Best Defenders to Start the Season with in FPL

In this article we take a look at the best defenders to start the season with in FPL. With the help of the Fantasy Football Scout members area we take a look at the early fixtures and take into account the stats to pick out the best in defence.

Highlighting the best defenders to start the season with in FPL could be as crucial as looking at any other position. As the 24/25 season approaches it’s important that we shortlist the best in defence so we are ready for the campaign.

Vitaliy Mykolenko

Everton had one of the best defences in the Premier League last season. In fact, when compared to every other side in the division they rank joint second best alongside Manchester City for clean sheets (13) and fourth best for total goals conceded (51).

Based on the above the Toffees were a hunting ground for FPL managers looking for good defensive assets, and that may remain this season.

When we check out the Fantasy Football Scout Fixture Ticker for the first 10 Gameweeks you will see that Everton sit at the top. This means they have easier fixtures than any other side.

We can see below that Everton don’t face a single tough (red) fixture in the run below. This and the above could mean defensive investment beneficial for managers.

The £0.5m price rise for the likes James Tarkowski (£5m) and Jarrad Branthwaite (£5m) is frustrating but it was also expected. One player who failed to get a price hike was Vitaliy Mykolenko (£4.5m) who remains at a budget cost.

Mykolenko started 28 of his sides matches last season and in those same matches showed some of his attacking potential – scoring two goals. Amongst his defensive teammates the Ukrainian also came out on top for total attempts on goal.

Josko Gvardiol

Manchester City won another Premier League title last season, making it four in the previous five years. Although superior offensively, or at least in terms of several underlying metrics, they struggled at times defensively.

Even though well short of expectations the Manchester City backline still managed to produce the second most clean sheets. That paired with the fact they ranked second best last season for expected goals conceded suggests they could be worth buying into in the campaign ahead.

We can see that Manchester City face three ‘tougher’ fixtures in their first 10 matches. They also face seven other fixtures you would expect them to keep a clean sheet in, and that is where they attract potential investors.

Clean sheets are the most important factor when considering a defensive asset but Josko Gvardiol (£6m) also offers huge attacking threat. As well as starting all six of Manchester City last matches in the 23/24 Premier League campaign Gvardiol also netted three times during that time.

Positionally, Gvardiol played most of his minutes in the opponents half last season. Many would argue that he occupied a left-wing position predominantly for the latter stages of the previous campaign.

Ezri Konsa

Aston Villa shocked the majority of the football community last season. Manager Unai Emery found his rhythm and ended up securing the fourth in the league for his side. This also meant qualification to the 24/25 Champions League campaign.

Any side who finish amongst the top four should be a serious consideration for defensive investment. This is the case with Aston Villa and their appeal increases as we focus in on their 24/25 starting fixtures.

As we can see, Aston Villa face just one tough fixture in their first 10 matches. They also come up against the likes of West Ham, Leicester, Ipswich, Wolves and Fulham, which could be fantastic opportunities to keep clean sheets.

Huge price rises for attacking players means FPL managers may have to put more value on the budget defenders this season and that’s something Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) offers. Konsa was vital for his side last season – playing a huge 35 of their matches. He also showed his quality in the recent EURO 2024 for England – featuring three times.

Taking into account his potential gametime, his price-tag, the team he plays for and his fixtures, Konsa eases his way amongst the best defenders to start the season with in FPL.

William Saliba

Arsenal sustained the best defence in the league last season which naturally makes them one of the most appealing defences for investment. Statistically they ranked the best goals conceded (29), top for clean sheets kept (18) and dominated several key underlying defensive metrics.

Arsenal’s starting fixtures are hit and miss. The Gooners face five questionable fixtures against the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool. But, their defence was that superior last campaign we could argue that their backline is fixture proof.

The most reliable route into the Arsenal defence, alongside goalkeeper David Raya, is of course centre-back William Saliba (£6m).

As well as guaranteed minutes Saliba also produced two goals and two assists last season. His attacking potential is even more convincing when taking into account that Arsenal scored more goals directly from a corner than any other side last season.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool are an interesting side to consider this season. The departure of Jurgen Klopp has made many question what to expect in the campaign ahead, and pre-season will be extremely important to answering those questions.

However, based on last season Liverpool fell short defensively – keeping just 10 clean sheets. It should have been more though when taking into account their underlying data. In fact the Reds ranks third best for goals conceded, third best for total shots on target conceded, and third best for expected goals conceded.

The data above does pique interest around their clean sheet potential next season and their starting fixture only increases that hope. We can see below that Liverpool play just one tough fixture in their first 10 matches which is a rarity amongst clubs.

The fixtures are fantastic from a defensive point of view but they should also be highly regarded from an attacking perspective.

With that in mind, no player stands out more than Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7m). The Liverpool full-back has been given his lowest price-tag in several years which is one of many different factors surrounding his appeal.

In terms of his attacking potential, there isn’t many defenders who have sustained his level for this long. Although the 23/24 campaign wasn’t his best offensively, with three goals and four assists, Trent created more big chances than any other defender in the league with 18 so it was a case of his teammates hindering his output.