6 budget defenders you MUST consider for your 2026-27 FPL team: Shaw, Van Hecke… | OneFootball

Leeds United, Manchester United and Tottenham are among the clubs with budget-friendly defenders you ought to consider for your Fantasy Premier League squad in 2026-27.

With the first deadline fast approaching, it’s time to stop tinkering and start making decisions. Here are six defenders at £5.0m or less who could be worth squeezing into your squad.

Her are six budget defenders (priced £5.0m and lower) that you should consider putting in your FPL team this season.

Jan Paul van Hecke (£5.0m)

The Dutchman notched a solid tally of 148 FPL points last season, putting him ahead of the likes of William Saliba, Daniel Munoz and Pedro Porro.

Given that, his price of just £5.0million represents excellent value, especially when you consider that most of those with similar output from last season are priced at £6.0million or above.

Of course, it remains an open question whether Van Hecke will be able to maintain that kind of return at a new club. Tottenham were honking defensively last season, but with big investment, a new manager, no European distraction and a stronger squad, there’s every reason to believe that they’ll turn a corner on that front.

Tarik Muharemovic (£5.0m)

We’ve already included Dominic Calvert-Lewin in our list of budget forwards and Harry Wilson in the midfielders, but what can we say? Leeds have quietly built a very strong spine.

Leeds didn’t keep an abundance of clean sheets last season, but their underlying defensive statistics were pretty solid – particularly after Daniel Farke’s switch to a back three. If fellow new signing James Trafford can replicate his underlying numbers from Manchester City and Burnley then regular clean sheets look likely.

Muharemovic was signed for £34.1million from Sassuolo and the early signs from pre-season are very promising. Plus, he’s 6’4″ and will be a real threat at set-pieces – and only Arsenal scored more from them last season. The Bosnia international has already opened his account for Leeds in the summer friendlies.

Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m)

From Tarik to Tyrique, we were surprised to see the Crystal Palace defender priced so low.

With a return of 135 points last season, just £4.5million is a steal. You won’t find a bigger bargain at that price range this season.

The one snag is that there’s a new manager at Selhurst Park and the danger of things changing. But Pierre Sage has gone for continuity, favouring the same wingback system used to great effect by his predecessor Oliver Glasner, so expect Mitchell to keep his place. At least at first.

Trai Hume (£4.5m)

Hume’s upside as a £4.5million option is obvious. He made 34 Premier League starts last season,  collecting 110 FPL points, and the Wearside fan favourite remains firmly in Regis Le Bris’ plans.

He’s already established as a player worth considering. But what’s particularly eye-catching about Hume is that he’s played in a more advanced role in Sunderland’s pre-season, notching one goal and one assist in four friendly appearances. There’s a potential goldmine if he does settle into a new role as a winger this season; the new Stuart Dallas?

Sunderland’s opening fixtures are relatively forgiving, too. They play Ipswich on the opening weekend and Fulham, Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth, Leeds and Coventry City over the course of the first nine gameweeks. That means he’ll be an asset worth keeping until at least Halloween.

Luke Shaw (£4.5m)

The left-back’s fitness struggles are well documented, but get that preconception out of your head. He started all 38 Premier League games last term and is evidently trusted by Michael Carrick. Don’t worry about him playing.

Granted, Manchester United’s defensive record was pretty shoddy last season, clean sheets were rare, and Shaw’s return of just 113 points explains why he’s priced so low. But only Arsenal and Liverpool notched a better rate of xGA (expected goals against) last term, and you’d expect to see that pay dividends in terms of scorelines in the long run.

If you need any more convincing, the Red Devils have Hull City and Ipswich Town as their opening two fixtures. Get him in.

Bobby Thomas (£4.0m)

There’s a paradox when it comes to the newly-promoted clubs. Expect them all to do a lot of sitting back, with big defensive contribution points potentially on offer, albeit with the counterpoint that clean sheets are less likely. Fortune favours the brave and all that.

Coventry City stalwart Thomas is one of the existing players expected to keep his place in Frank Lampard’s favoured XI after the summer’s business. His underlying numbers from last season suggest he’ll rank highly when it comes to defensive contributions, but whether that’ll translate into decent overall returns is another question.

If you absolutely must have a £4.0million player to balance your books and sit on your bench most weeks, you probably can’t do any better than Thomas.