11 Cheap Fantasy League Players You Must Sign

10. GK: Victor Valdes (Middlesbrough) £4.5m

Victor Valdes may well wake up one morning, possibly when winter hits, and wonder how the hell he has managed to trade the Catalan suburbs for the north-east of England. His agent is probably bracing himself in the corner, sweat lining his forehead, awaiting the inevitable blame. However, Valdes’ career spiral notwithstanding, the former Barcelona stopper is a valuable commodity and a top signing by Spaniard Aitor Karanka.

The 34-year-old shot-stopper links up with his compatriot, who has prided himself on building a solid defensive unit at the Riverside since taking the reins three years ago. Middlesbrough kept 25 clean sheets last season, including a six-game streak that hadn’t been bettered since December 2003.

With such a solid foundation already in place and with the addition of Valencia right-back Antonio Barragan, Valdes shouldn’t find himself too unduly troubled this forthcoming campaign. But then, having had his feet up and with a front-row seat to Lionel Messi and co. ripping it up in La Liga every week, he’s used to that.