As almost everyone has one 8m mid in their team, it seems a good time to determine which one will be the best to start the season with. In this article, I will look at the best options in midfield at £8.0m.

Saka:

It is no doubt that Saka had a breakout year at Arsenal last season with 11 Goals and 9 Assists. However, the arrival of Jesus has meant that Saka is not getting the attention I expected him to get. In isolation, Saka seems to be a very good pick as he is more nailed on than the other Arsenal mids. In any other season, he would’ve been an auto pick in my team, but with so many good £8.0m midfield options and having a 2m cheaper mid in Martinelli (6m) I find it very hard to see value in Saka. After the last pre-season game many have shifted from Martinelli to Saka because he scored a brace, but I still think 2m+Martinelli provides greater value in your team.

Mount:

To me Mount is a very solid pick. Last season was his best goal-scoring one with 11 goals and not to forget he’s a assist machine as well with 10 assists. Out of all the Chelsea attackers, Mount is expected to play the most minutes. Many managers will be investing in the Chelsea defence, and so picking someone as reliable as Mount could provide great cover for the Chelsea attack. He’s also a great set piece taker which increases his route to get points. One downside to picking Mount is that his ceiling is low compared to that of the other 8m options. Very rarely you will see him get double digit points, one exception was his hattrick against Norwich last season. He is a consistent player that will give 6 points every other week, moreover, Chelsea has a very good set of opening fixtures. I can see Mount chipping in with the points.

Maddison:

Maddison was the top goal scoring midfielder among the other £8.0m midfielders with 12 goals to his name. Similarly to Saka and Mount,  you can be sure that he will be in the Leicester starting 11 playing 90 minutes most games. A very dynamic player who is also Leicester’s main set-piece taker, there are a lot of route to points with him. He will be trying to prove a point to Southgate as he tries to get in the England World Cup squad. I do believe Maddison has a very high ceiling as Rodgers has given him a free role like the one he gave to Coutinho back when he was at Liverpool. The only issue is that Leicester is not a top 6 side at this current point in time and their attacking stats fall behind the likes of Chelsea, Spurs, City, and Liverpool, therefore it maybe worthwhile picking someone from a better attack. Leicester’s fixtures are not great as well, they face Arsenal, Chelsea, and United in the opening six games.

Diaz:

Diaz is the most popular pick of the 8m midfielders and rightly so. He has proven to be an explosive asset, and forms part of a great attacking force with a favourable fixture run. The departure of Mane means that he will be playing more centrally. In Community Shield Match, Diaz was playing more centrally than Salah making runs like Mane used to. This may mean that Klopp has given Diaz the Mane role now. The only thing that would put me off Diaz would be opting for Robertson as the third Liverpool player (my current draft has Robbo over Diaz). However, Diaz has the potential for big points hauls, and his effective ownership will also have to be considered. Still I prefer Robertson to Diaz. Last season, Robertson had a 0.76 expected chance of returning (xGi + xCS) per 90 v Diaz’s 0.55 (xGi). Diaz was subbed in 7 of his 11 starts & with the 5 subs rule that could limit his chances to haul big. Also factor in that Robertson is £1m cheaper.

Foden and Mahrez:

Any nailed City attacker is great for your FPL team, but Pep roulette always wins, so keep that in mind. For me Foden is a better player than Grealish and Mahrez, but to start the season with him will be a bold choice as he didn’t play any pre-season games, fitness will be an issue. On the other hand, Mahrez has the best xG/90 and the departures of Jesus and Sterling, I am hopeful he will play more minutes this season. At this point in time, it seems Mahrez is the first choice right winger, although his performance against Liverpool in the Community Shield didn’t look too promising. Out of Foden and Mahrez, Mahrez is my preferred City mid. Taking that risk on a City mid is very tempting, but I believe opting for a safer asset like Saka, Mount, Diaz, or Kulusevski  who are still part of a very strong attack will be a better strategy.

Kulusevski:

Last, but not the least we have Spurs’ 3rd best attacker after Son and Kane. Kulusevski has been in tremendous form since joining league with 5 goals and 8 assists. He has played well in pre-season and is set to be in the starting 11. In Kulusevksi we have a player that completes the Spurs attack with his dribbles and long range shots. His ceiling like Maddison is very high as well. With a good opening fixture against Southampton, he can be a shrewd pick to start the season with and could boost you up the ranks as he is still owned relatively low (only 7.5%). However, once Richarlison is available, his xMins significantly decreases and it is also very likely that he will be subbed off before 90 minutes. This puts me away from him.

Verdict:

Here are my rankings.

1. Mount
2. Diaz
3. Maddison
4. Saka
5. Kulusevski
6. Mahrez
7. Foden

Hope I could give some clarity to those that are confused.

Happy Fantasy!

Don’t forget to update your FPL id in the playfantasy365 website.

By Savil Ahmed

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