With our range of defensive articles (4.5m Defenders, 5m Defenders & Defensive Forecast) proving popular, we have decided to extend our scope onto the midfield. NaturalFootyFan returns to pick out the best budget options for your Fantasy Premier League squad. Similar to your defensive fillers which we discussed in previous articles, your 5th, and on some occasions your 4th midfield slot is often seen as a grey area in FPL. The popularity of Aguero and Ibrahimovic has opened up the selection pool in your midfield and there is no obvious template to base your choices upon. Taking this into consideration, and the fact the budget is so restricted, the vast majority of managers will be forced into completing their squad with at least one midfielder in the 4.5m - 6.5m price bracket. The aim of this article is to provide food for thought in this area by discussing your variety of options available, their fixtures at hand and also their form in the early stages of pre-season. *Players are sorted in order of FPL Potential, with a couple of exceptions.

The Best Budget Midfielders For Fantasy Premier League 2016/17:

Andros Townsend (6.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. WBA, tot, BOU, mid, STO First up on our list, and sporting the highest ownership in this price bracket, is Andros Townsend. Having joined Newcastle for £13 million in January, he quickly jumped ship following their relegation, moving to Crystal Palace for an almost identical fee. In terms of FPL, Townsend is an exciting prospect. He's one of the most direct players in England (average of 2.1 dribbles and 2 key passes per game last season), and has some excellent opening fixtures. Commonly deployed as an inverted right-winger, but also likely to feature in the number 10 role, having impressed there during pre-season, he suits Palace's system down to the ground in either situation. Alan Pardew is a strong believer of using width to stretch the play. With old-fashioned wingers Bolasie and Zaha expected to lineup on opposite flanks and centre-midfield pairing Cabaye and Jedinak shielding the backline, Townsend literally has a free-role to strut his stuff. He'll also eye-up set-piece/penalty duty, but will have a tough time shaking off Yohan Cabaye. Nathan Redmond (6.0m) Opening Fixtures vs. WAT, mun, SUN, ars, SWA Another new signing and another Englishman. Nathan Redmond has linked up with Southampton and took no time to excite his fans and FPL managers with a brace in his first appearance. Similar to Townsend, he is very direct with the ball at his feet and often cuts inside to try his luck from central positions. Redmond is comfortable on either foot, and promises manager Claude Puel a decent output from midfield with 12 goals and 15 assists over the last two Premier League seasons. Many people are skeptical of selecting Southampton players with the uncertainty which surrounds a new coaching team, however, Claude Puel orchestrated attractive football with Nice and prefers to get in the face of the opposition, rather than sit back. One player who shone under the Frenchman was Hatem Ben Arfa, and don't get me wrong Redmond is nowhere near his quality, but could flourish with a fresh start and modern system. Sofiane Feghouli (5.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. che, BOU, mci, WAT, wba The reason we have mentioned West Ham's new man right after Redmond is because they have great potential to rotate home/away over the first five fixtures - WAT, BOU, SUN, WAT, SWA. Despite being just 26-years-old Feghouli is well established in LaLiga (155 appearances) and on the International stage (40 caps)... and it's not just experience, the Algerian has contributed massively for club and country. While doing some research we came across an interesting entry on the FantasyPL Reddit forum by 3Flabby; ‘I did some research on his time at Valencia, and the stats weren't overly impressive at first view. This is because of his many appearances as a substitute. I then filtered his games to show only appearances of over 60 minutes in the last five seasons and they are as follows: 98 appearances over 60 minutes: 20 goals, 34 assists.' It might sound like a no-brainer after reading that, but it's honestly not as simple as ‘here's some impressive stats, there's no doubt he'll perform'. Feghouli has already earned attention in pre-season, but will take time to adapt, which is is why we suggest selecting him alongside someone with a good home/away rotation. Albert Adomah (5.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. STO, sun, wba, CRY, eve There has been so much talk surrounding Viktor Fischer (5.5m, 2% ownership) and his transfer to Boro, that Albert Adomah has slipped under the radar with just a 0.7% ownership. The thing is, Fischer needs time to adapt and wasn't even a consistent starter for Ajax, whereas Adomah played a crucial part in Middlesbrough's promotion push throughout the season. The Ghanaian is a key member of Aitor Karanka's squad and has displayed terrific consistency in the Championship over the last three seasons - 2013/14: 42 apps, 12 goals & 6 assists, 2014/15: 46 apps, 6 goals & 4 assists and 2015/16: 43 apps, 6 goals & 5 assists. Having played for a local amatuer team at the age of 16, Adomah has already set his sights on replicating Jamie Vardy's rise to the top; “Players like Vardy and Rickie Lambert have gone from non-league to compete at the top level. It shows that anything is possible.” Xherdan Shaqiri (6.