Liverpool are poised to kick off the 2024/25 season with a favourable run of opening fixtures, making their players appealing choices for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
However, with a new head coach in charge, there’s understandable concern about potential tactical or positional shifts that could impact the performance of popular Liverpool FPL assets.
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In this article, we explore the top FPL performers for Liverpool, look at the best budget Liverpool pick, and choose a differential option for those looking to go against the grain.
Liverpool is ranked top of our Fixture Planner for both attack and defensive difficulty. Under the usual Klopp regime, this would mean an almost guaranteed triple-up for many FPL managers.
With an opening fixture against newly promoted Ipswich, Liverpool continue a golden run until Gameweek 6, with only an away fixture against Manchester United seemingly challenging.
Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) is the undisputed king of FPL. In his last seven seasons, he has never scored sub-200 points. His yearly average of 249 FPL points is usually higher than the top scoring FPL player of any given season. When it comes to consistent points returns, there is no-one better.
There is talk of a drop off in his performance last season and indeed, 211 points, reflects his lowest tally in seven seasons. But of course, this must be evaluated in light of his game time. Salah played just 2,535 minutes, his lowest amount of game time in seven years, thanks to a combination of AFCON and two separate injuries.
Despite this, Salah still leads the way for underlying data. In terms of xFPL Points per 90, Salah was top of all players by a significant margin with 8.35. For reference, second place was Erling Haaland (£15.0m) with 7.70, according to the Opta Stats Sandbox.
As well as being a great captaincy option and consistent returner of points, Salah is probably one of the safest bets in terms of outfield players under Arne Slot, who historically has played an attacking 3-4-3, and has sparse options at right wing.
Arne Slot will soon run into the same conundrum shared by both Jurgen Klopp and Gareth Southgate: what the hell do we do with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m)?
Already owned by 21.4% of FPL managers, according to Live Insight, the England international is more often regarded as an attacking asset with the potential to earn clean sheets. Whether he plays in a hybrid midfield role, or reverts to his original position of right back, he is a great FPL option.
But should Slot continue the midfield experiment, then this would potentially hand FPL managers a great opportunity. A proven budget right-back who can instantly click in an attacking system; cue Conor Bradley (£5.0m).
Using the Opta Player Heatmaps tool, we can compare Bradley to the highest-scoring £5.0m defender of last season, Jarrad Branthwaite (£5.0m). As you would expect, Branthwaite, as a centre-back, does not get near to Bradley’s attacking threat, with the latter excelling in nearly every attacking metric.
Of particular significance is shots; Bradley registers an amazing 1.42 per game compared to Branthwaite’s 0.43. Not only will these lead to increased opportunity for goals, but Bradley will benefit in terms of bonus point potential courtesy of the BPS rule changes.
FPL managers should keep an eye on pre-season. Should it look as if Alexander-Arnold is set to start in midfield, Bradley could quickly become a no-brainer.
Perhaps one of the most key decisions for Arne Slot is to decide what to do with Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.5m).
The Hungarian international looked to be a great bit of business for Liverpool, but his performances soon fizzled out due, in part, to a recurring hamstring injury which saw him miss 12 games last season.
But, a pre-season friendly against Arsenal saw Szoboszlai flourish in the #6 role. Indeed, Slot’s philosophy is to ensure his midfielders see more possession, and the Hungarian’s technical ability lends well to this style of play. That being said, Szoboszlai also scored the only goal in Liverpool’s fixture against RB Leipzig, where he was employed in an attacking role down the right-hand side.
As with Bradley, FPL managers should keep a close eye on the role Szoboszlai plays for Liverpool in pre-season. If he is employed as an attacker, £6.5m could be an absolute bargain. According to Live Insight, he is currently owned by just 2.7% of FPL managers, making him a super differential.
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