<p>With <strong>Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) </strong>and <strong>Son Heung-min (£9.8m) </strong>out of Premier League action in the coming weeks, who are the best FPL replacements for the premium pair?</p>
<p>Salah and Son are off to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Asian Cup respectively, leaving a gap in many FPL teams.</p>
<p>In this article, we focus on the budget alternatives, priced at £6.5m and under, using <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">Hub AI</a>, <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta">Opta stats</a> and <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">fixture ticker</a>, all available to members in full.</p>
<p>We will cover the pricier picks tomorrow in a separate article.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>👉<a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/join?via=blackfridaya"><strong>Join the Hub &#8211; 30 day free trial</strong></a> 👈</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/my-team/transfers"><strong><b><strong>AI recommended transfers for your FPL team 🤖</strong></b></strong></a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Which teams have the best and worst fixture runs?</h2>
<p>Before looking at individual players, a glance at the Hub&#8217;s <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">fixture ticker</a> reveals the teams with the best fixtures while AFCON and the Asian Cup take place.</p>
<p>Brighton have the best run up to Gameweek 24, while Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham all rank inside the top 10.</p>
<p>Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Everton meanwhile sit in the bottom three, while Spurs are 17th.</p>
<div id="attachment_60920" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-60920" class="wp-image-60920 size-large" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hub-fixture-ticker-GW21-24-1024x390.jpg" alt="The top of the Hub's fixture ticker for Gameweek 21-24" width="1024" height="390" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hub-fixture-ticker-GW21-24-1024x390.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hub-fixture-ticker-GW21-24-300x114.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hub-fixture-ticker-GW21-24-768x293.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hub-fixture-ticker-GW21-24-610x232.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hub-fixture-ticker-GW21-24-1080x411.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Hub-fixture-ticker-GW21-24.jpg 1315w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-60920" class="wp-caption-text">The top of the Hub&#8217;s fixture ticker for Gameweek 21-24</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Budget Salah and Son FPL replacements</h2>
<h3>Cole Palmer (£5.6m) &#8211; Chelsea</h3>
<p>Palmer has scored eight goals and assisted five, the joint-most goal involvements in the budget midfielder category.</p>
<p>His record stacks up against pricier midfielders too, with only Salah, Son<strong> </strong>and <strong>Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) </strong>bettering his goal involvements total.</p>
<p>He has become one of Chelsea&#8217;s most important players since moving to London in the summer, even taking on penalty duties.</p>
<p>Spot-kicks have helped to boost his goal tally, however there is much more to his game, with only half of his goals coming from 12 yards.</p>
<p>The former Manchester City youngster leads the way among budget midfielders for shots on target (1.0), big chances (0.53), expected goals (0.38) and expected goal involvements (0.6) per appearance.</p>
<p>Only <strong>Michael Olise (£5.9m) </strong>has a better expected and actual FPL points record &#8211; but Palmer has eight more appearances than his Crystal Palace rival.</p>
<p>Palmer is in around 27% of teams, meaning there are plenty of fantasy managers yet to invest in him.</p>
<p>The Blues rank fifth best for fixture difficulty over the next four gameweeks, while Palmer is ranked joint-top for predicted points among cheap midfielders, according to <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">Hub AI</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_60921" style="width: 1007px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-60921" class="size-full wp-image-60921" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Cole-Palmer-stats-2.jpg" alt="Cole Palmer's stats" width="997" height="812" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Cole-Palmer-stats-2.jpg 997w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Cole-Palmer-stats-2-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Cole-Palmer-stats-2-768x625.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Cole-Palmer-stats-2-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 997px) 100vw, 997px" /><p id="caption-attachment-60921" class="wp-caption-text">Cole Palmer&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Anthony Gordon (£6.1m) &#8211; Newcastle</h3>
<p>Gordon is tied with Palmer for goal involvements, with six goals and seven assists for the Magpies.</p>
<p>Beginning the season as a potential rotation risk, Gordon has become a key player in Eddie Howe&#8217;s side, making 19 appearances.</p>
<p>Among budget midfielders, he ranks joint-second for expected goal involvement (0.4) and second for actual goal involvement (0.68) &#8211; behind Palmer in both cases.</p>
<p>Taking penalties out of the equation, Gordon is second behind only <strong>Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.5m) </strong>for expected goals (xG), with a non-penalty xG of 0.29 per appearance.</p>
