Who are the best budget midfielders for FPL 2024–25? While the options are scarce relative to last season, I’ve found a few gems for you.
From 4.5m to 5.5m, here are the budget midfielders that enable you to buy all the premiums your heart desires.
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The Best 4.5 Midfielders in FPL 2024–25
Harry Winks and Massimo Luongo (this might be my favourite name in all of FPL) are the safest cheap midfielders for xMins, so let’s see why they’re the best 4.5 midfielders before considering some other options that could become incredible assets down the line.
Harry Winks (LEI)
What does Harry Potter do when his right eye starts to itch? Harry… winks.
Winks started 45 games for Leicester last season in the championship, scoring two goals in the process. His xMins are likely to remain good, and I expect him to take up slightly more favourable positions given Dewsbury-Hall’s departure.
I don’t expect him to haul often, but for an option on your bench who you can feel comfortable calling upon, Winks does the job.
Yer not a wizard, Harry. Yer just a good budget midfielder.
Massimo Luongo (IPS)
With a name that would put Italian fashion designers to shame, Luongo made 43 appearances for Ipswich last season, scoring 3 goals across the season.
While his npxG+xAG/90 of 0.15 doesn’t light the world alight, he’s maintained similar numbers across his career, giving you just what you want from a cheap midfielder: stability.
Furthermore, Luongo is owned by only 0.7% of all players at the moment, meaning he’s less susceptible to price falls in case he blanks. There is a chance he loses some xMins depending on the signings Ipswich make, but for the moment, he’s one of the best 4.5 midfielders to own.
Matheus França (CRY)
Even though França struggled for stability last season, he’s still young. Plus, his biggest competition for the RW/AM spot (Olise) has left Palace, meaning França will get his chance to claim that spot.
In his 10 appearances last season, he maintained an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.48, which, should he become nailed, would be one of the best in the league.
He’s a wait-and-watch for me, but should França impress in pre-season, he’d be the pick of the cheap midfielders.
Unless Roy Hodgson still haunts his dreams.
Lucas Bergvall (TOT)
Bergvall was impressive in Spurs’ 5-1 win over Hearts, but assuming he sees enough minutes to warrant him as a pick right now is slightly ambitious, in my opinion.
In the Swedish League, he’s maintained an npG+A of 0.33 over the last two seasons, and his ball-carrying makes scoring a goal from just outside the box a constant possibility.
Just like França, Bergvall is a wait-and-watch for me, but once he sees good minutes (when, not if), he’d make for an excellent budget midfielder. He plays for Ange Postecoglou, so you just know he’s always going to look to attack.
The Best 5.0 Midfielders in FPL 2024–25
You’ve found a little bit more money, have you? The extra 0.5m you spend on a midfielder could well be worth it. So let’s take a look at what makes Morgan Rogers, Ryan Christie, and Luis Guilherme some of the best 5.0 midfielders.
Morgan Rogers (AVL)
Rumour has it that Unai Emery has stopped saying “yes” or any version of an affirmative in training—he simply nods and says “roger that.” While that may not be true, Unai Emery clearly trusts Rogers, and Diaby may leave Villa, both of which bode well for Rogers’ xMins.
In his 11 PL appearances last season, Rogers averaged an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.28, which is very high for a 5.0 midfielder. But what’s intriguing is that in his previous three seasons in the Championship, he averaged an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.51.
0.51?! The downturn in his numbers at Villa can be explained by Rogers adapting to the intensity of the PL or having to do increased defensive work in Villa’s 4-4-2, but I expect his numbers to improve in the 2024–25 season.
He scored two goals for Villa in a recent friendly, and he has excellent fixtures too, making him, by far, the best budget midfielder.
Ryan Christie (BOU)
It’s with a heavy heart that I have to admit that, yes, a Scottish player has made this list of the best 5.0 midfielders.
Christie made 37 appearances for Bournemouth last season, assisting 5 goals. His underlying data was excellent, with an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.24; he took some set pieces, and his baseline on the BPS system was excellent.
I expect his xMins to remain solid once again since he was one of Bournemouth’s best players last season, but he has plenty of competition in the DM spots.
He’s no Agatha, but as far as Christie’s go, Ryan’s alright.
Luis Guilherme (WHU)
When you want some spice, where do you look? If it’s food, you go Indian. If it’s art, you’ll find some graffiti. If you’re a football club? You book a trip to Brazil.
And West Ham have done just that. Luis Guilherme is raw, meaning he may not be the best 5.0 midfielder for the time being, but he certainly has the potential to be in the future. He has the potential to be one of the world’s best players.
West Ham are a relatively unknown quantity in Julien Lopetegui, but their quality, such as through Bowen and Kudus, is evident. If they begin to play some positive football, allowing Luis Guilherme to build upon his npxG+xAG/90 of 0.65 from last season… well, then you have an extremely capable and cheap midfielder on your hands.
The Best 5.5 Midfielders in FPL 2024-25
Money, money, money, must be funny, in the 5.5 midfielder world. The best 5.5 midfielders include Callum Hudson-Odoi, Yankuba Minteh, Andreas Pereira, and John McGinn.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (NFO)
While his performances last season may have been eclipsed by Anthony Elanga, CHO had a good season in his own right.
He averaged an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.27, had 9 G+A, maintained safe xMins, and was always a threat in transition. Further, CHO has excellent fixtures to start the season: BOU, sou, WOL.
I like Elanga too, but I prefer CHO for his goal threat, which is why he’s, in my opinion, the best 5.5 midfielder to own.
Yankuba Minteh (BHA)
I wonder which toothpaste company will be first to approach Minteh for a sponsorship—my money’s on Colgate—because who wouldn’t want Minteh fresh teeth?
Minteh was superb in the Eredivisie last season, where he had 15 goal contributions and an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.87. That said, Feyenoord were far and away the best team in the league, which inflated their numbers.
It’s best to wait for pre-season before assessing Minteh at Brighton, but if Hürzeler takes a liking to him, Minteh could be an incredible budget midfielder—the Cole Palmer of 2024–25. However, Brighton don’t have the best fixtures to start the season, meaning it’d be ideal to rotate Minteh with your third forward or fourth defender.
Andreas Pereira (FUL)
Ah yes, everyone’s favourite 4.5 midfielder from 2022–23. While he may be £1m more expensive this season, Andreas could still be worth the money.
He’s on set-pieces for a Fulham side who are quite alright at scoring from corners, and Andreas has a decent chance of taking penalties too. Plus, his minutes look good, and he’s averaged an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.40 over the last two seasons.
His fixtures between GW 2-6, including LEI, ips, WHU, NEW, nfo are excellent as well, making him the perfect cheap midfielder.
John McGinn (AVL)
McGinn racked up 10 goal contributions in the league last season, with an npxG+xAG/90 of 0.29. He’s nailed on, and Villa have excellent fixtures to start the season, including whu, lei, EVE, WOL, ips, ful, and BOU in their first ten.
To add to this smorgasbord of haul potential, McGinn has a decent chance of taking penalties for Villa.
If we see him take a penalty in pre-season, I’d confidently say that he’s the best 5.5 midfielder, but for now, he’s a more than honourable mention.
