Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have seven viable £8.0m midfielders to consider for 2022/23, with options limited beneath that price rung.
As a result, starting with at least one of these players is appealing, but which of them is best for our Gameweek 1 squads?
We investigate in this latest Premium Members article.
GOAL THREAT
| Mins per penalty box touch | Mins per shot | Mins per shot in the box | Mins per shot on target | |
| Diaz | 10.8 | 25.4 | 35.7 | 74.2 |
| Foden | 15.2 | 37.7 | 46.7 | 97.6 |
| Kulusevski | 17.6 | 49.5 | 64.4 | 143 |
| Maddison | 31.9 | 34.6 | 80.3 | 75.4 |
| Mahrez | 11.8 | 25.6 | 35.5 | 67.8 |
| Mount | 16.5 | 31.15 | 49.8 | 85.4 |
| Saka | 13.6 | 30.9 | 41.7 | 96.8 |
From the seven candidates, Riyad Mahrez has generally posed the bigger goal threat, registering a shot in the box every 35.5 minutes.
However, there isn’t a great deal separating the Algerian and Luis Diaz, who actually trumps Mahrez for minutes per shot (25.4 v 25.6), albeit by a small margin.
Elsewhere, while the majority of James Maddison’s efforts arrived from range, over 75% of Diaz’s attempts have come from inside the opposition box, which is captured on the graphic below.
Above: Luis Diaz (left) and James Maddison’s (right) shot maps 2021/22
ASSIST POTENTIAL
| Mins per cross | Mins per successful cross | Mins per chance created | Mins per big chance created | |
| Diaz | 68.9 | 193 | 48 | 482.5 |
| Foden | 16.3 | 59.6 | 54 | 195.1 |
| Kulusevski | 17.6 | 183.8 | 51 | 214.5 |
| Maddison | 31.9 | 118.5 | 52 | 226.2 |
| Mahrez | 16.1 | 86.6 | 39 | 312 |
| Mount | 15.6 | 55.6 | 41 | 239.1 |
| Saka | 27.3 | 103.4 | 44 | 333.4 |
Mahrez once again leads the pack when it comes to chances created, but it was Phil Foden who carved out better quality opportunities for his teammates (195.1 v 312).
Mason Mount’s crossing stats impress, having been very prominent at set-piece situations in 2021/22: he took 90 corners for Chelsea last season, with 29 successful deliveries.
Meanwhile, Dejan Kulusevski‘s 17.6 minutes per cross is also worth noting, given that he and Diaz were the only £8.0m midfielders not to take corners for their respective sides. However, 183.8 minutes per successful cross tells us the Swede’s accuracy was often off.
EXPECTED GOAL INVOLVEMENT DATA
