The best Premier League fantasy football midfielders for 2023-24

Liverpool's Egyptian king Mohamed Salah (239 points in 2022/23) was the highest-scoring midfielder on FPL once again last season after coming out on top of the list and will be eager to defend his 'midfield' crown.

Despite the Reds underperformance last season, Salah posted incredible numbers with 19 goals and 12 assists in the Premier League, and there's no reason why he can't repeat the same feat in the new season.

Liverpool are one of the best-attacking teams in the league and have been for a good few years. The Reds have also bolstered their midfield ranks with the exciting additions of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, couple this with the fact that Trent Alexander-Arnold will be playing more as a playmaker next term, Salah's potential for both scoring and setting up goals will be as high as ever in 2023-24.

Kevin De Bruyne was once again the king of assists last season, mostly sent in the direction of Erling Haaland. 16 in the Premier League, six in the Champions League, and four in the FA Cup.

With 10 goals and a mind-boggling 31 assists to his name in all competitions last season, the Belgium playmaker was the driving force behind City's treble despite making a slow start.

Although he is still recovering from that hamstring tear, and this may impact the start of the 2023-24 campaign, he has come back strongly from injuries before and is still at the top of his game in a very dominant City team, so we should expect similar numbers from him as last term.

Last season, Marcus Rashford rediscovered his scoring boots as he spent plenty of time up top, recurring injuries to Anthony Martial, the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and some not-so-prolific displays from Wout Weghorst seeing Erik ten Hag turn to the 25-year-old to spearhead the Manchester United attack on several occasions.

Only five players scored more Premier League goals than Rashford last season, with the England international finding the net 17 times and hitting a double-century for FPL points for the first time. Indeed, this sort of goalscoring exploits have led to a steep price rise from starting last season at £6.5m to £9m.

Still not reclassified as a forward, and United are unlikely to buy an elite striker due to FFP issues this summer, Rashford will surely have plenty of opportunities to reach the same heights in the upcoming campaign.

Following a 23-goal season in which he shared the Golden Boot with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Son began 2022/23 with his highest-ever opening price of £12.0m. However, the South Korean produced only 10 goals, six assists and 152 points.

The plummet in Son's price is therefore understandable, but the arrival of former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou – who is expected to deploy an expansive 4-3-3 system– and the addition of creative midfielders James Maddison may make him too appealing to pass up, especially with teammate Harry Kane's price climbing to £12.5 million.

If Son can get back to his best under Postecoglou, he will offer incredible value across the season.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard's price has received a £2.0 million increase as anticipated after finishing 2022–2023 as the second-highest-scoring midfielder(212 points), but there's still a lot of value in picking the Dane, who scored 15 goals and provided 8 assists last season.

With Declan Rice having arrived in a blockbuster £105m move, and likely to provide energy, ball-progression, and defensive work, Odegaard will be fairly highly involved in the Gunners' attacks, as he is the most creative midfielder they have, takes set-pieces and has lethal chemistry with Bukayo Saka.

Despite collecting the seventh-highest FPL points amongst midfielders last season, Bruno Fernandes has been reduced to his lowest starting price since he was originally added to the game in early 2020, which comes as a bit of a shock.

The Portuguese playmaker’s value had fallen from £12.0m to £10.0m a year earlier, but FPL has now dropped him by a further £1.5m, which makes him an interesting option again.

With Mason Mount likely to bring more energy to United's attacking forays, Fernandes can focus more on difference-making stuff such as goals, key passes and assists. We have seen how devastating he can be when given the license to roam and attack.

The fact that he is a renowned penalty-taker also bodes well for his points tally.

The Arsenal starboy had his best season to date last term, with 25 goal contributions in the league (14 goals, 11 assists). It's no surprise, he hit the double century of FPL points (202).

Still available for a fair price of £8.5m, he will be a good option again this season. He can score and assist and is also on corners. A fully-fit Gabriel Jesus could boost his numbers massively as the Gunners front-three, including Gabriel Martinelli, possess deadly combinations in and around the opposition penalty box.

Despite the Foxes relegation to the second-tier, James Maddison had an incredible 2021-22 season for Leicester City with 12 goals and 11 assists.

Following his summer transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, he will now have the world-class striking qualities of forward Harry Kane to provide for, and with no Champions League football next season, he will play maximum minutes for Spurs, which makes him a good pick.

His role at free-kicks and corners would also be a big influence, as chance creation is handsomely rewarded on the Bonus Points System.

A huge drop in price of £3.0m might just bring Chelsea's Raheem Sterling back onto the Fantasy radar, after a hugely disappointing campaign. He was still at Manchester City when FPL priced up him at £10.0m last season, but the winger managed only six goals and four assists in 28 appearances, recording 101 points, which has seen his 2023/24 price drop to just £7.0m.

Although there's no denying it’s a staggering drop, Fantasy managers will hope that there is a steal to be had, and that he can have a similar impact to Rashford in 2022/23 after his fall.

A new manager could potentially make all the difference, with Mauricio Pochettino taking over at Stamford Bridge, while the lack of a prolific goal-scorer at Chelsea could also work in Sterling's favour as he likes to work in and around the box than staying out wide like last season.

Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo has been reclassified as a midfielder having previously been listed as a forward. The Cameroon international could be an attractive option now that he will earn an extra point per goal scored.

He will be asked to play a bit further forward and get powerful shots off at the opposition goal in the absence of Ivan Toney, who will be suspended until January owing to betting charges. Mbeumo's dribbling, recoveries, and tackles, rank him high for Bonus points, while he is also likely to be on penalty kicks in Toney's absence.

Gibbs-White could be a useful low-cost bench option. The 23-year-old was a key figure for Nottingham Forest last season, claiming five goals and eight assists in the Premier League. He showcased he is an excellent no. 10 who can create and score goals, with his ability to drop into pockets of space just behind the forward causing plenty of problems for opposition backlines.

Fresh off the back of a stellar European Championship with England U21, his stock will only rise in the new season, with Forest likely to retain Brennan Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi, as well as add another more prolific offensive option next season for Gibbs-White to feed.

Bruno Guimaraes has already established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League, and a firm fan favourite following his switch from Lyon in January.

After scoring five goals in his first 11 Premier League games for Newcastle in a box-to-box midfield role, the Brazilian maestro reverted to a defensive midfielder last season due to a lack of No. 6 at the club. He still produced 4 goals and 5 assists in 32 Premier League appearances from a much deeper position.

Sandro Tonali's arrival could form something of a dream partnership in the heart of Eddie Howe's midfield. The duo will likely interchange between playmaking and box-to-box duties, which would free up Guimaraes to have more of a telling impact in the final third.

A proven midfielder in the English Premier League, Arsenal's million-dollar signing Declan Rice could be another player fantasy managers can look out for. The Three Lions starlet made the switch from West Ham United to the Gunners for a fee of £105m and would be vying to satisfy his price tag this summer.

Rice is touted to form a lethal partnership with Martin Odegaard in the heart of Arsenal's midfield and with the quality of attack the Gunner's possess, the midfielder could rack some massive points from offensive actions. While the former West Ham United captain could also contribute to his team's defensive play and garner more points for his manager.

Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu could be a crucial player for Luton Town this summer. Placed at just £5m, the 29-year-old could be a steal for any manager considering his contributions in the previous seasons.

Mpanzu would shoulder the responsibility of leading Lutton's midfield and could be an influential cog in the centre of the pitch.