Friday 3 August 2018 14:37, UK
With just over a week to go until the Premier League kicks off, we aim to get you prepared and look at five midfield bargains for Sky Sports Fantasy Football.
These options provide you with a way of earning points throughout the season while keeping an eye on the budget, giving you license to land the likes of Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah up front.
Priced at significantly less than the game's most expensive midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne (£12m), here are five value-for-money picks...
Ryan Sessegnon (£8.4m)
The English teenager was the top scorer for Fulham last year as he racked up 16 goals over the course of the Sky Bet Championship season, explaining why he has already been selected by 11 per cent of Sky Sports Fantasy Football bosses.
Sessegnon earned the Championship Young Player of the Year award, fitting the profile of a talent who could obtain bonus points through Sky Sports Man of the Match awards too. The youngster also provided eight assists last season, and the re-signing of Aleksandar Mitrovic (£9.1m) should ensure that the quality is in place to finish the chances created again.
Diogo Jota (£8.3m)
The skilful midfielder spearheaded Wolves' Sky Bet Championship campaign last year, scoring 17 goals in the process, creating a showreel of stunning strikes. The former Atletico Madrid man comes in at cheaper than Joao Moutinho (£8.8m) and Ruben Neves (£8.5) despite playing in a more advanced role.
The intricate passing that Jota provides can earn extra bonus points for your Sky Sports Fantasy Football side, as well as assist points - he set up five goals last season.
James Maddison (£7.6m)
After impressing for a mid-table Norwich side last season, James Maddison earned a move to Leicester for £22m. At just £7.6m, Sky Sports Fantasy Football experts should be seriously considering getting Maddison in their side as the midfielder scored 14 times during the 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship campaign.
With Riyad Mahrez (£10.8m) leaving for the Premier League champions, Leicester will be looking for Maddison to create a formidable partnership and link-up with England forward Jamie Vardy, something the new signing looks capable of doing after providing eight assists for a less-than-prolific Canaries attack last season.
Naby Keita (£9.2m)
The eagerly awaited signing of Naby Keita has been completed and the midfielder comes in at a slightly lower price than his team-mate Jordan Henderson (£9.3m). With six goals and five assists in the Bundesliga last season, Keita comfortably outperformed Henderson, who had a solitary one in each of these fields, and should increase these numbers with his supply to Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Keita can also excel in other aspects such as tackling and passing, which could lead to bonus points for your Sky Sports Fantasy Football team. The Guinea international made on average 2.4 tackles per game and 44.8 passes, which will therefore accumulate bonus points more often than not throughout the year.
Leroy Sane (£10.3m)
Leroy Sane scored 182 points last season in the 2,423 minutes that he played, which averages out at 6.8 points per game. Much to the surprise of Manchester City fans, and football fans in general, the German youngster missed out on the World Cup squad.
As a result, he could feature in much more early-season game time than players competing for his position, such as Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, while he also comes in at a lower price than De Bruyne (£12m) and Sterling (£11.5m). After racking up 10 goals and 15 assists in only 27 starts, Sane should be primed to be one of this season's top scorers and prove the German selectors wrong.
