With the new Fantasy Premier League season set to begin, managers are reaching the point where drafts need to be finalised and teams locked in before the rapidly approaching deadline.

For most FPL managers, the first name in the starting XI will be Erling Haaland (£15.5m), given the huge numbers he has produced consistently in the Premier League.

However, the Manchester City striker’s massive price tag means compromises are required elsewhere in the squad if you want to fit him in.

That is why nearly 30 per cent of teams are going without the 26-year-old, as it gives managers the chance to put together a more balanced and, arguably, stronger all-round squad.

The obvious downside is that Haaland can hurt you badly if you do not own him. He has a long record of starting Premier League campaigns strongly and almost always finishes with one of the highest points totals in the game.

This season, though, there may be a window to take the gamble of going without the Norwegian for at least the opening couple of gameweeks. City’s fixtures are decent rather than outstanding, beginning with Bournemouth at home before a trip to Crystal Palace. He is also coming off a major international tournament for the first time in his career, and it remains unclear what impact that could have on his form.

At the same time, Manchester United go away to Hull City and then host Ipswich Town in the first two gameweeks, which makes Bruno Fernandes (£12.5m) the standout captaincy choice across the opening fortnight.

If you are not planning to hand the armband to Haaland, there is clearly a case for leaving him out and distributing that money across the rest of your squad.

Crucially, if you choose this strategy, you should try to maximise the upside by using your chips accordingly. Bench Boost in either GW1 or GW2 becomes a more realistic option without Haaland in the squad, and then you can Wildcard him back in ahead of GW3 for Manchester City’s home match against Coventry City.

The danger with that approach, however, is that Haaland could begin in typically explosive fashion, while Coventry may prove not to be ready for Premier League level, creating the ideal chance to use the Triple Captain chip on the number nine in GW3. But that would not be possible if you are also activating your Wildcard that week, which could leave you at a major disadvantage compared to managers who started with Haaland.

We have put together three drafts to illustrate what a non-Haaland FPL squad could look like. You do not need to copy any of them exactly, player for player, as they are simply intended to show the different routes available.

FPL Gameweek 1 deadline: Friday, 21 August, 6.30pm BST

The Football Faithful FPL league code: zog9n6

The first draft is heavily attack-oriented, with plenty of firepower throughout the team. Joao Pedro (£7.5m), Alexander Isak (£9m) and Igor Thiago (£8m) form an expensive front three, while the starting midfield contains Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo (£8m) for that Hull fixture, along with Antoine Semenyo and Florian Wirtz.

Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m) is the only defender priced above £4.5m, and there are several low-cost options to choose from for the rest of the backline. The setup also includes two £4.5m goalkeepers, with Bart Verbruggen and Antonin Kinsky among the best options.

You could comfortably use Bench Boost with this group of players. Christos Tzolis (£6.5m) is expected to start against Coventry, while Ola Aina and Michael Kayode, both priced at £4.5m, offer strong bench depth.

The second draft is far more balanced, although it keeps many of the same names. Thiago has been replaced by Nottingham Forest’s Igor Jesus (£6m), who costs £2m less, though there are plenty of alternatives in that same price bracket.

Dominik Szoboszlai (£7m) comes in for his Liverpool teammate Wirtz to free up a little cash, and that extra money is invested in defence. Nico O’Reilly (£6.5m) and Pedro Porro (£5.5m), two of the league’s best attacking defenders, have been added, while Senne Lammens (£5m) has been selected in goal instead of Harry Maguire (£4.5m) or another Manchester United defender.

Bench Boost is also a workable option with this squad, and there is room to tweak a few selections if you want a stronger fifth defender than Issa Diop (£4m).

The final draft places much greater emphasis on a strong defence, which proved to be a successful strategy last season.

David Raya (£6m) gets the nod in goal, while Gabriel Magalhaes (£8m) comes in for Calafiori because of greater security of starts, although you could keep the Italian instead of Porro if you want a triple Arsenal defence. Two budget defenders are still required, so Luke Shaw (£4.5m) and Diop have been chosen.

The starting midfield remains the same as in the second draft, but Tzolis has been downgraded to Diego Gomez (£5m). The third forward has also been removed and replaced by Sindre Walle Egeli (£4.5m), who is there purely to sit on the bench and is unlikely to be used.

It probably does not need saying, but this is not a squad you can Bench Boost unless you downgrade another midfielder and defender, and then upgrade both Walle Egeli and Martin Dubravka (£4m).

Here is what that could look like: