FPL experts have named the ultimate 15-man squad ahead of new Premier League season

Fantasy Premier League experts have combined to pick their ultimate 15-man squad as the deadline fast approaches.

It's a matter of hours before Arsenal kick off their title defence with a home clash against newly promoted Coventry City, as millions of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players frantically put together their final drafts before the 6:30pm deadline on August 21.

Every year, managers have some crucial decisions to make and mistakes to avoid when assembling their squads, including what premium assets to select and which lower-priced enablers fit within their £100 million budget.

Erling Haaland (£15.5m) is unsurprisingly the most popular pick, despite being the most expensive asset in the game, with just under 70 per cent of managers owning the Manchester City goal machine.

Joao Pedro (£7.5m) isn't far behind the Norwegian, with 63.5 per cent of players selecting the Chelsea forward after his stellar seven-goal haul during pre-season.

Haaland and Pedro will be in the majority of teams once the deadline strikes, but they aren't the only popular picks heading into gameweek one.

FPL experts pick ultimate 15-man squad

Ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, several FPL experts have combined to select the 'ultimate' 15-man squad for the opening weeks of the game.

Typically, fixtures can play a huge part in assembling a strong squad, and many managers will target players from the biggest teams with favourable fixtures.

Manchester United are the prime example of this, as they kick off the season with back-to-back fixtures against newly promoted sides, visiting Hull City on Saturday (August 22) before hosting Ipswich Town a week later.

For this reason, the experts have tripled up on Man United assets, including Harry Maguire (£5m) in defence and a midfield double-up of Bruno Fernandes (£12m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£8m).

Fernandes is the third-most popular asset in the game after his record-breaking campaign last time out, with many expecting the Portuguese maestro to continue delivering as an assist machine.

As for the rest of the squad, the experts have opted for a pair of rotating £4.5m goalkeepers in Tottenham's Antonin Kinsky and Brighton's Bart Verbruggen, who can both be rotated so that managers always have a home fixture.

Surprisingly, despite Gabriel Magalhaes (£8m), Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) and Nico O'Reilly (£6.5m) all being popular picks among FPL players, the experts have opted against the more expensive defenders, preferring budget-friendly options instead.

Joining Maguire in defence is Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m), who is the most expensive defender in this squad after his goal in the Community Shield, as well as Tottenham's £52m signing Jan Paul van Hecke (£5m), Leeds United's Joe Rodon (£4.5m) and Coventry City's Bobby Thomas (£4m).

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Although splashing the cash at the back has worked wonders in recent seasons, especially with the introduction of DEFCON, the experts have decided to save their money for midfield and attack.

Fernandes and Mbeumo are joined by arguably Liverpool's most influential player, Dominik Szoboszlai (£7m), who is the second-most popular midfield pick among FPL players, with two budget enablers - Pascal Gross and Mamadou Sangare (both £5.5m) - making up their midfield.

Gross has grown in popularity during pre-season following Danny Welbeck's departure to Chelsea, as he's expected to be on set-pieces and penalties. Sangare, meanwhile, looks good for defensive contributions based on his numbers for Lens in Ligue 1 last season.

Haaland, Pedro and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6m) are the three most popular forwards in the game, and the experts agree they are the best picks in the positions.

Experts squad in full

Goalkeepers - Verbruggen (£4.5m), Kinsky (£4.5m)

Defenders - Calafiori (£5.5m), Maguire (£5m), Van Hecke (£5m), Rodon (£4.5m), Thomas (£4m)

Midfielders - Fernandes (£12m), Mbeumo (£8m), Szoboszlai (£7m), Gross (£5.5m), Sangare (£5.5m)

Attack - Haaland (£15.5m), Pedro (£7.5m), Calvert-Lewin (£6m).