Fantasy Premier League: What’s new with this season’s competition?

The time is upon us again for armchair managers to stake their claim as the next Pep Guardiola or Mikel Arteta in Fantasy Premier League.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what is new this season and how it may shape your approach.

I got new rules

While the basics – two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards, with a £100million budget and a maximum three players per club – are as before, a major change to the FPL transfer system could have ramifications for how you select your team.

One free transfer per week is allowed and previously, one could be rolled over to give a maximum of two in one week – now there will be the chance to accrue up to five free transfers, effectively a mini-wildcard.

Transfers you have banked will also be retained if you play one of your ‘chips’ – the wildcard, free hit, bench boost and triple captain all return and will be joined from January by the intriguing new ‘mystery chip’, adding a new dimension to the winter transfer window.

Check the early fixtures

That new transfer system creates the chance to potentially switch out five of your squad after gameweek six, providing you can put together a strong enough side to thrive in those early stages.

Teams with a favourable early schedule may therefore be a priority, which could count against Manchester City and Arsenal. Title rivals for the last two seasons, their players are sure to be popular but they meet in gameweek five while City also face Chelsea and Newcastle in their first six and Arsenal have Tottenham in gameweek four.

Liverpool, though, face only Manchester United of the other traditional Champions League challengers. Arne Slot’s first six league games otherwise include promoted Ipswich, Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Wolves.

Aston Villa open up with West Ham and Arsenal but then face Leicester, Everton, Wolves and Ipswich in succession, while Fulham have Ipswich, Leicester and Forest in their opening six.

Those looking even shorter-term may target Tottenham’s opening two games against Leicester and Everton – star forward Son Heung-min has nine goals in 14 appearances against the former.

Squad balance

Forwards listed as midfielders have long been something of an FPL cheat code, earning an extra point per goal and often coming in cheaper.

The list still includes elite names like Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), with Son and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka at £10m apiece, but the likes of Liverpool’s Luis Diaz (£7.5m), Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo (both £7m) could provide value while Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m) and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo (£5.5m) join the list this year.

Even Salah is significantly cheaper than his regular Golden Boot rival, £15m Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

Spending in those positions leaves defence to be addressed relatively cheaply – Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is the only defender to crack £7m, compared to 19 midfielders and 17 forwards.

Most managers will spend modestly on one solid starting goalkeeper and a cheap back-up. Selecting the same team’s reserve theoretically gives an automatic replacement should the starter miss out, for example pairing Everton’s Jordan Pickford (£5m) and Joao Virginia (£4m).

Of course, the most effective path to success is to identify the under-priced player primed to break out – Chelsea’s Cole Palmer ended last season as the game’s top scorer having begun as a £5m Manchester City reserve.

His appeal was undimmed by a modest season-long price rise to £6.3m but he starts 2024-25 at £10.5m, priced behind only Haaland and Salah overall – look elsewhere for this season’s bargain boost.