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            <p>Wondering who are the best FPL budget defenders for 2023/24? Expert Fantasy Premier League manager Abdul Rehman (<a href="https://twitter.com/FPL_Salah">FPL Salah</a>) has it covered.</p>
<p>We'll be keeping this list of budget defenders - players priced at £4.5m - regularly updated before the Gameweek 1 deadline, so make sure to bookmark this page.</p>
<p>And check out our <strong><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fantasy-premier-league-ultimate-guide-fpl-tips"><strong>Ultimate Guide to FPL</strong></a> </strong>for all our best player articles and much more.</p>
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<h2><strong>Best FPL £4.5m defenders 2023/24</strong></h2>
<p>The FPL budget defenders position will likely require the most planning.</p>
<p>Some managers will want to rotate their budget defenders to make the most of the <a href="http://fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker/">optimal fixtures</a> in each gameweek.</p>
<p>Here are our top selections:</p>
<h3><strong>Sven Botman (£4.5m) – Newcastle </strong></h3>
<p>Botman looks to be one of the best budget defenders in FPL this season. He is nailed to start and <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/newcastle-fpl-and-fantasy-football-tips-predicted-lineup-set-piece-takers-and-team-preview">Newcastle</a> had one of the best defences in the league last season.</p>
<p>It will be hard to ignore him and he could be a fine fourth defender or used as a rotational pair.</p>
<p>Botman scored the second-highest points of the £4.5m defenders this season.</p>
<p>The Magpies conceded the joint-fewest goals (33) last season, with an <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/a-simple-guide-to-opta-stats-for-fpl">expected goals conceded (xGC)</a> of 41.9 (second) and therefore it looks like Botman has come in at least £0.5m under-priced.</p>
<p>His place in the starting lineup looks secure for now and Newcastle will only strengthen overall. I am confident they will be in the top-four best defences next in 2023/24.</p>
<p>Eddie Howe’s team have a tough start to the season but I wouldn’t let this put you off acquiring Botman from the off.</p>
<p>He can be used as a fourth defender - either as adequate bench cover or used as a rotational pair.</p>
<p>Newcastle's fixtures rotate very nicely with both Aston Villa and Brentford, who both have nailed £4.5m defenders at their disposal.</p>
<div id="attachment_55573" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-55573" class="size-full wp-image-55573" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Sven-Botman-Stats.jpg" alt="Sven Botman Stats. best budget defenders gameweek 1" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-55573" class="wp-caption-text">Sven Botman's stats</p>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Pau Torres (£4.5m) – Aston Villa</strong></h3>
<p>Pau Torres is a brilliant signing for Villa and he will surely be nailed to start, reuning with his former manager.</p>
<p>The Spaniard has plenty of attacking threat in him too, with 15 goals and five assists in his career.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/aston-villa-fantasy-football-tips-team-preview-2">Villa</a> had a phenomenal season, which was down to the appointment of Unai Emery.</p>
<p>Over the season, the Villans only conceded 46 goals (third best) and kept 12 clean sheets (fourth most) and surely the signing of their new centre back will only improve them.</p>
<p>They are a strong team both going forward and at the back which showed in their impressive seventh-placed finish.</p>
<p>They have a decent start to the season, playing Everton (H), Burnley (a) and Crystal Palace in the first five gameweeks.</p>
<p>Villa also rotate well with Newcastle and Everton for the first 10 gameweeks, so Torres could be a handy part of a rotational pair.</p>
<p>In fact, Torres and Botman provide a fantastic rotation all the way up to Gameweek 18, which you can see from our advanced <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">fixture ticker</a>.</p>
<p>They will face just one of last season's top six in the first 18 games.</p>
<div id="attachment_56100" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-56100" class="size-full wp-image-56100" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FFStuffImage-9.jpg" alt="Pau Torres" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-56100" class="wp-caption-text">Pau Torres</p>
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<h3><strong>Nayef Aguerd (£4.5m) – West Ham United </strong></h3>
<p>Aguerd hit the ground running in his West Ham career.</p>
<p>He quickly established himself as a first-team regular and scored two goals in 18 starts, with an xG of 1.91. He has the biggest goal threat from the Hammers' defence.</p>
<p>The Moroccan also has a history of finding the back of the net having scored 19 goals and four assists in 226 games across his career.</p>
<p>David Moyes' team have a mixed bag in terms of fixture difficulty at the start of the season but Aguerd is another budget defender who can be used effectively as a rotating player.</p>
<p>West Ham and Villa rotate well until Gameweek 14 - they won't face any of last season's top 10 teams if swapped in and out of FPL sides.</p>
<p>Due to West Ham’s poor season, I can't see their defenders being highly owned at all when the season kicks off, so Aguerd could be a nice differential.</p>
<div id="attachment_55577" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-55577" class="size-full wp-image-55577" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Nayef-Aguerd-Stats.jpg" alt="Nayef Aguerd Stats. top five best budget defeners" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-55577" class="wp-caption-text">Nayef Aguerd's stats</p>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Ethan Pinnock (£4.5m) – Brentford</strong></h3>
<p>Pinnock scored three goals last season with an xG of 3.19, which was the highest among his defensive teammates.</p>
<p>Brentford are a very good side, finishing ninth - two points off a European spot.</p>
<p>The Bees only conceded 46 goals (third best) and kept an impressive 12 clean sheets (fourth most). Pinnock looks a real good value asset at £4.5m as he is nailed to start and has goal threat.</p>
<p>Brentford also have really good fixtures to start the season, playing Fulham (a), Crystal Palace (H), Bournemouth (a), Everton (H), Nottingham Forest (a) and Burnley (H) in their first nine fixtures.</p>
<p>They also rotate really well with a number of teams, including Newcastle, Everton, Fulham and Palace, who all have nailed-on £4.5m defenders too.</p>
<p>The best rotation looks to be with the Eagles, as in the first 15 games you won't come up against any of last season's top six if you rotate correctly.</p>
<div id="attachment_55579" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-55579" class="size-full wp-image-55579" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Ethan-Pinnock-Stats.jpg" alt="Ethan Pinnock Stats. gameweek 1 tips" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-55579" class="wp-caption-text">Ethan Pinnock's stats</p>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><strong>Marc Guehi (£4.5m) – Crystal Palace</strong></h3>
<p>Guehi is a sure starter for Palace and looks a good-value budget defender.</p>
<p>He only scored the one goal last season but does have plenty of attacking threat in him, scoring 14 goals and eight assists over his carer.</p>
<p>Roy Hodgson really turned their fortunes around when he took charge in Gameweek 29. Since then they only conceded 11 goals (third best) and they had the second best xGC (10.4) in the league.</p>
<p>Over the course of the season, Palace conceded 53 (fifth best) with an xGC of 54.2 (seventh) so they are a good mid-table team who will prove good value.</p>
<p>Palace have favourable fixtures to start the season, playing Sheffield United (a), Brentford (a), Wolves (H), Fulham (H), and Nottingham Forest (H) in the first eight weeks.</p>
<p>The Eagles also rotate very well with Forest, Villa and Brentford.</p>
<div id="attachment_55581" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-55581" class="size-full wp-image-55581" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Marc-Guehi-Stats.jpg" alt="Marc Guehi Stats. best fpl defenders gameweek 1" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-55581" class="wp-caption-text">Marc Guehi's stats</p>
</div>
<h2></h2>
<h2><strong>Best FPL budget defenders 2023/24: Hub Power Rankings</strong></h2>
<p>I will now rank these options, exclusively for Hub <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/join">members</a>.</p>
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<h2></h2>
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