'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Yes! The time has come for all anxious Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers out there. FPL has finally been launched on the official website Fantasy Premier League and managers can now set their squads for the upcoming season.
The launch was earlier than expected to say the least as it is usually launched one month prior to the first game-week of the season. There was to be a sneak peek to the prices of few players on Wednesday, with FPL's official twitter handle revealing some of the prices of last season's best performers.
On Thursday, they followed that up by revealing more prices, most notably Liverpool's Mohamed Salah at £12.5m, a fall of £0.5m from last season.
Prices
Building a formidable squad within the £100m budget limit while trying to fit in as many premium players as they can is a worry for any FPL manager. As far as the prices go, they are very high compared to last season. Last season's budget forwards are now in the mid-price range.
There were plenty of popular defenders in FPL last season. But this season, they are given huge price rises as a result of their eye-catching points tallies. Let's take a look at a few telling prices
Goalkeepers
Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham, £5.0m)
The Polish shot-stopper made a league-high 148 saves and 15 bonus points( the highest among goalkeepers) but was often a disappointment due to his team's inability to keep clean sheets against teams in the bottom half.
Rui Patricio (Wolves, £5.0m)
The Portuguese custodian seems a bargain as compared to the prices of his goalkeeping counterparts. Wolves will be looking to challenge the top 6 this season and given how he's performed in the last campaign, Patricio is a steal for £5.0m.
Defenders
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool, £7.0m)
The Scotland captain became the first ever defender in FPL history to reach 200 points in a season last time out. Doing so, he finished as the top scorer in FPL among defenders with 213 points and finished 4th overall.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, £7.0m)
The young right-back might have lesser points than Robertson, but has a better points-per-match(PPM) score than Robertson. He had a PPM of 6.4, which is the highest among defenders last season compared to his teammate's score of 5.9. He also holds the record for most assists ever by a defender in the Premier League with 12, obtained last season. He is now toe to toe with Robertson at £7.0m. Doubling up one these two will make FPL managers short of budget in other areas.
Matt Doherty (Wolves, £6.0m)
Wolves' marauding right wing-back had a fantastic campaign, popping up with 4 goals and 7 assists in his debut season. The Irishman is now priced at £6.0m, a £1.5m rise from last season. Doherty is a player who guarantees attacking returns and is part of a relentless and hungry Wolves side.
Lucas Digne (Everton, £6.0m)
The ex-Barcelona man became an instant FPL hero. Everton's creator-in-chief was also the league's most creative defender. He was a mixed bag last season, providing big double-digit hauls and also a few negative hauls. He finally gained FPL consistency at the end of the campaign.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United, £5.5m)
Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a regular in most FPL teams for a major part of last season due to his paltry £4.0m price. Manchester United's new big-money signing is expected to go straight into the staring line-up and unleash his potential. Even with his new price of £5.5m, he still looks a real FPL asset this time around as he is capable of getting bonus points without providing returns in attack or defense.
Midfielders
Sadio Mane (Liverpool, £11.5m)
A winger at the peak of his powers, the Senegalese superstar finished as joint top-scorer last season in the Premier League. He is now a premium, with a £2.0m increase from last year. With Liverpool in for another title-push, Mane will look to better his tally of 22 league goals last season.
Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace, £7.0m)
The ex-Manchester United winger has been Crystal Palace's main man for a few years now and this time, as a midfielder in FPL. The Ivorian is a real goal threat and his change of position in FPL will give managers a major boost.
Kevin de Bruyne (Man City, £9.5m)
The Belgian was Injured for most of last season, but had a good end to the season. He will be fired up to get back into business, and is expected to take a fair share of the burden in the creative department as David Silva is likely to be limited to fewer games in his final season.
Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth, £7.5m)
The little dynamite enjoyed a fantastic season in 2018/19, registering 7 goals and 14 assists in the league. This has led to him being a mid-range midfielder, much to the disappointment of last season's owners as he was priced £5.5m at the beginning of last season. Time will tell if he is worth the £7.5m this season.
Son Heung-Min (Spurs, £9.5m)
An FPL favorite, fans will most likely be disappointed to see his price rise from last season. Son has already proven his scoring prowess at Spurs' new home and he could be set for a big haul this season.
Forwards
Callum Wilson (Bournemouth, £8.0m)
The spearhead of an attacking Bournemouth side, the Cherries' frontman was once the most owned forward with around 40%, indicating the form he was on last season. A £1.5m price rise this season means achieving that feat again is unlikely.
Raul Jimenez (Wolves, £7.5m)
The Mexican international was an FPL gem last season, with his £5.5m price tag along with his timely and consistent returns. The hard-working number 9 was only on loan last season, with Wolves making the deal from Benfica permanent this summer. He is another example of last season's budget forward turning into a mid-price forward.
Diogo Jota (Wolves, £6.5m)
Much hyped at the start of last season due to his sensational season prior to that in the championship. Jota did not unleash till midway through the second half of the season. He combined well with Jimenez, and could so again, but now as a forward in FPL. Doubling up on the Wolves forward duo seems a tougher task this time around.
Sergio Aguero (Man City, £12.0m)
The Argentine striker was the hottest property of FPL in the second half of the season, is now priced at a staggering £12.0m. Man City's record goalscorer still looks hungry for more and could fire in another 20+ goals this season.
The upcoming FPL season is definitely going to be as interesting as ever with last season's popular players like Liverpool's Andrew Robertson and Bournemouth's Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser tagged with inflated prices but need to fit in the same budget limit of £100m.
As every Premier League season becomes interesting, FPL also becomes interesting with new players,prices, time spent on tinkering over transfers, the joy of a player scoring, the agony of players losing clean sheet in injury time, and a countless number of regrets over not transferring a scoring player
