Fantasy Premier League and Pre-Season: What to Keep an Eye on

The 2025/26 Premier League pre-season is now underway, with clubs including Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest already in action. For Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, these summer fixtures are essential for preparing their squads ahead of Gameweek 1.

With questions around new signings, positional changes, emerging bargains, and tactical tweaks, the pre-season offers valuable insight. By the time the Premier League kicks off in mid-August, managers will be hoping to have answers that can guide them toward early FPL success.

Here’s what Fantasy managers need to keep an eye on during the coming month.

Monitoring New Signings

One of the key elements to assess during pre-season is how new players adapt to their new teams. Managers should evaluate their tactical roles, chemistry with teammates, and early performances.

Liverpool’s record-breaking signing Florian Wirtz is one name to watch. After posting double digits for goals and assists at Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024/25 campaign, Wirtz is on many Fantasy shortlists. His role under new Liverpool boss Arne Slot could be pivotal—especially if he disrupts Dominik Szoboszlai’s starting role or joins the front three. The latter would impact the minutes of Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.

Elsewhere, the reigning champions have added full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez to their ranks. Both are renowned for their attacking output, making them potential replacements for the creativity Trent Alexander-Arnold once provided. Pre-season friendlies may reveal whether one of the two is afforded more offensive freedom, which could elevate them to premium defender status in FPL.

At Manchester United, Matheus Cunha arrives following a 178-point season at Wolverhampton Wanderers. His transition may be smooth under Ruben Amorim, who utilises the same 3-4-2-1 formation as Cunha’s former manager, Vitor Pereira. Fantasy managers should observe whether Cunha challenges Bruno Fernandes for set-pieces or penalties, which could enhance his appeal considerably.

The Impact of New Managers

The summer has also brought coaching changes, which often lead to shifts in player roles and team dynamics.

Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur have both made managerial changes. Thomas Frank has swapped Brentford for Spurs, while Keith Andrews takes over in west London. A potential “new manager bounce” at Spurs could be significant, especially after their disappointing 17th-place finish last season.

In the past, FPL favourites like James Maddison and Son Heung-min were essential picks, but both fell out of favour during 2024/25 due to Spurs’ Europa League commitments. Under Frank’s guidance, they may regain Fantasy relevance. In addition, Mohammed Kudus has joined Spurs from West Ham in a big-money move. Given how Frank utilised Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade at Brentford—resulting in 31 combined Premier League goals—Kudus could thrive as a winger in his new surroundings.

Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion have signed centre-backs Diego Coppola and Olivier Boscagli, joining an already crowded defensive roster that includes Jan Paul van Hecke, Adam Webster and Lewis Dunk. New head coach Fabian Hurzeler may be planning a shift to a wing-back formation. That could increase the Fantasy value of Maxim De Cuyper, a summer recruit who produced 39 attacking returns over his past three Belgian league seasons. If deployed as a wing-back, he could operate higher up the pitch and offer great attacking returns.

Don’t Dismiss Strong Pre-Season Form

While results in pre-season matches are ultimately irrelevant to league standings, they can provide important clues about form and confidence.

Take last summer, for example: Morgan Rogers, Amad and Jacob Murphy had standout pre-seasons, recording a total of 16 combined goals and assists. All three were priced at £5.5m or under and went on to enjoy excellent seasons, with both Rogers and Murphy finishing among the top 10 Fantasy midfielders.

Chris Wood is another case in point. He scored three goals and provided two assists in Nottingham Forest’s pre-season outings, then followed that up with an astonishing 20-goal campaign in the Premier League.

Erling Haaland also serves as a notable example. He scored five goals in pre-season matches last year before netting ten goals in the first five Gameweeks of 2024/25.

Spotting ‘Out of Position’ Assets

One of the most lucrative opportunities in Fantasy football is identifying “out of position” players—those listed in one position but playing in a more advanced role.

For instance, a defender deployed as a midfielder or winger will enjoy greater attacking chances while still earning clean sheet bonuses and extra goal points given to defenders.

Last season, Mikel Merino stood out in this regard. Although classified as a midfielder, he spent part of the campaign playing as Arsenal’s central striker. These rare instances can yield significant point hauls and should be carefully monitored during the pre-season.

Unearthing Bargain Players

Budget options are always vital in building a balanced FPL squad. With the £100.0m budget, finding value players is essential to accommodate high-cost picks like Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.

Murphy, Rogers, and Amad were examples of successful budget picks in 2024/25. Another promising option last summer was Oscar Bobb. He led Manchester City’s pre-season in attacking returns and appeared poised to feature heavily before injury struck just before Gameweek 1.

As pre-season progresses, managers should be on the lookout for £4.0m goalkeepers and defenders or £4.5m midfielders and forwards who are receiving significant game time. These players could be the enablers that allow managers to build competitive squads around premium assets.

A minutes tracker will be available throughout pre-season to help log every player’s involvement in friendlies, offering vital data on who might emerge as viable cheap starters.

Beware of Pre-Season Traps

Not all that glitters in pre-season is gold. Sometimes players may appear promising during friendly matches, only to disappoint once the season begins.

Two such cautionary tales from last year include Jarell Quansah and Valentin Barco. Both were budget defenders who saw significant minutes during pre-season, leading managers to believe they would be regular starters. However, those expectations quickly faded.

Quansah was benched for much of the campaign, losing his place to the more seasoned Ibrahima Konate, and was subbed at half-time in the opening fixture. Barco, on the other hand, only managed one outing of over 45 minutes during pre-season and was later loaned out by Brighton shortly after the season started.

Managers who had selected either had to endure price drops, waste a valuable transfer, or burn an early Wildcard. The key takeaway? Be wary of players with little evidence to back their inclusion.

الخاتمة

As the countdown to Gameweek 1 continues, staying informed and analytical will give FPL managers the edge. From observing new signings and formations to tracking budget gems and avoiding pre-season traps, the groundwork laid now could make all the difference in the early weeks of the 2025/26 season, so stay with EPLNews.org for the best FPL tips around!