After recent team reveals from Mark Mansfield, Walter Randazzo, and world number 1 Tom Dollimore, another Elite XI manager has stepped up to show his early thoughts.
Philman has an incredible nine top 10k finishes to his name, making him one of the most consistent managers in the FPL community.
He’s shared his first draft for the 2025/26 season, and as always, there’s plenty of insight behind the picks.
Philman’s early approach is straightforward:
“My aim in a GW1 team is to go reasonably template (it's template for a reason), and have good balance/price points for flexibility. Once the game starts, and strategy kicks in is where I like to go a bit more rogue.”
By starting with a strong core of proven assets and balanced price points, he gives himself the flexibility to adapt quickly once the season begins.
Right now, Philman’s draft features three of the top five most-owned midfielders according to the Insight Live tool: Salah (56.1%), Palmer (51.2%), and Rogers (23.3%).
His fourth midfielder? Declan Rice, another data-backed pick and one that world number 1 Tom Dollimore has already flagged as a player to watch under the new defensive contributions scoring rule.
The new chip structure means more managers could use chips early, and Philman is factoring that into his team selection:
“With the increase in chips and the likelihood of using them earlier, I feel there is a stronger focus on early fixtures in the choosing of players.”
This helps explain the inclusion of Solanke, as Spurs rank second for attacking fixtures over the first six Gameweeks according to the Fixture Planner tool.
Even though the squad currently looks settled, Philman admits there are several positions that could change before Gameweek 1:
“The areas of my first draft that most likely change are the keepers. I could easily double up on the Brentford pair and save 1m.”
Opting for two playing goalkeepers would also give him the option of using the Bench Boost chip early without needing to make a goalkeeper transfer.
He’s also considering a few defensive and attacking alternatives:
“Gabriel could become a Liverpool defender. I like Rice as a good pick at 6.5m, but I could switch to Kudus. I could also switch Watkins to a cheap forward and go 3-5-2.”
This flexibility means Philman can make late tweaks as more pre-season information and transfer news comes through.
Philman’s draft boasts a strong midfield anchored by Salah, Palmer, and Rogers – three players who are already proving popular among the Elite XI: Team Reveal managers. Declan Rice also makes the cut, with the new defensive contributions scoring rule potentially boosting his value at £6.5m.
Up front, Ollie Watkins provides reliability, averaging 4.9 FPL points per game in the 2024/25 season according to the Opta Heatmaps tool – the fifth highest among all forwards.
Meanwhile, Solanke not only offers a strong run of early fixtures but could also thrive under new manager Thomas Frank, making him an intriguing pick.
This is only Philman’s first draft, and like all early teams, it will evolve in the lead-up to Gameweek 1.
Head over to the Elite XI: Team Reveal tool to check out Philman's draft in detail — and don’t forget to sign up for push notifications or email updates so you never miss a team change.
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