Kevin De Bruyne (£7m) is in a price bracket of his own among midfielders this season.
The brilliant Belgian is the joint-second most-costly asset overall, level with Erling Haaland (£7m), while the next dearest in his position are Riyad Mahrez (£5.5m) and Bruno Fernandes (£5.5m) a full £1.5m cheaper.
Man City’s strawberry-blonde playmaker demands such a high starting price because he finished top of the midfield rankings in 2021/22.
Despite a sluggish, injury-affected first third of the campaign, he plundered 245 points in total.
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Last season was De Bruyne’s best ever in terms of goals, he netted 19 in all competitions, several of which were long-range screamers.
Add in 14 assists, which is actually a tad below his usual tally but still mightily impressive, and it’s clear how the 31-year-old ascended to the top of the pile last term.
Few Dream Team gaffers have any reservations about De Bruyne’s quality but his price tag represents something of a stumbling block.
The likes of Harry Kane (£7.5m), Mohamed Salah (£7.5m) and the aforementioned Haaland are equally desirable while top-of-the-range defenders such as Joao Cancelo (£6.5m) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£6.5m) have arguably been the most influential assets in recent campaigns.
The £50million budget only stretches so far and so every manager will have to make a decision on which premium-priced superstars to include and which to discard.
As the only player who is the outright most expensive in his position, De Bruyne is clearly a special case.
At £7m he’s a pricey acquisition but the question is: can Dream Team bosses afford not to have him in their XI?
City’s No17 is one of those players who can really hurt you if you opt for a cheaper alternative – remember his four-goal masterclass against Wolves in May?
It’s worth noting that De Bruyne’s 15 league goals last term came from a chances worth less than five expected goals (xG).
Statisticians might conclude that such form is unsustainable but they’d also say it’s evidence of the extraordinary nature of De Bruyne’s long-range shooting, which has always been a feature of his game to some extent.
Still, it’s likely he won’t score as many goals this time around – he averages 12 a season since joining City.
However, with Haaland filling a void that hasn’t been occupied since Sergio Aguero’s pomp, KDB will feel confident of a huge assist haul.
If De Bruyne avoids injury setbacks then he’s virtually guaranteed 200+ points, which explains his huge ownership of 37%.
Only Luis Diaz (£5m) is more popular among midfielders at this stage.
To paraphrase William Shakespeare: To KDB or not to KDB, that is the question!
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