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. mid, MCI, eve, TOT, cry Although hugely inconsistent throughout the 2015/16 season and with tough fixtures on the horizon, the Swiss International should remain on your radar. For a player of his calibre, and having featured regularly in the Champions League for both Bayern Munich and Basel, he struggled in his Premier League debut season with just three goals and six assists. Shaqiri's price has dropped from 7m last season and his ownership will have suffered as well. If you're a gambler the 24-year-old could be a rewarding differential, although extremely risky. He seemed to have nailed down free-kick/right-side corner duty last season, so Stoke's aerial presence might improve Shaqiri's output - but overall there's safer bets elsewhere. Jay Rodriguez (6.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. WAT, mun, SUN, ars, SWA Could this be the his bounce back season, having missed the 2014/15 season completely and been plagued by injury during the last campaign? All the signs say yes - hopefully a full pre-season under his belt, and a fresh start under a new manager. The 2013/14 season was a sign of just how clinical the Englishman can be with 15 goals and 24 bonus-points in 33 appearances. With pre-season well underway, Rodriguez has already found the net from the penalty spot. Southampton's second-choice taker from last season (Ward-Prowse) won the spot-kick, in which Rodriguez converted. Another small detail, but it might be a sign that he is central to Claude Puel's plans. Darren Fletcher (4.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. cry, EVE, MID, bou, WHM The West Brom skipper is your safest bet at 4.5m. Fletcher is a certain starter and will continue to be so throughout the season barring injury. He plays deep but tackles cleanly so rarely gets cautioned, will get plenty of clean sheets playing for a Tony Pulis side and from time-to-time will contribute offensively. If you're searching for a mainstay in your squad, who will warm the bench and consistently pick up two or three points week-in week-out, then the Scotsman is your best option. The only downside, other than his limited attacking ability, is his high ownership - we expect his value to decrease over time. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (4.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. WAT, mun, SUN, ars, SWA At the time of writing it's a mystery whether the 20-year-old will be given a run-out come the start of the season. Pay attention to Southampton's upcoming pre-season fixtures vs. FC Twente (tonight), FC Groningen (July 30th) and perhaps the best indication of his status vs. Athletic Bilbao (August 7th). The ex-Bayern Munich ball carrier, has already gained experience and succeeded in the Bundesliga (4 League titles & 3 German cups), Champions League (2012/13 Winner) and the Europa League, while earning 15 caps for Denmark's senior national team - a very impressive CV for someone his age. Regarding his style of play, Hojbjerg is the type of player to keep things ticking over in the middle of the park, rather than get amongst the goals. As he's developed over the years, the Dane's role has become more and more focussed on protecting his defence. Gerard Deulofeu (6.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. TOT, wba, STO, sun, MID The Spaniard was deployed at centre-forward in Everton's friendly vs. MK Dons and came up with the goods, finding the net in an inspired performance. This advanced position seems a temporary stop-gap until Lukaku returns, however, that is ‘if' the Belgian returns. Koeman also expressed the idea of using Deulofeu as a striker saying “We had a lot of pace up front with Gerard. Maybe this is a new position for him but I know he played there for Barcelona B”. We're not going to read into this too much, as it is pre-season after all, however it's definitely something to keep tabs on. Deulofeu is categorised as a midfielder ahead of the season, so even if he doesn't get a chance at CF he's still a viable option. Koeman is a fan of fielding two defensively minded midfielders, allowing his front four plenty of freedom, especially in wide areas. Joe Allen (5.0m) Opening Fixtures vs. mid, MCI, eve, TOT, cry Having completed his move from Liverpool to Stoke, the Welshman has gone from an impractical option to a rather tasty 5m bargain in the space of a few days. Returning from the Euros, Allen will have to work his way into the starting XI. This shouldn't be too much a task with midfield destroyer Glenn Whelan their only regular figure in the centre of the park. It's hard to come to terms that the composed midfielder is still just 26-years-old with that mullet seemingly adding years to his slight frame, but capable of chipping in with a handful of goals and assists - three of each last season, Allen could be an excellent addition to your squad. Matt Phillips (5.