<p>No midfielder in this category has a better assists per appearance tally (0.37), although he has significantly outperformed his expected assists (xA) of 0.14.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">Hub AI</a> can&#8217;t split Gordon and Palmer up to Gameweek 24, with both predicted to score 20.8 FPL points.</p>
<p>Newcastle are 13th for overall fixture difficulty, according to the <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">Hub ticker</a>, and have Manchester City up next. This may persuade those without both Palmer and Gordon to prioritise Palmer in Gameweek 21, although both remain strong budget options.</p>
<div id="attachment_60923" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-60923" class="size-full wp-image-60923" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gordon-v-Palmer-2.jpg" alt="Anthony Gordon v Cole Palmer" width="1000" height="812" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gordon-v-Palmer-2.jpg 1000w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gordon-v-Palmer-2-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gordon-v-Palmer-2-768x624.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gordon-v-Palmer-2-610x495.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><p id="caption-attachment-60923" class="wp-caption-text">Anthony Gordon v Cole Palmer</p></div>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) &#8211; Crystal Palace</h3>
<p>Choosing between Palace midfielders Eze and the in-form <strong>Michael Olise (£6.0m) </strong>would have been a tough decision.</p>
<p>But it has been made easier with the news Olise has suffered a hamstring injury, picked up late in the win over Brentford in Gameweek 20.</p>
<p>Doubt over Olise before the deadline would make Eze the automatic choice from a Palace perspective.</p>
<p>Olise had the superior <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a>, leading Eze for total shots, shots in the box, xG, goals, expected and actual goal involvement (xGI), key passes, big chances created and xA per appearance.</p>
<p>Eze meanwhile is ahead on big chances (0.36), assists (0.14) and ties Olise for shots on target (1.0). He also has the likelihood of being on penalties.</p>
<p>Despite the <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a> &#8211; and Olise&#8217;s stronger recent form &#8211; Eze was ahead on predicted points according to Hub AI.</p>
<p>The Eagles rank 14th for fixture difficulty over the next four gameweeks, which may see fantasy managers look elsewhere.</p>
<p>Eze still represents a strong differential though, who will be on a greater share of set-pieces if Olise is out.</p>
<div id="attachment_60912" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-60912" class="size-full wp-image-60912" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Eze-v-Olise.jpg" alt="Eberechi Eze v Michael Olise from a stats perspective" width="1000" height="812" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Eze-v-Olise.jpg 1000w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Eze-v-Olise-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Eze-v-Olise-768x624.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Eze-v-Olise-610x495.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><p id="caption-attachment-60912" class="wp-caption-text">Eberechi Eze v Michael Olise</p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Pascal Gross (£6.4m) &#8211; Brighton</h3>
<p>Gross is best placed to take advantage of their <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">ticker-topping fixture run</a>.</p>
<p>The versatile midfielder has played more minutes than any other Brighton player, making 18 appearances, in which he was subbed on once.</p>
<p>He has scored three goals but his real strength is his creative threat, with six assists to his name.</p>
<p>The German leads among budget midfielders for key passes (52), 15 ahead of his nearest rival. He ranks second for xA per appearance (0.23) and actual assists (0.33), although he is outside the top 10 for big chances created (0.28).</p>
<p>His reduced goal threat in comparison to the likes of Gordon and Palmer may put him lower in the pecking order, however Gross still has a healthy goal involvement of 0.5 per appearance. His xGI of 0.4 is also joint-second behind Palmer.</p>
<p>Gross ranks fourth for predicted points among budget midfielders over the next four gameweeks, according to <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">Hub AI</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_60925" style="width: 1007px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-60925" class="size-full wp-image-60925" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gross-stats-GW1-20.jpg" alt="Pascal Gross's stats" width="997" height="812" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gross-stats-GW1-20.jpg 997w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gross-stats-GW1-20-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gross-stats-GW1-20-768x625.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gross-stats-GW1-20-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 997px) 100vw, 997px" /><p id="caption-attachment-60925" class="wp-caption-text">Pascal Gross&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Bernardo Silva (£6.5m) &#8211; Manchester City</h3>
<p>Silva is another midfielder whose creative spark stands out.</p>
<p>Ranking second to Gross for key passes (2.89), the Manchester City man tops the budget midfielder charts for big chance creation (0.62) and xA (0.27).</p>
<p>Only Salah has created more big chances per appearance (0.85) than Silva among midfielders as a whole.</p>
<p>The Portuguese international has scored five league goals, although these have come in defiance of a low xG of 1.68.</p>
