That’s it, done, the January transfer window is shut. We’ve seen a few gems sneak into the FPL list in recent weeks, but who are the must-haves for the second half of the season as everyone battles to move up the FPL table to mini-league or fantasy cup glory? With gameweek 25 well underway, let’s take a look, starting with those between the sticks.

Goalkeepers

Many FPL veterans argue that you need two £4.5m goalkeepers at the beginning of the season that rotate well so that your bench boost can be effective later on in the season, as well as keeping funds free for the rest of the squad. It’s difficult to argue with that tactic as it tends to work well, but Alisson leads the way in the rankings at £6.0m. However, as good as he’s been, Neil Etheridge is hot on his heels at just £4.6m.

Ederson is another one who you’d expect, along with Alisson, to pick up a fair few clean sheets in the second half of the season, and he’s slightly cheaper than the Liverpool ‘keeper at £5.6m. Do not overlook the likes of Lukas Fabianski or Patricio either, as they’ve picked up a fair amount of save points and bonus points so far.

Our advice? Pick two keepers that play at around £4.5m-£5.5m who are with clubs in the top half of the table, as you’ll accumulate enough points for it not to really make a lot of difference between that and a £6.0m Alisson for example.

Defenders

Andrew Robertson is a must have if you can afford him, although he’s closing in on the £7.0m mark, so, if you’re heavy up top, you might not be able to bring him in.

New Fulham signing and ex West Ham player Havard Nordtveit has been added as a defender at £4.5m. We’d expect him to probably play in the centre of midfield if Fulham watched his centre-back displays for West Ham. He’s a bit of a liability at the back. Don’t expect him to score many, but as a defender potentially playing in Midfield, like Declan Rice for the Hammers, it might be worth having him at such a cheap price to pick up the odd clean sheet.

Cardiff’s new signing, Leandro Bacuna, has also been priced up at £4.5m as a defender. It’s tough to see Cardiff picking up many more clean sheets this season so he might be worth avoiding as there is better value elsewhere.

Where is the value?

Looking beyond the likes of Robertson, Van Dijk, and Alonso, who are expensive, you should really be considering the likes of Chilwell (£5.0m), Holebas (£4.8m), Wan-Bissaka (£4.5m) and possibly even Wolves’ Jonny at a tempting £4.3m.

Midfielders

Arguably the most important choices you’re going to make in FPL this season is in your midfield. It’s simply because there are so many goalscorers to choose from, you need to either make sure you have them all or choose a couple and offset it with a decent striker or two.

If you can afford Mo Salah, get him. He’s only going to keep scoring, and as a midfielder, that equals a crazy amount of points, especially with bonuses added on. Let’s not forget he’s on penalties too.

Salah actually leads the way in the scoring charts at the time of writing, and he’ll take some stopping. If you’ve got a bet on him to be top scorer this season, the bookies now have him at around 4/5 to win the golden boot. Aubameyang, Aguero, Hazard and Sterling are hot on his heels, and it could be worth backing one of the outsiders for a bit more value if you think the likes of Arsenal, City, and Chelsea are going to have a stronger second half to the season than Liverpool. The Reds might start feeling the pressure soon.

If you’ve not got an account with a bookie to place a Premier League Top Goalscorer bet and you’re considering signing up, finding licensed sportsbooks is important, so it’s best to use one of the big betting firms you hear about all the time in the UK. You know they’re safe and secure.

Hazard and Sterling are the other two leading the way in the FPL midfielder charts, and it’ll definitely pay to have at least one of these in your side for the rest of the season. They’re just going to keep scoring and assisting heavily, so don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Another player worth considering is Son Heung-min. With Harry Kane and Dele Alli out for a while, the responsibility will fall on his shoulders to produce the goods and keep Spurs in the hunt for the title in the next few weeks and months.

Newcastle’s record signing, Miguel Almiron, loved a goal in the MLS with Atlanta, so who’s to say he can’t bag a few in the Premier League? He might be worth considering in your midfield at an appealing £6.0m. Over January signings include Fulham’s Lazar Markovic (£5.0m) and Leicester’s Youri Tielemans (£6.0m), although he might not be as much of a goal threat as Almiron and Markovic.

Attackers

Harry Kane posted a video of his rehab recently which has given Spurs fans a lift. He might be back sooner than anticipated, and he’s probably a must have once he returns to action. Another injury casualty at the moment is Callum Wilson, who’s out for a few weeks.

In the meantime, there are a lot of options in your front three. Aubameyang, Firmino, Aguero, Jimenez, Lacazette, Rashford, Mitrovic. The list goes on. If you insist on having Salah and at least one other big gun in the midfield, affording the likes of Kane and Aguero is going to be difficult. But the cheap options are not disappointing this year. Josh King (£6.4m) and Glenn Murray (6.3m) are definitely worth considering as your third striker as both have hit a bit of form recently.

Crystal Palace’s new signing, Michy Batshuayi might be worth a punt at £6.5m, as too Peter Crouch, who moved to Burnley. If he gets a regular starting berth, his £4.5m cost could prove to be an absolute bargain.

If you’ve still got your wildcard, you might like this final section. Here’s our squad of 15 we think will do wonders in the second half of the season. If you choose to go with it, you might just leapfrog a few mates in the league table.

GK – Ederson & Fabianski

DEF – Trippier, Chilwell, Holebas, Zouma, Wan-Bissaka

MID – Salah, Sane, Pogba, Brooks (currently injured), Markovic

ATT – Aguero, Jimenez, Mitrovic