Since FPL launched in the 2002/03 season, we've seen some absolute bargains. Every year, the Premier League are tasked with pricing hundreds of players, and they do a pretty damn good job of it, but sometimes players completely exceed expectations. Who are the best value players in FPL history? 🤔
We're gonna do this scientifically, looking at exactly which players produced the most points per million. 📊
These players achieved their scores through a combination of goal contributions, defensive solidity, bonus points, and consistency throughout their respective seasons.
First up, Stuart Dallas. It's the 20/21 season, peak Bielsa Ball. Leeds have just come up to the Premier League from the Championship, forget getting pricing right, with Dallas FPL needed to get his position right too. He'd played left or right back 29 times in the Championship, and in midfield 17 times. So they went with defender. What happened next? Well, he still played fullback occasionally, but 74% of his games in midfield, often as an attacking mid. Complete game breaker with 8 goals, 3 assists, and started the season at 4.5m. He finished on 171 points, exactly 38 points per million. 🤯
Next up, Harry Kane. Surely not Kane? He's always been well expensive? Not in his break out season, it's the 2014/15 season, a 21 year old Kane had only started 5 games the season before for Spurs, 3 goals in 10 total appearances. So they went with a reasonable 5m price tag. Kane would go on to score 21 goals and register 4 assists in 34 appearances. 191 points, or 38.2 points per million. 🔥
Going even further back, it's 2010 and Charlie Adam starts the season at 5m, he'd had a great season in the Championship for Blackpool with 16 goals and 9 assists. 5m a big generous really. Adam went on to bag 12 goals, 8 assists, 20 returns in 35 games. This was before the days of the automated bonus points system, back then a man in the stands as it was called decided who got bonus and Adam nearly always came away with maximum bonus. 38.4 points per million, just a single point more than Kane with 192 in total. ✨
For the next pick, we're going even further back!
We've had a defender, a forward, a midfielder, next it's a keeper. David James. He was playing for Portsmouth at the time, who have since dropped all the way to league two and then back up to the championship recently. James kept Portsmouth defensively solid with 14 clean sheets and tons of saves. His consistency across the season earned him 173 points, and started the season at just 4.5m, resulting in 38.4 points per million, the same as Adam. 🧤
Another keeper entry next, from the 2011/12 season, Michel Vorm. The Aguerooo season as City went on to win the league for the first time in the premier league era. The lowest score of all players here, but also the cheapest. Vorm was priced at 4m, like a backup keeper but was their #1 for all 38 gameweeks. Vorm was a revelation for Swansea City in their debut Premier League season, keeping clean sheets in 14 games and saving two penalties. His performances were key to their defensive success. He even earned himself a transfer to Spurs later and played in the Champions League. In fact, he even played for the Netherlands 15 times. 🏆🇳🇱
Fast forward 13 years for our next one, a season more of you will be familiar with which was Trippier in the 22/23 season as Newcastle went on to secure Champions League football, which wouldn't have been possible without his leadership and performances. Starting the season at just 5m, he scored one goal, 9 assists, 16 clean sheets for 198 points. An absolutely ridiculous 39 bonus points as well. Even Salah has only surpassed 39 bonus points a few times in a season. Trippier was world class in right back and earned himself a price hike to 6.5m the next year. 39.6 points per million. 🚀
Next up, the second biggest score by a goalkeeper in FPL history. Martinez in the 20/21 season. Martinez was a standout goalkeeper for Aston Villa, keeping 15 clean sheets and making a ridiculous number of saves. He's never made more than 100 saves in a season, that season he faced 142. His ability to earn bonus points due to his high save percentage further boosted his value. He earned 27 bonus points, and saved one penalty. The craziest part is he got his only yellow card of the season in the final day of the season, knocking him down to 186 points. Had he avoided yellow, he would've joined the all-time FPL dream team ahead of Brad Friedel. 41.3 points per million. 🧤🧱
One of the most memorable seasons in premier league history produced one of the biggest bargains in FPL history. 2015/16, the year Leicester defied all odds going on to win the premier league under Ranieri. Everything clicked, a squad hitting their prime, big teams having an off year, and tactical brilliance by Ranieri. Mahrez was instrumental in Leicester City's historic Premier League title win. He scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists, 28 returns for only 5.5m. His creativity and goal-scoring ability made him a must-have FPL asset, along with Vardy. 🦊💎
One final keeper and the final 4m player, Mark Schwarzer. The Australian keeper had just signed for Fulham, priced at 4m, and ended up their #1 for the next 5 years. That season Schwarzer kept 15 clean sheets and saved a penalty. Fulham's strong defensive record (third-fewest goals conceded) and his consistent saves were crucial to his high FPL score. 175 points at 4m was 43.8 points per million. 🇦🇺🧤
One final player and then a few honourable mentions. The most recent player, the most absurd output in this list, Cole Palmer. The 23/24 season. Joining Chelsea from Man City, and didn't get his first start until GW7, yet he went on to score 22 times, 13 assists. 35 returns in 29 starts. He only started the season at 5m, and even fell to 4.9m before heading nowhere but upwards, finishing at 6.3m. Besides setting the record as the best value player in FPL history, he also set another FPL record the next season with the biggest price rise in history. From starting at 5m the year before to 10.5m the next season. 48.8 points per million. 🚀📈💎
So here's all 10 players, the 10 best value players ever:
- Palmer
- Schwarzer
- Mahrez
- Martinez
- Trippier
- Vorm
- James
- Adam
- Kane
- Dallas
Along with a table listing them all. It's interesting that the earliest entry was 2006, not until 4 years after the game's launched and only two entries in the 2000's. Has football become more unpredictable? Or has the quality of smaller teams improved significantly? 🤔
A few honourable mentions:
- Jamie Vardy (2015/16): Along with Mahrez in that 15/16 season, Vardy started at 6m and was also one of the biggest surprises, firing his way to 206 points as the Foxes pulled off the greatest underdog story. Vardy famously broke Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record by scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League matches. With 24 goals and 8 assists, he played a pivotal role in Leicester’s shocking title win, finishing as the league’s second-top scorer. His price skyrocketed in subsequent seasons, but that one campaign remains an all-time FPL classic. 31 points per million. 🏃💨🏆
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (2018/19): The emergence of attacking full-backs in FPL changed the game, and Trent was at the forefront. Priced at just £5.0m, he finished with 1 goal, 12 assists, and 16 clean sheets to earn 185 points. His pinpoint deliveries from open play and set pieces made him an elite FPL option. 🎯✨
- Michu (2012/13): Starting at just £6.0m, Michu became the ultimate FPL cult hero. Signed from Rayo Vallecano, he hit the ground running with two goals on his Premier League debut. He went on to score 18 league goals and provide 3 assists, finishing with an impressive 186 points—an extraordinary return for his price. Unfortunately, injuries curtailed his career soon after. 🇪🇸⚽️
- John Lundstram (2019/20): Lord Lundstram, classified as a defender but played as a box-to-box midfielder for Sheffield Utd. 5 goals, 4 assists, 10 clean sheets for 144 points. 36 points per million. 🙏⚔️
- Dele Alli (2015/16): A relative unknown when he arrived from MK Dons, Alli was priced at just £5.0m but quickly became a key asset. Operating in an advanced midfield role, he delivered 10 goals and 12 assists, racking up 169 points. His stunning volley against Crystal Palace remains one of the most iconic goals. ✨🚀
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