A good strategy for picking defenders in Dream Team is to opt for cheaper options who score well in terms of points. This allows you to free up funds for more expensive and very high scoring attacking players. It’s well documented that defenders and goalkeepers score less overall points than midfielders and strikers, with the odd exception. As the new season approaches I thought it would be a good time to look at some cheap defenders you may want to consider. Below is a list of my 10 cheap defenders who:
– Are under 4m in value
– play regularly for their club
– scored well last season or are new to the Premier League with the potential to score well.
Clyne – Liverpool (3.5m)
Points last season: 96
Games played last season: 41
Played the most games out of any Liverpool defenders last season and should be first choice right back this time around. With extra Champions League qualifiers in August, Clyne will be the first defender on my team sheet at 3.5m.
Williams – Everton (3.5m)
Points last season: 122
Games played last season: 39
Williams had a strong season at Everton and scored well over 100 points. I’d expect him to have another good season and pull in a similar points total again. Should Everton play a full strength side in the Europa League there could be even more points up for grabs next season. I’d imagine he will be a regular starter in Everton’s full strength team.
Pieters – Stoke (2m)
Points last season: 65
Games played last season: 39
Pieters had a lot of game time last season but fell short of the 100 points mark by some distance. On this basis he could be a risky move, however at 2m it could be a risk worth taking. If he plays week in week out for Stoke, he could score well as they are a relatively strong side who should finish in the top half of the Premier League.
Saltor – Brighton (2m)
Points last season: n/a
Games played last season: n/a
Saltor was Brighton’s club captain during their charge to Premier League status last season. Statistics from last season suggest any defender who gets regular game time should pick up a decent amount of points regardless of who they play for. 2m for a club captain could be an absolute steal should he remain a regular starter.
Cook – Bournemouth (3m)
Points last season: 90
Games played last season: 38
Cook was another defender who almost reached the 100 point mark last season. He could be a good buy at 3m as I’d imagine he will continue to get a lot of game time. My only reservation would be if Bournemouth get drawn into a relegation battle next season.
Soares – Southampton (3m)
Points last season: 96
Games played last season: 34
Southampton consistently perform well defensively from a point scoring point of view. Soares is currently looking like their cheapest defender who is a regular starter. He looks like one of the biggest bargains of players who are around the 3m mark as Southampton are almost certain to be a team who finish in the top half of the table.
van Aanholt – Palace (3m)
Points last season: 78
Games played last season: 37
It’s very early stages in terms of team selection, however I can already see that van Aanholt is the second most popular defender. His price tag is favourable however I personally can’t see the attraction in a Crystal Palace side who finished in the bottom half of the table. I’d probably favour someone like Soares who is available at the same price but is playing for a team who are almost certain of a top half finish. I’ve included him on this list purely because of his early popularity among other managers.
Mee – Burnley (3m)
Points last season: 98
Games played last season: 35
Burnley were fairly strong defensively last season, Mee got a lot of game time and came very close to the 100 point mark. If they can be as strong next season at 3m he could be a good option.
Fuchs – Leicester (3.5m)
Points last season: 123
Games played last season: 47
Fuchs scored very well last season but also had a huge amount of game time due to Leicester’s Champions League commitments. A lot of managers seem to be selecting him already, however for me personally I’d favour the likes of Clyne and Williams who are available at the same price.
Kompany – Man City (3.5m)
Points last season: 53
Games played last season: 15
Kompany is the only Man City player who would meet our criteria for “cheap” defenders. At 3.5m he could be an absolute bargain. However there would be huge question marks around his fitness for the duration of the season. He also faces a lot of competition from Stones and Otamendi. For me at 3.5m he may not be worth the risk but it looks like he’s being selected by a lot of managers early on.
At this stage I’m personally opting for Clyne as a certainty. Valencia looks like a good buy at 4m and I may then opt for two budget options in Saltor and Pieters. This could be a risky move as Saltor and Pieters stray away from my usual principle of sticking with players from the top seven teams in the Premier League. However with player prices being so challenging for next season I feel like I’ve got little choice should I want some high scoring attacking options. I simply can’t accommodate any Chelsea, Spurs, Man City or Arsenal defenders which is a little worrying but I’d imagine it’s the case for most managers who want the top attacking players.
As always, share your thoughts/ideas in the comments below.
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Hi mate what are your thoughts on Danilo for Man City? I know they’ve also got Walker, but Danilo has been quality pre season… 3.5m aswell…
I’m staying clear of any Man City defenders at the moment. For 3.5m I’d want a certain starter and I try to pick a defence I’m likely to stick with for the duration of the season. I can’t see Danilo being a certain starter and with so many changes at the back for Man City I’m tempted to wait and see how it pans out.
Ok mate thank you!
Also not sure if you could help me but my friends are doing dream team different; we are only going to use January’s transfers. just wondering if you could give me some players/tips as to what 11 you would go for in my position! If you can help I would really appreciate it, I kind of have a rough draft but keep chopping and changing haha
I’d probably look at getting good coverage from as many first team regulars as possible. I’d definitely go for Lukaku, Kane, De Bruyne, Mane, Lacazette, Pickford. I’d probably build from the front and try to get coverage of all of the top 6 teams in the league. Something like:
Liverpool (Mane)
Man City (De Bruyne)
Chelsea (Hazard/Morata)
Arsenal (Ozil/Lacazette)
Man Utd (Lukaku)
Spurs (Kane)
Then I’d get a cheap defence based on whatever funds are left.
Funny enough mine isn’t far off that atm!
Front 6 is currently Lukaku, Kane then behind is Mane, Salah, Herrera/Mata (depending on more game time), De Bruyne/Hazard (not sure on hazard injury length)
And my defence is Milner(not sure on that now as Firmino been taking pens and also not sure if he will play with Moreno impressing and signing of Robertson) and I have Valencia, Soares, Pieters and Pickford in goal.
Just really struggling haha!
It does sound like a tricky format if you can’t make changes until January. I’d be tempted to downgrade Milner to someone like Matip. He’s a bit cheaper and should be certain to start.
When will the sun ever get the positions right?
How is Walcott a Striker??? Rarely ever played up front in he courier!