Best £5.5m Defenders in FPL 2025/26

Looking for the Best £5.5m Defenders in FPL 2025/26? In this article, we break down the top options in this crucial price bracket – balancing clean sheet potential, attacking threat, and nailed-on minutes. With so many managers opting for premium attackers, finding value in defence is key.

Whether you’re building a Gameweek 1 squad or planning ahead, these £5.5m picks could offer big returns without blowing your budget.

James Tarkowski

Everton improved under David Moyes last season and that was evident in the fact they finished 13th. One of several factors which played a huge part in that was their defence. In fact, only five other clubs kept more clean sheets than the Toffees.

Their starting fixtures also offer potential. In the first seven Gameweeks David Moyes and his side clash with Leeds, Brighton, Wolves, Aston Villa, West Ham and Crystal Palace. This could mean clean sheet potential for the backline.

The best of the bunch could arguably be James Tarkowski. The English centre-back ranked second best in his position for defensive contribution points – a total that would have provided him with a huge additional 44 points.

Nikola Milenkovic

Nottingham Forest are another side who maintained a solid defence during the 2024/25 campaign. Nuno Santos men kept 13 clean sheets – making them the joint second best defence in the league for that metric.

Excluding their awkward Gameweek 4 fixture against Arsenal, Nottingham Forest meet with Brentford, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Burnley and Sunderland in their first six matches.

The fixtures look extremely appealing from a defensive perspective, and Nikola Milenkovic is one of several very good options for them at the back. As well as producing the eighth most defensive contributions last season among defenders, the centre-back also managed seven attacking returns and the fourth most big chances in his position.

We also looked at all of the best £5m defenders ahead of the new season!

Pedro Porro

Tottenham will be hoping to improve both defensively and overall this season. That could well happen under new manager Thomas Frank. Three clean sheets from their first five pre-season matches is an early sign of defensive improvement.

The London side offer plenty of cheap options at the back, but full-back Pedro Porro led his defender teammates for DEFCON’s last time out.

Porro doesn’t just offer clean sheet and DEFCON point potential though. In fact, as well as racking up an impressive eight attacking returns last season, he also hit more shots on goal than every other defender in the game bar three.

Daniel Munoz

Crystal Palace have a mixed starting schedule in the upcoming campaign. Whilst the Eagles come up against Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa, they also meet with Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and West Ham.

Manager Oliver Glasner has Crystal Palace playing well though. As well as winning three of their pre-season matches, they also went unbeaten in their final eight games of the 2024/25 season.

One player who caught FPL managers eyes last season was wing-back Daniel Munoz. Although below some of his other defender teammates for DEFCON’s, Munoz offers huge attacking potential. This was seen in the fact that he was one of only four defenders to hit double-digits for goal contributions last season. He also finished his previous campaign with the second most shots in the box and big chances in his position.

More Great Options

Liverpool bagged more clean sheets than any other side in the Premier League last season. This makes them potentially a go-to for FPL managers in regards to defensive investment. The cheapest and most reliable route into the backline is Ibrahima Konate.

Whilst Nikola Milenkovic is an excellent option in the Nottingham Forest defender, fellow centre-back Murillo produced more DEFCON’s than his teammate last season, which makes him a fantastic alternative with good fixtures ahead.

Newcastle proved once again that they are a top side. Although seemingly hit and miss defensively, the Magpies ranked joint second best overall for total clean sheets last season. The standout could well be centre-back Fabian Schar who ranked second best among defenders for total shots on goal and goals scored.