FPL set piece takers 2026/27: corners, free kicks and penalties
By Arasi Rex · Updated 12 August 2026 · 7 min read
FPL set piece takers matter in a strict order of value: the penalty takers first, the corner takers on high-volume sides second, and the direct free kick takers a distant third. A penalty is worth roughly 0.76 expected goals, a direct free kick only 0.05 to 0.10 xG, and corners drive roughly a quarter of all goals, so the man who takes the spot kicks is the only true specialist in the game. The full hierarchy for every club, including the second-choice taker who inherits the job mid-match, is below.
Why the taker list matters more than the player
The gap between set piece types is the whole story. A penalty is worth roughly 0.76 expected goals, far higher than any live-ball chance, while a direct free kick is worth roughly 0.05 to 0.10 expected goals, barely better than an ordinary shot. Corners sit between the two as pure volume: they drive roughly a quarter of all goals, which makes the corner taker at a high-volume club an assist bank rather than a goal threat.
The pecking order passes down within the match. When the first-choice penalty taker goes off or the corner specialist is substituted, the second name on the list takes over, so the hierarchy matters for your bench decisions as much as your starting XI. This is why the takers are listed in pairs below.
How set piece points land on your scoreboard
Set pieces have no separate points table. The ball goes in and the ordinary rules apply: a goal is worth 6 for a defender, 5 for a midfielder and 4 for a forward, and an assist is worth 3 for everyone, so the corner taker collects the 3 when his delivery is turned in. A penalty miss costs -2, a penalty save is worth 5 to the goalkeeper, and the captain doubles all of it. The scoring guide has the full points table and the bonus points guide covers the penalty-save BPS line.
Penalty takers: where the real value sits
The league converted 63 of 77 penalties in 2025/26, an 81.82% hit rate, which is why the taker is a points floor rather than a lottery ticket. The per-club table from that season:
| Club | First choice | Second choice | Taken/scored/missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Gyökeres | Saka | Gyökeres 2/2/0, Saka 1/1/0 |
| Chelsea | Palmer | Enzo | Palmer 5/5/0, Enzo 2/2/0 |
| Brentford | Thiago | Schade | Thiago 7/6/1 (85.71%), Schade 1/0/1 |
| Crystal Palace | Mateta | - | 6/6 on the most-taken list |
| Fulham | Jiménez | - | 3/3/0 |
| West Ham | Paquetá | Bowen | Paquetá 2/2/0, Bowen 1/1/0 |
| Burnley | Flemming | - | 2/2/0 |
| Everton | Ndiaye | - | 2/2/0 |
| Liverpool | Salah | Szoboszlai | Salah 1/1/0, Szoboszlai 1/0/1 |
| Nottm Forest | Gibbs-White | Anderson | both 1/1/0 |
The most-taken list tells the same story from the other end: Thiago 9/9, Mateta 6/6, Clarke 6/6, Palmer 5/5, Fernández 5/5, Calvert-Lewin 5/5, Haaland 5/5, Gyökeres 4/4, Fernandes 4/4, Wright 3/3.
Corner takers: the assist banks
Corners drive roughly a quarter of all goals, and the highest corner-volume clubs in 2025/26 were Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. The takers at the high-volume sides, with last season's corner counts from the pre-season guide:
| Club | No.1 taker | No.2 taker | Last season's corners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Rice | Saka | shared |
| Chelsea | Palmer | James | Palmer 75, James 19 |
| Liverpool | Mac Allister | Robertson | Mac Allister 71, Robertson 59 |
| Bournemouth | Cook | Tavernier | Cook 77, Tavernier 49 |
The counts are last season's totals, a guide to who owns the routine rather than a promise of volume. The pattern is the point: Rice, Palmer and Mac Allister all take the big deliveries for sides that win a lot of corners, and all three are midfielders who get the full 5-point goal value on top.
Direct free kick takers: mostly noise
The direct free kick takers read like a who's who of set piece specialists, and it barely matters. At 0.05 to 0.10 xG a go, a direct free kick is worth a fraction of a penalty, so the taker is a tiebreaker between two otherwise equal picks, not a reason to buy. The 2025/26 hierarchy anyway: Arsenal Rice; Chelsea Palmer and James; Liverpool Szoboszlai; Palace Eze; Newcastle Gordon; Nottm Forest Anderson; Man Utd B.Fernandes; Spurs Maddison or Son; West Ham Bowen; Wolves Hwang or André.
The FPL set piece takers worth owning
The prices separate the taker from the return:
- Rice at £7.5m and 22.40% ownership scored 184 points from 4 goals and 9 assists, and he takes Arsenal's direct free kicks and shares the corners with Saka.
- Mac Allister at £5.5m and 1.90% ownership took 71 of Liverpool's corners with Robertson on 59, the cheapest route into a high-volume set piece operation.
- Szoboszlai at £7.0m and 47.00% ownership scored 160 points from 6 goals and 7 assists and takes Liverpool's direct free kicks; the free kicks are the least valuable part, the 160 points are the point.
- Thiago is the penalty play: £8.0m, 16.00% ownership, 181 points from 22 goals, 7 penalties taken with 6 scored (85.71%), and 9 of 9 on the most-taken list.
- Palmer at £9.5m and 12.10% ownership takes Chelsea's penalties and most of their corners, and 10 goals carried him to 114 points in a season when the whole side misfired.
The baseline for comparison is Haaland at £15.5m and 74.80% ownership with 239 points, and B.Fernandes at £12.0m and 48.70% ownership with 235 points. The set piece route does not out-score either of them. It prices a specific, repeatable role at £4.0m to £7.5m less, which is where the value is for a squad building around the rest of the pitch.
FAQ
Who takes corners for Arsenal in FPL? Rice shares them with Saka, and Rice also takes the direct free kicks. At £7.5m and 22.40% ownership he returned 184 points from 4 goals and 9 assists.
Who is on penalties for Chelsea? Palmer is first choice and Enzo second. Palmer converted 5 of 5 in 2025/26 and Enzo 2 of 2, so the spot-kick duties are as settled as any in the league.
Why does the penalty taker matter more than the corner taker? A penalty is worth roughly 0.76 expected goals while a corner is a delivery into a contested box. The league converted penalties at 81.82% last season, so the taker turns a top-quality chance into points with enormous frequency.
How do set piece goals score points? Exactly like any other goal: 6 for a defender, 5 for a midfielder, 4 for a forward, with 3 for the assist. A penalty miss costs -2 and a penalty save is worth 5 to the goalkeeper.
Key takeaways
- Penalties are the only set piece worth building around: roughly 0.76 xG per spot kick against 0.05 to 0.10 xG for a direct free kick.
- The league converted 63 of 77 penalties (81.82%) in 2025/26, so the confirmed taker is a points floor.
- Corner takers at high-volume sides are the assist banks: Mac Allister 71, Palmer 75 and Cook 77 deliveries last season.
- Thiago took 9 of 9 and scored 22 goals at 16.00% ownership, the standout penalty value at £8.0m.
- Direct free kick takers are a tiebreaker, not a strategy, at 0.05 to 0.10 xG per attempt.
The lesson for 2026/27 is that FPL set piece takers are not one category but three, priced and picked completely differently. Penalties are the crown jewels because the 0.76 xG chance converts at 81.82%, corners are the quiet volume play because a quarter of goals start from them, and direct free kicks are a rounding error that sells articles. Start your set piece planning with the penalty list, spend your money on the corner takers, and let the free kick takers pick themselves.