Budget enablers win titles as much as premium forwards do. Freeing up funds without sacrificing points is the name of the game, and GW4’s numbers point to a clear set of names to build around.
Best value pick overall
De Cuyper of Brighton tops the entire list at 1.00 xP per £million, priced at just £4.7m for an xP of 4.72. That is the highest raw xP of any player under £5m in this dataset, let alone the best efficiency figure. At that price point, De Cuyper is not just a bench filler, he is a starting option that lets you spend elsewhere.
Top value by position
Goalkeepers
Steele leads keepers at £4.0m with an xP of 3.88, good for 0.97 xP per £million. Verbruggen is close behind at £4.5m (xP 4.32, 0.96 per £m), offering a touch more raw output if you can stretch the budget by half a million. Palmer, Button and Matthews round out the group at 0.92 apiece, all at the £4.0m floor, which makes any of them a sound source for a cheap second keeper.
Defenders
De Cuyper’s 1.00 xP per £million is the standout, but Ajayi of Hull offers strong value too at £4.1m for an xP of 3.83 (0.94 per £m). Egan and Mendy, both Hull at £4.0m, return 0.92 and 0.91 respectively, giving budget-conscious managers a cluster of nearly interchangeable Hull defenders to choose from. Mykolenko at £4.5m brings the highest raw xP of this group outside De Cuyper, at 4.12.
Midfielders
Midfield value is thinner than the other positions, topping out at 0.82 xP per £million with Yalcouyé of Brighton (£4.5m, xP 3.69). Gomez (£5.0m, xP 3.95, 0.79 per £m) and Groß (£5.5m, xP 4.31, 0.78 per £m) offer more output for a bit more outlay, both also Brighton. Slater and Armstrong sit at 0.74, useful rotation pieces rather than standout enablers.
Forwards
Kostoulas of Brighton is the pick of the budget forwards, £5.5m for an xP of 5.07 and 0.92 xP per £million, the best combination of raw output and efficiency in this position. Barry (£5.5m, xP 4.87, 0.89 per £m) and Emersonn (£5.5m, xP 4.78, 0.87 per £m) are right behind. Obi and Danns, both £4.5m, offer the cheapest route in at 0.86 per £m each.
Squad-building takeaways
Brighton dominates the value charts across three positions, with De Cuyper, Steele, Gomez, Groß, Yalcouyé and Kostoulas all featuring. Loading up on Brighton assets at the cheap end is the clearest structural play this gameweek. Hull’s defensive trio of Ajayi, Egan and Mendy offers a second route to freeing funds without Brighton exposure. Combine a cheap Brighton or Hull defence with Kostoulas up front, and there is a realistic path to fielding two premium picks elsewhere in midfield or attack.
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