The first double gameweek of the season is upon us, but it&#8217;s a minor one with only Arsenal and Wolves playing two games – either side of the FA Cup fourth round.
There have already been a lot of transfers, with a very quick turnaround from Gameweek 25. Five of the top seven most-signed players for the gameweek are midfielders.
<a href="https://www.squawka.com/">Squawka</a> have used the <a href="https://www.squawka.com/en/comparison-matrix/">Comparison Matrix</a> to analyse the five most-signed midfielders ahead of Double Gameweek 26.
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<h3>Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m) &#8211; Manchester United</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Points: 141</li>
<li aria-level="1">Transfers in: 189k</li>
</ul>
Fernandes is the most popular midfield buy in FPL ahead of the double gameweek, and it’s easy to see why. 
The Manchester United captain has been directly involved in seven goals in 2026, the second-most in the Premier League.
 Across the Premier League as a whole this season, he averages 3.5 chances created per 90 minutes, the most of any of the midfielders on this list by some distance.
Fernandes also leads this group for through balls per 90, also picking up defensive contribution points on five occasions. 
<div id="attachment_77453" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-77453" class="size-full wp-image-77453" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bruno-Getty-2.jpg" alt="An upcoming blank for Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="703" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bruno-Getty-2.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bruno-Getty-2-300x206.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Bruno-Getty-2-768x527.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Bruno Fernandes. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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<h3>Martin Zubimendi (£5.2m) &#8211; Arsenal</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Points: 101</li>
<li aria-level="1">Transfers in: 164k</li>
</ul>
Zubimendi is one to target primarily for defensive contributions.
The Spaniard averages 1.9 tackles made per 90 and 3.7 ball recoveries, alongside 2.2 clearances.
Zubimendi does score the odd goal, at an average of 0.3 per 90, which is the same return as Fernandes. 
But he only averages 0.7 shots per 90, with 0.4 on target. Even though Zubimendi’s conversion rate is 31.25%, there is a lack of overall shot volume.
Zubimendi could also get an extra clean sheet point or two, but his overall numbers suggest potentially limited upside compared to other Arsenal midfielders.
<div id="attachment_77676" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-77676" class="size-full wp-image-77676" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2254093886.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2254093886.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2254093886-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2254093886-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Martin Zubimendi. Picture by Getty Images)</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>Declan Rice (£7.5m) &#8211; Arsenal</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Points: 134</li>
<li aria-level="1">Transfers in: 158k</li>
</ul>
Another Arsenal midfielder features ahead of the double, but unlike Zubimendi, Rice is mostly being picked for his creativity and his impact from set-pieces. 
Rice averages 2.1 chances created per 90, which is second only to Fernandes among these five players. 
Like his teammate Zubimendi however, Rice doesn’t shoot too often. He averages 1.1 shots per 90, with 0.6 on target and 0.2 goals.
Rice has also scored defensive contribution points on nine occasions, and he stands out for clearances (2.4), tackles made (1.9) and ball recoveries (5.2) per 90. 
<div id="attachment_75673" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-75673" class="size-full wp-image-75673" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2244471743.jpg" alt="Declan Rice" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2244471743.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2244471743-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2244471743-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Declan Rice. Picture by Getty Images</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>Bryan Mbeumo (£8.6m) &#8211; Manchester United</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Points: 103</li>
<li aria-level="1">Transfers in: 150k</li>
</ul>
Manchester United&#8217;s winning run has coincided with Mbeumo’s return from the Africa Cup of Nations. 
The Cameroon international has scored three goals in his past four games, continuing a solid start to life as a United player. 
Mbeumo leads the players on this list for both shots and shots on target, as well as non-penalty goals per 90. 
He has hit the target with 1.6 of his 2.4 efforts per 90, excluding blocks. His conversion rate of 20% is pretty good too.
<div id="attachment_77679" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-77679" class="size-full wp-image-77679" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2232877857.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2232877857.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2232877857-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2232877857-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Bryan Mbeumo. Picture by Getty Images</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>Cole Palmer (£10.5m) &#8211; Chelsea</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Points: 67</li>
<li aria-level="1">Transfers in: 137k</li>
</ul>
Palmer scored a hat-trick at the weekend and will have played his way into a lot of teams in the process.
The Chelsea man has suffered with injuries this season, and has padded out his returns with penalties at times, as was evident with his brace from the spot last time out.
However only Brentford (eight) have been awarded per spot-kicks than Chelsea’s six, so it&#8217;s been a reasonably consistent source of points for the England man.
Palmer hasn’t been overly creative this season, averaging just 0.7 chances created per 90. 
His goalscoring potential is a different prospect however, as the Chelsea man takes 2.1 shots on average, with a strong conversion rate of 33.33%.
<div id="attachment_77677" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-77677" class="wp-image-77677 size-full" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2260391110.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2260391110.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2260391110-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GettyImages-2260391110-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Cole Palmer. Picture by Getty Images</div>
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FPL tips: Popular midfielders assessed for Double Gameweek 26 | Squawka

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