Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer has overtaken Mohamed Salah on the list of the most owned Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players ahead of the GW1 deadline on Friday.
Cole Palmer Overtakes Mohamed Salah as Most Owned FPL Player
Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah has been surpassed by Chelsea star Cole Palmer as the most owned player in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) ahead of the GW1 deadline.
Last year’s Premier League Player of the Season led the way as the most selected player in the game last week, but after failing to contribute with an attacking return in the Reds’ Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, his ownership percentage has dropped.
Previously selected by over 56% of players, Salah is now owned by around 54% of players.
Meanwhile Palmer, whose ownership percentage sat at 53% last week, is up to nearly 57%.
Both players are included in SportsCasting‘s list of the best midfielders in FPL for 2025-26.
Not only has Salah been overtaken by Palmer in the list of the most owned players in FPL, but another Blues star in Joao Pedro has moved level with him, owned by 54.2% of players.
Pedro has starred for Enzo Maresca’s side since joining from Brighton for around £60m last month, netting five goals in five appearances in the Club World Cup and pre-season.
Additionally, the Brazilian is listed among the best FPL forwards for 2025-26.
Also among the most owned players in FPL ahead of Friday’s deadline for the opening Gameweek are Florian Wirtz (34.1%), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (30.1%) and Jeremie Frimpong (29.0%).
The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Virgil van Dijk, Erling Haaland, Gabriel, Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins, Jarrod Bowen, Bukayo Saka and Bruno Fernandes feature prominently on the list, too.
Most Owned Players In FPL 2025-26
Note: Figures are correct as of 09:30 on Tuesday, 12 August and are subject to change.
| Player | Cost | Club | Position | Owned by % |
| Cole Palmer | £10.5m | Chelsea | MID | 56.9% |
| Joao Pedro | £7.5m | Chelsea | FWD | 54.2% |
| Mohamed Salah | £14.5m | Liverpool | MID | 54.2% |
| Florian Wirtz | £8.5m | Liverpool | MID | 34.1% |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | £4.5m | West Ham | DEF | 30.1% |
| Jeremie Frimpong | £6.0m | Liverpool | DEF | 29.0% |
| Martin Dubravka | £4.0m | Burnley | GK | 27.1% |
| Viktor Gyokeres | £9.0m | Arsenal | FWD | 25.7% |
| Ezri Konsa | £4.5m | Aston Villa | DEF | 24.0% |
| Virgil van Dijk | £6.0m | Liverpool | DEF | 24.0% |
| Mohammed Kudus | £6.5m | Tottenham Hotspur | MID | 23.9% |
| Caoimhin Kelleher | £4.5m | Brentford | GK | 22.3% |
| Erling Haaland | £14.0m | Manchester City | FWD | 22.2% |
| Rayan Ait-Nouri | £6.0m | Manchester City | DEF | 22.1% |
| Micky van de Ven | £4.5m | Tottenham Hotspur | DEF | 21.2% |
| Gabriel Magalhaes | £6.0m | Arsenal | DEF | 20.7% |
| Alexander Isak | £10.5m | Newcastle | FWD | 20.5% |
| Ollie Watkins | £9.0m | Aston Villa | FWD | 20.4% |
| Matz Sels | £5.0m | Nottingham Forest | GK | 19.4% |
| Jarrod Bowen | £8.0m | West Ham | FWD | 19.1% |
| Marc Cucurella | £6.0m | Chelsea | DEF | 18.8% |
| Robert Sanchez | £5.0m | Chelsea | GK | 18.7% |
| David Raya | £5.5m | Arsenal | GK | 17.5% |
| Bukayo Saka | £10.0m | Arsenal | MID | 17.2% |
| Bruno Fernandes | £9.0m | Manchester United | MID | 17.2% |
When Is The FPL Gameweek 1 Deadline?
If you haven’t yet formed your FPL team ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, now is the time to do so, with the Gameweek 1 deadline fast approaching ahead of the opening weekend.
The deadline is scheduled for 18:30 BST on Friday, 16 August.
Once the deadline has passed, managers are unable to make changes to their teams until the following Gameweek.
Liverpool, who are favoured by UK betting sites to retain the English top-flight title this term, kickstart the season’s action against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday evening.
Five fixtures follow on Saturday, with Aston Villa hosting Newcastle in the early kick-off, Brighton vs Fulham, Sunderland vs West Ham and Tottenham vs Burnley at 15:00, and Wolves vs Manchester City in the later kick-off at 17:30.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest vs Brentford are scheduled for 14:00 on Sunday afternoon, before Manchester United and Arsenal round off the weekend at 16:30.
Newly promoted Leeds host Everton in the final clash of the Gameweek at 20:00 on Monday.
