See the dream line-up, which includes the big three of Haaland, Fernandes AND Gabriel
As clubs play pre-season matches and lessons are learned, The Scout selects the best squad for the start of 2026/27 Fantasy Premier League.
Owning all three of Erling Haaland (£15.5m), Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) and Gabriel (£8.0m) will cost a combined £35.5m of your £100.0m budget in 2026/27 Fantasy.
That’s up by £6.5m from their combined price of £29.0m at the start of last season, so seeking out value elsewhere will be even more crucial if you plan to structure your squad around the same big-hitters.
While major sacrifices will need to be made, the favourable £4.0m pricing of all promoted defenders for 2026/27, among other things, can help you include Haaland, Fernandes, Gabriel AND Joao Pedro (£7.5m), who are The Scout’s “must-haves” for the start of the new Fantasy campaign.
Double up on Man Utd’s attack v Hull and Ipswich
Manchester United have the best schedule of any side over the opening two Gameweeks of the season, facing back-to-back matches against promoted Hull City and Ipswich Town.
There’s an argument that owning Fernandes isn’t enough, and owning one of Bryan Mbeumo or Matheus Cunha (both £8.0m) can help you attack those two kind fixtures.
At the moment, Mbeumo has the form and the fitness to indicate he could be a better option than Cunha. The Cameroonian played up front and scored both his side’s goals in a 2-1 friendly win over Atletico Madrid and has now overtaken Cunha for ownership.
Carrick’s side still have more friendlies to play before the season start, though, and monitoring their line-ups will be vital before you make any decisions.
For example, if Benjamin Sesko (£7.0m) is unfit for the start of the campaign, there is still a chance that it’s Cunha – as he did when Sesko was sidelined with injury towards the end of 2025/26 – who will be handed that role up front.
Mbeumo’s price point of £8.0m is crucial here because it allows you to transfer in almost any other midfielder in one move, and doesn’t require the need to take a hit to free up cash, if they suddenly find form early on.
Apart from Fernandes, there are only three other midfielders who are more expensive – Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka (both £9.5m) and Antoine Semenyo (£8.5m).
Look for defenders in the £5.0m-5.5m range
If you’re going with Gabriel, shopping in the £5.0m-5.5m defender bracket can help balance the budget.
An injury to Gabriel’s central defensive partner William Saliba (£6.0m) should help to secure a regular role for one of Arsenal’s current crop of £5.5m defenders.
Notably, Cristhian Mosquera (£5.5m) has started each of the Gunners’ first two summer friendlies at centre-back and could be in the driving seat to partner Gabriel.
Again, keeping an eye on the Gunners’ remaining pre-season matches will be crucial in helping you plan, as Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Ben White (all £5.5m) are also potential options depending on how Mikel Arteta reshuffles his back four.
As a sub-£6.0m route into the league’s best defence, an emerging £5.5m Arsenal asset could offer strong value if Saliba’s absence is a long one.
Man Utd centre-back Harry Maguire (£5.0m) is among a host of kindly priced £5.0m defenders, with his matches against Hull and Ipswich offering many routes to returns from the off.
As well as the potential for clean sheets, he’s a strong threat at set-pieces and was their top defender for defensive contributions (DC) last season.
Igor Jesus the form budget forward
There are a number of options in the £6.0m forward bracket, with Nottingham Forest‘s Igor Jesus currently the top form pick.
The Brazilian has immediately made his mark under new head coach Oliver Glasner, scoring four goals in as many pre-season matches.
Forest have three kind home fixtures across the first five Gameweeks – they host two of last season’s bottom seven clubs, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as promoted Coventry City.
Penalty duties boost Gross appeal in budget midfield bracket
By delving into the sub-£6.5m bracket, there are a few budget midfield gems for managers to consider.
The Fantasy potential of Brighton & Hove Albion‘s Pascal Gross (£5.5m) has improved recently, with the German taking over penalty duties following the transfer of Danny Welbeck (£6.0m) to Chelsea.
Gross – who is also the Seagulls’ main taker of corners and free-kicks – scored a penalty and supplied an assist in the Seagulls’ recent 4-3 win over French side Strasbourg.
Meanwhile, as evidenced by his five goals, six assists, 16 DC points and 16 bonus points in 2025/26 Fantasy, Sunderland’s Enzo Le Fee (£6.0m) offers many routes to returns.
The Black Cats are another side who have a kind pair of early fixtures, visiting Ipswich and hosting Fulham in Gameweeks 1 and 2 respectively.
Indeed, with Le Fee, three Man Utd and two Arsenal players in your starting XI, you would have SIX players facing a promoted opponent in Gameweek 1.
Kinsky as the budget goalkeeper
The signing of centre-backs Marcos Senesi (£6.0m) and Jan Paul van Hecke (£5.0m) over the summer could ultimately make Tottenham Hotspur‘s Antonin Kinsky (£4.5m) the standout budget goalkeeper in Fantasy.
Encouragingly, after Roberto De Zerbi was appointed head coach in Gameweek 32 last season, Spurs conceded a league-low 10 big chances, which are situations where a player is expected to score.
Kinsky’s rival Guglielmo Vicario (£4.5m) has been linked with a move away, which could allow Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) to secure the No 2 role for Spurs, giving you a spend of just £8.5m on a first-choice goalkeeper and his back-up.
Promoted players are ideal for your bench
All promoted defenders are priced at £4.0m for 2026/27 Fantasy, and two centre-backs – Hull’s John Egan and Coventry’s Bobby Thomas – are among the best options to sit on your bench and be called on in emergencies.
In Fantasy, defenders earn two DC points if they make 10 clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles (CBIT) in a match.
Considering Egan averaged 10.1 of them per 90 minutes in the EFL Championship last season – more than any of Coventry and Ipswich’s defenders – he could be among the very best assets for DC points in 2026/27.
Thomas’s CBIT average of 8.6 per 90 minutes is also expected to improve, while his three goals and four assists underline his superior attacking threat.
It’s debatable whether Hull’s Regan Slater (£4.5m) can secure a regular start this season, so his inclusion here is simply as a midfielder at the lowest price point available.
Combined with the three £4.0m-priced assets, putting a £4.5m midfielder on your bench allows you to invest as much of your funds as possible in your starting 11.