Sam FPL’s Updated GW1 Guide

I brought you my GW1 Draft Guide last week, but like many things in life, the world of Premier League football and things in FPL move very quickly and so my GW1 Draft Guide needed some updates as transfers, injuries, coach interviews and pre-season form change and dictate things. So without further ado, here are my GW1 guide updates ahead of the Friday 15th deadline.

My new GK:

My initial plan following Manchester City signing James Trafford from Burnley was getting him for only £5.0 as my main GK. In the 2024/25 Championship season, he kept 29 clean sheets and conceded just 16 goals in 45 matches, breaking league records and playing a key part in Burnley’s promotion.

Unfortunately, It looks like Ederson stays with City this season which puts me off. No one is secure with Pep and we have no clear info about MCI GK this season and it’s going to be a risky move to stat with Trafford.

The plan now is targeting one of NFO or CHE GKs, Sels or Sanchez for the same £5.0m and solid stats.

Collwil and Chalobah injuries – what is the plan?

Sadly, Colwill suffered a serious ACL injury in training early in pre-season and expected to miss the majority of the 25–26 season.

Meanwhile, Chalobah has twisted an ankle in a pre-season friendly against AC Milan, but Enzo Maresca downplayed the injury, describing the substitution as precautionary. He is expected to be available for start of season.

With this uncertainty about Chalobah fitness for GW1, I think shifting to Salnchez may be a safer pick for minutes. I’ve decided earlier to get a defensive pick from both CHE and NFO, So Sanchez alongside a NFO defender will be optimal. My budget permits just a £5.0 def so I’m leaning towards Williams for his attacking threat and assists potential.

Will I sell Wan-Bissaka?

I selected Bissaka as a RWB for WHU the side with a decent opening game against SUN as we didn’t know enough about the new signing Diouf who starts on the left side, but it sounds that he has better attacking potential than Wan Bissaka.

Diouf has recorded 10 goals and 3 assists for Slavia Prague in the last 2 seasons playing as a wingback and delivered an assist vs Bournemouth recently. His ownership is lower than Wan Bissaka and he is going to be a decent differential to be honest.

My defensive combinations need a defender with a good fixture in GW1. Diouf and a Spurs defender suit it a lot. Van de Ven for the same price offers better long term fixtures, and thankfully, because of Spurs poor performance last year, defenders like Micky van de Ven remain priced at £4.5m. With Ange and his defensive high line now gone, Spurs will hope for greater defensive stability under Thomas Frank Who moved over from Brentford, signing a three-year deal.

 

My £6.5 Midfielder:

Sarr:

Was impressive against the Reds and is a proven asset but his opening games aren’t encouraging. I will keep him in my watchlist and bring him as soon as possible when fixtures turn better.

Kudus:

Tottenham officially signed Kudus from West Ham for more than £50 million. He should start and has flexibility in attack. At West Ham over the past two seasons, he contributed 13 goals and 13 assists in Premier League. I’m optimistic and personally I expect him to be the new Mbeumo under Thomas Frank. I’m really torn between him or Ndiaye.

Ndiaye:

Offers great value at this price tag as nailed starter with penalties and easy opening fixtures. Currently, I’m leaning towards him.

 

Will I use Bench Boost early?

Many managers plan for BB in GW1 or 2 because we have 2 BB this season to utilize. Burnley has a decent home encounter with Sunderland that is tempting for BB2.

Early few game weeks will witness early injuries, and surprises that can force rapid changes and need adaptation. I think we have very little info about many teams and new signings. We may find ourselves making many transfers to solve these early problems and our benches may not be ideal as planned.

Personally, I think it’s a bit risky decision and I’ll wait for a few GWs to get extra information and plan wisely before activating it.

 

 

Now that you have taken a look at Sam FPL’s updated GW1 draft guide, be on the lookout for more great GW1 content to help you build the best possible FPL team. Speaking of great GW1 content, check our best players to target and avoid series for each Premier League team, starting with Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United.

There is a lot of premium heavy player GW1 drafts in FPL this season with so many great new signings, but a heavy premium player draft is only successful if you can hit on your budget players! Check out our best budget Defenders, Midfielders and Forwards in FPL 25/26.