<p>City&#8217;s next four fixtures rank seventh best as it stands, although the addition of a potential double gameweek in the near future could boost this even further.</p>
<p>Silva is sixth among budget midfielders for predicted points, according to <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">Hub AI</a>.</p>
<div id="attachment_60926" style="width: 1007px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-60926" class="size-full wp-image-60926" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Bernardo-Silva-stats.jpg" alt="Bernardo Silva's stats" width="997" height="812" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Bernardo-Silva-stats.jpg 997w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Bernardo-Silva-stats-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Bernardo-Silva-stats-768x625.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Bernardo-Silva-stats-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 997px) 100vw, 997px" /><p id="caption-attachment-60926" class="wp-caption-text">Bernardo Silva&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></p></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Alejandro Garnacho (£4.8m) &#8211; Manchester United</h3>
<p>A super-budget option in Garnacho completes our budget shortlist.</p>
<p>The 19-year-old Argentine appears to be nailed in the United team, having made 18 appearances and started each of the last 10 games.</p>
<p>He has three goals and two assists since Gameweek 11, with his brace against Aston Villa in Gameweek 19 his season-best FPL haul of 14 points.</p>
<p>Garnacho is not afraid of having a shot on goal, ranking joint-top with Olise for shots per appearance (3.0) since Gameweek 11.</p>
<p>He has had more shots in the box per appearance in that time than any other budget midfielder (2.5), with Salah the only other midfielder to manage more.</p>
<p>Garnacho ranks further down the list for many other key Opta stats, however his 45% goal involvement since Gameweek 11 is right up there, good enough for fourth among cut-price midfielders.</p>
<p>He ranks fifth for predicted points, according to <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">Hub AI</a>, while United&#8217;s fixtures are eighth best up to Gameweek 24.</p>
<p>The Red Devils teenager therefore offers excellent value for money and should be firmly in the conversation for replacing Salah or Son.</p>
<div id="attachment_60927" style="width: 1007px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-60927" class="size-full wp-image-60927" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Garnacho-stats.jpg" alt="" width="997" height="812" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Garnacho-stats.jpg 997w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Garnacho-stats-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Garnacho-stats-768x625.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Garnacho-stats-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 997px) 100vw, 997px" /><p id="caption-attachment-60927" class="wp-caption-text">Alejandro Garnacho&#8217;s stats</p></div>
<h2>Midfielder predicted FPL points</h2>
<p>We&#8217;ve documented Hub AI&#8217;s predicted points for our budget selections &#8211; but here&#8217;s how they fit into the top 20 midfielders overall.</p>
<p>Pricier picks <strong>Bukayo Saka (£9.0m) </strong>and the potentially injured <strong>Jarrod Bowen (£8.0m) </strong>top the list, however Gordon and Palmer slot into third and fourth.</p>
<p>Eze and Gross creep into the top 10, making cheaper options viable considerations even when factoring in more premium players.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-60919" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Midfielder-predicted-points-top-20-GW21-24-1024x601.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="601" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Midfielder-predicted-points-top-20-GW21-24-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Midfielder-predicted-points-top-20-GW21-24-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Midfielder-predicted-points-top-20-GW21-24-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Midfielder-predicted-points-top-20-GW21-24-610x358.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Midfielder-predicted-points-top-20-GW21-24-1080x634.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Midfielder-predicted-points-top-20-GW21-24.jpg 1425w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="app-ignore">
<h2>Check out our fantasy football ultimate guides</h2>
<p>Whether you play <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips">FPL</a>, <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/telegraph-fantasy-football-tips-the-ultimate-guide">TFF</a>, <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/sky-fantasy-football-tips">Sky</a> or <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/dream-team-fantasy-football-tips-the-ultimate-guide">Dream Team</a>, our ultimate guides have everything you could possibly need to know to win at fantasy football, from expert team reveals to top tips on the best players.</p>
<h3><strong>Follow the Hub</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/FFH_HQ">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ffootballhub/">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/FantasyFootballHub/?sub_confirmation=1">YouTube</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/FFH_HQ/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ffh_hq">Tiktok</a><br />
And view all our latest fantasy football tips on our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/"><strong>Homepage</strong></a></p>
</div>


The best budget Salah and Son FPL replacements

Win at FPL

Community & tools

Fixture ticker