Nobody is guaranteed, but 19 players under £5.0m have played every minute of 2026/27 so far. That's all 450 minutes of five matches, as at 22 September 2026. Eight are goalkeepers and eleven are defenders.
A looser test, started all five matches, gives 37 players under £5.0m: 25 defenders, 8 goalkeepers and 4 midfielders. No forward under £5.0m has started all five.
The 19 who have played every minute
| Player | Pos | Club | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonín Kinský | GKP | Spurs | £4.5m |
| Bernd Leno | GKP | Fulham | £4.5m |
| Đorđe Petrović | GKP | Bournemouth | £4.5m |
| Carl Rushworth | GKP | Coventry City | £4.5m |
| Bart Verbruggen | GKP | Brighton | £4.5m |
| Konstantinos Tzolakis | GKP | Hull City | £4.6m |
| Senne Lammens | GKP | Man Utd | £4.9m |
| Robin Roefs | GKP | Sunderland | £4.9m |
| Leif Davis | DEF | Ipswich Town | £4.0m |
| Issa Diop | DEF | Ipswich Town | £4.0m |
| Dara O'Shea | DEF | Ipswich Town | £4.0m |
| Kristoffer Ajer | DEF | Brentford | £4.5m |
| Calvin Bassey | DEF | Fulham | £4.5m |
| James Justin | DEF | Leeds | £4.5m |
| Victor Lindelöf | DEF | Aston Villa | £4.5m |
| Vitalii Mykolenko | DEF | Everton | £4.6m |
| Daniel Ballard | DEF | Sunderland | £4.9m |
| Harry Maguire | DEF | Man Utd | £4.9m |
| Jan Paul van Hecke | DEF | Spurs | £4.9m |
Ipswich Town supply three of the eleven defenders: Diop, O'Shea and Davis. All three cost £4.0m, and none has missed a minute.
Cheap midfielders who start
Four midfielders under £5.0m have started all five matches, though none has finished every one:
- Regan Slater, Hull City, £4.5m — 437 minutes, 15 points
- Matt Grimes, Coventry City, £4.9m — 443 minutes, 11 points
- Saša Lukić, Ipswich Town, £4.9m — 400 minutes, 11 points
- Noah Sadiki, Sunderland, £4.9m — 410 minutes, 10 points
Why minutes beat price
A £4.0m player who plays 30 minutes a week scores less than a £4.5m player who plays all ninety. Appearance points alone are 1 for under 60 minutes and 2 for 60 or more, before anything else. On a bench, the player who actually plays is the one who covers for an injury.
This is what has happened in five matches, not a promise about the next five. Check a player's page for injury news before you buy.