07 Aug, 2025
Big Man Bakar’s Best Salah, Palmer and Bruno Draft
The big man himself Big Man Bakar brings you his best Salah, Palmer and Bruno Fernandes GW1 FPL draft. Bakar takes you through position by position how he has built his team with Salah, Palmer and Bruno.
For anyone thinking about a heavy premium players GW1 FPL draft, and were leaning towards having all 3 of Salah, Palmer and Bruno, look no further. Big Man Bakar has you covered on how best to build a team like this and what cheaper players to target to successfully build a team with 3 premium players while maintaining team balance.
Salah, Palmer, Bruno GW1 FPL Draft:
Goalkeepers:
For my goalkeeper pairing, I’ve gone with Robert Sanchez (£5.0m) and Martin Dubravka (£4.0m).
Chelsea quietly ended the previous campaign with an impressive defensive record, second only to Arsenal in terms of expected goals conceded (xGC) in 2025. With a favourable opening run of fixtures, Sanchez offers secure minutes and a solid route into the Chelsea backline at a reasonable price.
Dubravka’s transfer, meanwhile, has completely shifted the FPL landscape. A starting Goalkeeper priced at £4.0m is a rare gem. Not only can he unlock significant funds elsewhere in your squad, but he can also provide solid bench depth and rotation flexibility. He could be particularly valuable during Bench Boost weeks in Gameweek 2 and Gameweek 8, when Burnley host Sunderland and Leeds respectively, both fixtures offering clean sheet potential.
Defenders:
My current backline consists of Pedro Porro (£5.5m), Cristian Romero (£5.0m), Neco Williams (£5.0m), Joachim Andersen (£4.5m), and Maxime Esteve (£4.0m).
Tottenham’s opening schedule is extremely kind, which makes investing in their defence quite appealing despite last season’s disappointing underlying metrics. With a new manager at the helm and the arrival of Palhinha, a defensive-minded midfielder who offers crucial protection, I’m optimistic that Spurs will tighten up at the back.
Porro stands out as the most attacking option. He frequently gets into advanced areas and takes some set-pieces, making him the most exciting route into Spurs’ defence. Romero joins the squad as well, largely due to his knack for accumulating defensive contribution points under the updated scoring system.
Elsewhere, Neco Williams is an ideal budget-friendly pick for those looking for a steady starter. He’s expected to offer consistent minutes for Nottingham Forest and comes with favourable early fixtures, making him an appealing clean sheet prospect.
Joachim Andersen offers value at £4.5m and complements the squad with his aerial threat and decent run of games, while Maxime Esteve is currently the standout £4.0m defender in the game. Not only does he offer budget flexibility, but he also fits well into FPL’s new scoring framework thanks to his defensive work rate. Like Dubravka, he’s also playable in key Bench Boost Gameweeks 2 and 8.
Midfielders:
The midfield five is made up of Mohamed Salah (£14.5m), Cole Palmer (£10.5m), Bruno Fernandes (£9.0m), Iliman Ndiaye (£6.5m), and Elliot Anderson (£5.5m).
Salah remains a central figure in any serious FPL draft. His combination of reliability, high ownership, and consistent captaincy appeal makes him a difficult omission. Choosing to go without him could backfire, particularly early on when ownership and effective ownership are sky-high.
Palmer is priced attractively given his role as Chelsea’s first-choice penalty taker. He’s entering the season with a brilliant fixture run and has carried strong form from the Club World Cup into pre-season. Given his price and attacking responsibility, he could match the output of more expensive assets like Haaland in the early weeks.
Bruno Fernandes is another under-the-radar gem under the new FPL rules. His excellent underlying numbers in categories like recoveries and interceptions, now rewarded more directly, should give him a consistent base of points even when he doesn’t deliver attacking returns. He’s also trusted with penalties, almost always plays the full match, and is United’s heartbeat in midfield. His Gameweek 3 home fixture against Burnley offers strong captaincy potential, especially with Salah facing Arsenal that week.
Ndiaye, at £6.5m, offers strong value. He was a consistent 90-minute man last season and would have scored an extra 17 points under the new Midfielder classification. With penalty duties potentially in his favour as well, he’s a safe and steady pick.
Anderson is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new defensive contributions rule. Based on last season’s data, he would have earned an extra 36 points under the updated system, an incredible jump. He’s also on some set-pieces, is priced kindly, and has a great opening fixture run. For £5.5m, he’s a smart enabler.
Forwards:
Up front, I’ve selected Dominic Solanke (£7.5m), Evanilson (£7.0m), and Igor Thiago (£6.0m)
Solanke is a standout in his price bracket, especially with a managerial change that could breathe new life into Spurs’ attack. He’s almost nailed for minutes and, in the absence of Son, is likely to assume penalty duties as well. While there are some minor fitness concerns at the time of writing, he remains in my draft for now, particularly due to his strong opening fixtures.
Evanilson is a proven performer from last season and is expected to build on that with more responsibility in the current campaign. With Kluivert’s fitness in doubt, there’s also a strong chance that Evanilson becomes his team’s primary penalty taker. While the Gameweek 1 trip to Anfield is challenging, his fixtures thereafter are extremely appealing. He’s a great candidate to bench in GW1 and then rely on from GW2 onwards.
Thiago could be a game-changing budget pick if Wissa departs Brentford. Historically, Brentford’s attack has been built around a central striker, whether it was Toney or Wissa, and that role has consistently delivered FPL points. If Thiago claims the No.9 role and potentially penalties, he could be this season’s breakout budget forward. At just £6.0m, he offers immense value and could become a set-and-forget option.
Bakar also has you covered if you are looking for the super premium Salah and Haaland team build and how best to build that squad. If you are looking for a GW1 premium players draft, but don’t fancy Bruno, then we tried our hand at a wild Salah, Haaland, Palmer and Isak super draft.
If you liked some of our premium player drafts, but maybe wanted some alternative cheap options to help you build these kind of premium player heavy teams, check out our best budget Defenders, Midfielders and Forwards in FPL 25/26.
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Big Man Bakar is one of the leaders in the FPL space, previously ranking as high as 4th in the world. Bakar has been a regular and valued contributor to Ingenuity Fantasy since our inception, helping managers around the world win their mini-leagues and climb rankings.