Premier League Penalty and Set-Piece Takers for 2026/27

Who takes penalties for each Premier League club in 2026/27?

This page records the pre-season pecking order as it stood on 14 August. Competitive matches have already changed several calls, most clearly at Liverpool. Read the September update before treating any name below as the likely next taker.

Set pieces matter because they add repeatable routes to goals and assists. They are still a tiebreaker. A penalty taker who might not start is less useful than a secure player producing chances from open play.

Club-by-club penalty and set-piece table

The table began as the official 14 August list. The four corrected entries above reflect the September follow-up; the remaining clubs are still labelled as that earlier snapshot. Slash-separated names indicate a role that needed stronger match evidence, while semicolons show the listed succession order.

The penalty takers you can price into a decision

Saka, Palmer, Haaland and Fernandes combine first-place penalty status with established starting roles and premium-level open-play involvement. Their duties strengthen an existing case; they do not create it.

Thiago, Mateta, Wood and Solanke were also first in their club's 14 August order. Liverpool now needs a different note because Szoboszlai took the opening-day penalty with Isak still playing.

Szoboszlai scored Liverpool's opening-day penalty at Newcastle with Isak and Mac Allister on the pitch. Iraola discussed several specialists afterwards, so a permanent exclusive order remains unconfirmed. The Manchester City and Manchester United entries here remain the 14 August snapshot until they are reviewed in the same way.

That concentration is valuable. It also depends on minutes: a player cannot take a late penalty after being substituted.

The contested penalty groups

Aston Villa currently place Emiliano Buendía ahead of Ollie Watkins. Fulham list Antonee Robinson ahead of Alex Iwobi. Newcastle place Nick Woltemade ahead of William Osula. Those orders are official data, but they are not yet strong enough for FootieGuide to call the role secure.

Bournemouth's Junior Kroupi is listed first but is unavailable with a foot injury and no stated return date. Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier therefore matter more in the immediate decision. Everton's main dead-ball taker James Garner is currently expected back on 22 August, after the GW1 deadline.

Dead-ball monopolies add assist routes

Fernandes has the cleanest three-way monopoly in the current data. Szoboszlai, Rice, James, Cherki, Gibbs-White and Pedro Porro also combine direct or indirect duties with established creative roles.

The value is not simply the number of corners taken. Delivery quality, aerial targets, starting security and whether the taker shares left- and right-sided corners all affect the return. A nominal first-place order can still produce only half the team's corners.

For promoted teams, Ryan Giles leads both Hull dead-ball lists but competes with Matt Targett at left-back. Marcelino Núñez leads the Ipswich direct and indirect lists, with Leif Davis second. Coventry split duties among Jack Rudoni, Matt Grimes and Victor Torp; Rudoni is currently at 75 per cent because of a shoulder injury.

How to use the table in an FPL draft

1. Check minutes first. Remove any taker who is unlikely to start or complete enough of the match.
2. Separate penalties from corners. Penalties are high-value shots; corners mainly add an assist route.
3. Use fixtures next. A secure taker on a strong attack with a good run is more compelling than a duty-holder on a weak or heavily rotated side.
4. Watch substitutions. The next player in the order matters when the first choice often leaves early.
5. Refresh after evidence. The first competitive penalty or repeated corner pattern can overturn this table.

Combine the role layer with the GW1–6 fixture guide, the midfielder guide, the forward guide, and current availability in the Fantasy hub.

Why this order can change

The strongest counterargument is that pre-season set-piece lists are backward-looking and can become stale after one transfer, tactical change or substitution. That is correct. The official list is useful because it provides a consistent league-wide baseline, not because it predicts every future kick.

FootieGuide therefore assigns high confidence only where the order, starting role and recent responsibility point in the same direction. The overall table has medium confidence and should be treated as an updateable reference, not a permanent ranking.