14 Aug, 2025
Big Man Bakar’s Salah, Palmer, Bruno & Watkins GW1 Draft
Big Man Bakar tests the limit of a super premium heavy GW1 draft, with his ultra premium Salah, Palmer, Bruno & Watkins team build. See if this premium heavy FPL draft is for you!
There’s a lot of firepower in this draft — and that is exactly why I’m drawn to it.
Building a squad that fits Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, Bruno Fernandes, and Ollie Watkins together is no easy task. Yet here, it’s been done without gutting the rest of the team. The overall balance remains intact, with solid depth to handle early-season bumps and the flexibility to pivot as the campaign unfolds.
Importantly, the defence hasn’t been left exposed in the process.
Super Premium Salah, Palmer, Bruno & Watkins GW1 Draft:
Goalkeeper:
Robert Sanchez is the goalkeeper.
Chelsea quietly ended last season with one of the best defences in the league, finishing second only to Arsenal for expected goals conceded (xGC) in 2025.
The Blues have a kind opening run and Sanchez provides a reliable way into their backline.
Defenders:
Tottenham’s opening fixtures, coupled with their defensive reinforcements, make Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven strong considerations. Porro offers attacking threat and set-piece involvement, while van de Ven delivers great value at a cheaper price point.
Murillo (£5.5m) is another near-lock for me. Nottingham Forest’s schedule is appealing to start the season, and he’s an absolute standout for defensive contributions. Last year, he ranked first among all defenders for contributions per 90 minutes and finished with 16 more bonus points than Milenkovic — a remarkable stat that underlines his consistency.
Smart budget picks also help this draft tick without feeling stretched. Maxime Esteve and Martin Dubravka at £4.0m both offer outstanding value. They slot neatly into the updated points system and give excellent cover for specific weeks, such as Gameweeks 2 and 8, when Burnley’s fixtures against Sunderland and Leeds make a Bench Boost particularly enticing.
Midfielders:
The midfield is where the star quality truly shines.
Salah remains one of FPL’s most dependable assets, with huge ownership and captaincy appeal, especially in his favourable early fixtures. Palmer, first-choice penalty taker and coming off a superb campaign, has an opening run that could see him deliver returns on par with far pricier options. Fernandes should benefit greatly from the new scoring rules thanks to his defensive work rate and set-piece involvement, all while maintaining a central role in Manchester United’s attack.
Supporting them are Ismaila Sarr and Kaoru Mitoma — both mid-price options offering guaranteed minutes and genuine attacking threat, giving strong coverage without blowing the budget.
Forwards:
Up front, Watkins looks even more appealing this season simply because there’s a shortage of reliable forward options. His consistent returns over the past two years, paired with a kind early run of fixtures, make him hard to overlook.
Larsen is another intriguing pick in the current landscape. With Cunha gone, he’s expected to lead the line for Wolves and may even take over penalties. He’s not the flashiest choice, but he offers exactly what’s needed at his price — security of minutes and potential spot-kick duties.
Then there’s Guiu, who could prove to be the standout £4.5m forward. On loan at Sunderland from Chelsea, reports suggest there’s a clause guaranteeing a minimum number of appearances, making him one of the safest budget enablers in the game.
Final Thoughts:
All in all, this draft manages to squeeze in proven heavy hitters without leaving the bench wafer-thin. It delivers stability, attacking upside, and enough depth to handle the chaos of the opening weeks — precisely the balance you want when aiming for a strong start without sacrificing flexibility.
Bakar has you covered on all things FPL ahead of GW1. If you are looking for the best premium team builds – check out his Salah and Haaland GW1 draft or alternatively his Salah, Palmer and Bruno GW1 draft. If you are looking for a slightly different premium players draft, then we tried our hand at a wild Salah, Haaland, Palmer and Isak super draft!
If you like the idea of a heavy premium player drafts, but wanted some alternative cheap options to help you build these premium player heavy teams, then look no further than our best budget Defenders, Midfielders and Forwards in FPL 25/26.
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With years working in the FPL space and digital media. George now brings his knowledge and tips to the ingenuity audience through a fun and personable writing style.