FPL release: How to get a balanced team including Erling Haaland

It's official, managers can now select their first draft for 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League.

The start of the campaign may still be some distance away with plenty of twists and turns still to come in the transfer window, but that won't stop FPL players locking in a sample squad. Over the past two seasons, those initial drafts have almost always contained a certain Erling Haaland.

Having accumulated 489 points across his campaigns in the Premier League, the Manchester City sharpshooter is normally an automatic selection. However, now priced at £15m - the largest price of any player in the game's history - managers have to think twice before including him in their team.

Such a hefty price tag may put off prospective owners, but is it still possible to build a well-balanced FPL team with the two-time Golden Boot winner in your side? Well, the answer is yes.

While it's tempting to go with a set-and-forget goalkeeper in FPL, a more cost-effective strategy is to rotate between £4.5m options. When you already have the most expensive player in FPL history in your squad, every penny counts.

There are some good options in this price bracket, although last season's favourites Bernd Leno and Jordan Pickford have risen to £5m. Djordje Petrovic of Chelsea is arguably the best shout for just £4.5m, but there are question marks over whether or not he will play ahead of Robert Sanchez (also £4.5m) under new Blues boss Enzo Maresca.

As a result, we have gone for West Ham stopper Alphonse Areola and Brentford's Mark Flekken. The latter has a particularly tricky start to the campaign but can be used in Gameweek 1 and 3 for fixtures at home to Crystal Palace and Southampton, while Areola can provide cover away from home against Palace and Fulham in Gameweek 2 and 4.

Let's start with the sternest defence of the 2023/24 Premier League season: Arsenal. All of their starting defenders are naturally expensive, with Ben White (£6.5m) the top scorer among them last term. However, you can save an extra £0.5m if you go for the second strongest performer William Saliba at £6m. Gabriel is the same price but finished 15 points worse off than his centre-back partner.

Man City were the next strongest defence and the obvious choice is Josko Gvardiol (£6m), who enjoyed some exceptional end of season form. However, at just £5.5m you can grab Kyle Walker, who was usually immune to Pep roulette last season. He managed the same number of points as Gvardiol and made 32 appearances. Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias also come in at the same price.

Dropping down to £5m, we have Aston Villa's summer signing Ian Maatsen. He reached the Champions League final on loan at Borussia Dortmund last season and produced three goals and two assists in 23 appearances at left-back. His attack-minded approach should make him a magnet for points and he is likely to start given he cost the club £37.5m.

Now we need some budget enablers to make up the rest of our defence. With no obvious £4m starters, we've opted for two £4.5m regulars. One is Micky van de Ven at Tottenham, who managed 81 points last season, and the other is newly-promoted Leicester City right-back Ricardo Pereira. The Portuguese defender provided three goals and as many assists in the Championship last season.

FPL midfielders

Haaland's inclusion means we have had to make significant cuts in midfield, but our squad still boasts some impressive performers. One of those is Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard, who is the Gunners' most creative outlet. Only five midfielders scored more than his 186 points last term and he comes in at £8.5m, which is much cheaper than teammate Bukayo Saka (£10m).

Another £8.5m star expected to offer returns next season is Bruno Fernandes. Manchester United have an appetising first six matches, starting with games against Fulham and Brighton, and the Portuguese will be at the heart of things for the Red Devils playing in a number 10 role. He was the ninth-best performing midfielder last year with 166 points. Imagine his tally if United play well this season.

The next choice in the centre of the park is Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze. The attacking midfielder thrived under Oliver Glasner towards the end of last season and Michael Olise's departure now makes him comfortably the Eagles' greatest attacking threat. The 26-year-old grabbed 136 points last season and is priced at an attractive £7m.

Our fourth midfield choice is a risky one. Now classed as a midfielder and not a forward in FPL, we've selected Chelsea's Chriostopher Nkunku. At £6.5m, it seems a no-brainer providing he gets regular minutes, but his injury woes meant he barely featured for the Blues last season. If he can stay fit, the 2022/23 Bundesliga top scorer could be a great option.

Also priced at £6.5m is Man City dynamo Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese is a consistent starter for the champions and was Man City's third-highest scoring midfielder last year. Providing Pep Guardiola doesn't sign any new wide players this summer, he should be a regular provider next term, too.

One of our forwards is already locked in place, with Haaland the crowning jewel in this team. But who will support the Man City man's attacking returns?

Well, Ollie Watkins is first up following a tremendous campaign. The Aston Villa striker actually outscored Haaland in terms of FPL points last season, with only Cole Palmer (244) and Phil Foden (230) bettering his 228. At just £9m, we think he's an absolute bargain, especially with Villa strengthening significantly in the summer transfer window.

And now for our budget enabler, chosen to keep that third spot on our bench safe and sound. There are only four £4.5m strikers in FPL at the time of writing, so we've plumped for Leicester's Tom Cannon. He rarely featured last season but did produce three goals and two assists when called upon.