Budget midfielders from Everton, Chelsea and Leeds United are all worth considering for your Fantasy Premier League team in 2025-26.
Of course, we’d all love to squeeze Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Florian Wirtz and Bruno Fernandes into our midfield, but the £100m budget makes that tricky.
We’ve identified eight budget midfielders (priced £6.5m and lower) that you should consider putting in your FPL team this season.
Iliman Ndiaye – £6.5m
Currently selected by 12.8% of managers, Ndiaye is proving to be a popular budget pick and for good reason.
Most of Everton’s attacks will flow through the 25-year-old and we could see him having a big season in 2025-26.
He managed to score nine goals in 2,441 minutes of football last season, averaging a strike every 271.2 minutes.
Given Everton’s kind run of fixtures to start the season, you need to consider Ndiaye in your XI.
Enzo Fernandez – £6.5m
The Chelsea midfielder really came into form during the second half of last season. In total, he produced 14 goal contributions, scoring six and assisting eight.
When fully fit, his minutes seem relatively fixed and for just £6.5m, he’s a great budget enabler, especially given Chelsea’s fixtures at the start of the season.
Elliot Anderson – £5.5m
Holding midfielders are even more useful in FPL this season because of the new defensive contributions system. Players like Anderson could seriously rack up some extra points during 2025-26 because of this.
In the Premier League last season, the 22-year-old averaged 2.5 successful tackles per game and also chipped in with eight goal contributions at the opposite end of the pitch.
We’re not saying that he’s going to score you 200+ points, but for £5.5m, he’s an excellent budget option.
Carlos Baleba – £5.0m
Speaking of defensive contributions, a player like Baleba could also benefit from the new scoring system.
Had the new system been in place last year, Baleba would’ve scored an extra 30 points from defensive contributions alone.
Of course, a potential move to Manchester United could impact his game time next season, but for the time being, he’s another option to consider at the £5.0m price point.
Youri Tielemans – £6.0m
The Belgian midfielder is a nailed-on starter at Aston Villa and could be a decent rotation option for your FPL side.
He produced a respectable 10 goal contributions last season, notching three goals and seven assists for Unai Emery’s side.
There’s also a chance that he’s Aston Villa’s penalty taker too, which could make him a steal at just £6.0m.
Mikkel Damsgaard – £6.0m
Only six players created more chances in the Premier League last season than Damsgaard.
He ended the campaign with 10 assists, but given that he’d created 63 chances, he could’ve easily finished last season with more.
While Brentford do have some tricky fixtures early on, Damsgaard could be a valuable long-term pick that’s worth considering.
Currently owned by just 1.2% of managers, we can’t help but feel like he’s massively flown under the radar this season.
Daniel James – £5.5m
Premier League fans will already be familiar with James and at £5.5m, he’s definitely someone you should be considering.
He’s produced 41 goal contributions in the Championship over the past two seasons and looks a much more rounded player compared to when he last played in the top flight.
Of course, Leeds will have plenty of players vying for a starting spot and James’ place in Daniel Farke’s XI could be at risk if they continue to sign players.
However, if he is nailed for minutes, he’s a great option at just £5.5m.
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