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. cry, EVE, MID, bou, WHM We rarely recommend offensive players from West Brom, but the ex-Blackpool and QPR player adds a different dimension to the Baggies attack. Phillips shoots on sight and proved to be a thorn in many Championship defences last season with eight goals, five assists and an average of 2.1 shots, 1.5 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game. With some attractive home fixtures the wingman could be a useful rotation option, but on the other hand 5.5m is relatively expensive for a player likely to play a bit-part role in your squad. Bojan Krkic (6.0m) Opening Fixtures vs. mid, MCI, eve, TOT, cry Ever since his transformation from Barcelona wonderkid to Stoke City grafter… that's a slight exaggeration, Bojan has been hit or miss in FPL. This is mainly down to being tormented with injuries, which has seen him play just 2921 minutes across two seasons. Bojan seems to start whenever he's fit, which hasn't been on too many occasions as we mentioned, however, with a decent pre-season and being the designated penalty-taker, the 25-year-old still has something to offer. One frustrating thing you will have discovered if you've ever had Bojan on your team, is that Mark Hughes continually subs him off around the 60-70 minute mark. This might sound like a minor flaw, but the concluding moments of a match is often when it all kicks off. Jordon Ibe (5.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. MUN, whm, cry, WBA, mci With those fixtures it's difficult to stick our neck out and recommend the youngster. Man United, West Ham and Man City is not an attractive set of matches, and that's not to mention encounters versus the defensively stubborn West Brom and a fresh-faced Crystal Palace. Bournemouth splashed out £15 million for the 20-year-old and with Matt Ritchie's bizarre switch to Championship side Newcastle, he should be a consistent member of the starting XI - though competition from Stanislas, Gradel and King creates yet another selection headache. Ibe is reasonably priced and fully capable of making a difference at his new club, nevertheless, we have our doubts surrounding his efficiency and don't recommend jumping on him during the early stages of the season, but a player to keep an eye on. Mark Noble (6.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. che, BOU, mci, WAT, wba There is no doubt better options in his price bracket, however, the skippers consistency cannot be ignored. Noble has recorded 28 goals and 35 assists in the Premier League since 2007, while never dropping below 25 appearances per season during this period. In 2015/16 Noble had his most prolific season, finishing as West Ham's fourth top-scorer with seven goals. Converting three penalties pushed up this number, but that's just another positive trait which he offers. Priced at 6.5m, it's no surprise that the deep-lying midfielder has a low ownership. Noble likes a tackle, which is highlighted with his eight yellow cards last season and won't offer as much going forward as his teammate - and budget friendly alternative - Sofiane Feghouli (5.5m). N'Golo Kante (5.0m) Opening Fixtures vs. WHM, wat, BUR, swa, LIV Before talking purely in terms of FPL, we'd like to show our appreciation for Kante's incredible 2015/16 season, in which he rightly earned a big-money move to Chelsea. His work rate, ball recovering skills and professionalism are second to none… but the question is, does this matter for FPL? In our opinion the Frenchmen is not suited to FPL. Some will argue that he racked up 100+ points last season, so is a worthy addition, however, his job is to recover the ball. Having followed the Euros closely it's clear that Kante performed this recklessly with three yellow cards in just 244 minutes on the park. Nevertheless, if you want a guaranteed starter, especially if you're lining up with an expensive front three, Kante will occupy the 5th midfielder bench role without restricting your budget elsewhere. Eric Dier (5.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. eve, CRY, LIV, sto, SUN Like Kante, the combative midfielder's style of play does not suit the mould of FPL, though in his case he does offer slightly more, albeit at a higher price. Dier was on the scoresheet on three occasions last season, as well as taking a handful of free-kicks. He's just signed a 5-year contract extension which not only increases his motivation, but also cements his nailed-on capabilities, though it's still a gamble to select someone who plays in such a withdrawn position. Players in the 5.5m bracket who are situated further forward such as Feghouli, Ibe and Phillips are all better suited to FPL's scoring system, but on the contrary, Dier is guaranteed more minutes. Granit Xhaka (5.5m) Opening Fixtures vs. LIV, lei, wat, SOU, hul The no-nonsense midfielder arrives in London following a handful of solid displays in the Euros. He is equally adept as a deep-lying playmaker or box-to-box ball winner. However, now we must discuss the negatives in terms of his FPL potential. Granit Xhaka loves to try his luck from distance, but Arsene Wenger will remove this from his arsenal, excuse the pun, at the first opportunity. He picks up yellow cards, as easy as Giroud picks up women and is often the man making the pass before the assist. All in all he offers a similar production to Eric Dier, with a slightly poorer aerial presence and a higher chance of being cautioned. We advise steering clear of the Swiss International, especially with a mixed bag of opening fixtures.

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