth amongst all defenders for expected assists and in the top 10 for both total crosses and total chances created last season.

Joachim Andersen

The arrival of Oliver Glasner meant a huge turnaround in overall form for Crystal Palace last season. The new manager improved every single position including defence.

When comparing the Crystal Palace defence to every other in the league they ranked amongst the best five for clean sheets, goals conceded, expected goals conceded, total shots in the box conceded and several other key metrics.

Only Liverpool and Fulham can better Crystal Palace’ starting schedule according to the fixture ticker. The Eagles play Brentford, West Ham, Leicester and Everton in their first six matches.

One player who seems to have broke into the £4.5m after being priced £0.5m more in the previous season is Joachim Andersen. The centre-back isn’t the most prolific goal threat but he led all of his defensive teammates for non-penalty expected goal involvement last season.

Ezri Konsa

Another side offering some great value for money assets this season is Aston Villa. Aston Villa were brilliant last season and a lot of that was down to manager Unai Emery.

Their 23/24 campaign ended on a massive high as they secured both fourth place and Champions League football for the new season.

Buying into the defence of top four side could be an easy decision and the fixtures below could boost that overall appeal. The fixture against Arsenal will of course be challenging but Aston Villa also clash with two promoted sides, and both West Ham and Wolves who struggled offensively last season.

Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) is the cheapest and most reliable way into the Aston Villa backline. Although lacking in attacking threat with only one goal and one assist last season Konsa plays for a side on an upward trajectory with great fixtures and good clean sheet potential.

Vitaliy Mykolenko

Everton took many by surprise last season. The Toffees had to fight through multiple points deductions and managed to finish a huge 14 points about the relegation zone.

15th in the league may not sound that impressive, even with points deductions. But Everton also maintained one of the best defences in the division – keeping the joint second most clean sheets with Manchester City.

Everton face a mixed bag of starting fixtures against the likes of Brighton, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. However, when extending the fixture ticker to 10 matches Everton sit in first place which could make Vitaliy Mykolenko one of the best long-term £4.5m defenders in the game.

Vitaliy Mykolenko played 28 league matches last season and produced two goals, so there is some goal threat with the Ukrainian. However, it’s his long-term fixtures and clean potential that really catch the eye with him.

Other Great Options

Nottingham Forest are another side who rank highly on the fixture ticker. Those looking for clean sheets and safety could just opt for Murillo (£4.5m) but those looking for attacking threat could give full-back Ola Aina (£4.5m) an opportunity.

Other than their first fixture against Manchester City Chelsea have some favourable matchups. The Blues were inconsistent last season but they also maintained several brilliant defensive metrics. One way into the backline could be Levi Colwill (£4.5m) who can play both left-back and centre-back.

It may be worth keeping an eye on Ipswich wing-back Leif Davis (£4.5m). Davis has a tough early schedule but he also managed a whopping two goals and 18 assists last season, offering considerable attacking threat.