Rounding off the defenders, here are my tips on which LBs to consider in your Career Mode.
As usual, in an attempt to make this relevant to as many players as possible, I have not included any LBs whose OVR is above 73 – this way you can keep your costs down and have some cash left over for other purchases (be they real players or new scouts). Furthermore, I have listed the players by cost, with the cheapest at the top of each sub-group (players are grouped by potential). However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the lowest-OVR players are at the top – notice how Fabio Daprelà is 6 points better than Jetro Willems and has a higher potential, yet is still slightly cheaper.
My recommendations are:
- Fabio Daprelà
- Nicolai Boilesen
- Lionel Carole
Fabio Daprelà is a fantastic choice, and not just because he is an absolute snip at £1.6m. His stamina starts at 91, meaning you can play him game after game without him needing a rest. He is also very pacey and great going forward, and his crossing and dribbling get even better as he develops.
With potential 86, Nicolai Boilesen develops into one of the best LBs in the game. Don’t be put off by his price tag, as it seems to vary wildly from transfer window to window. On my CM it dropped to £3-4m by the second season, but I’ve been told by someone that they managed to get him for £5m in the first transfer window, so make sure you check his price regularly so you don’t miss a bargain!
Lionel Carole is a solid choice if you can’t afford the other two (Daprelà’s price rises very quickly). He is also very good going forward, although his main strengths lie in his defensive capabilities, which means that he is a very good all-round choice. He also has a bonus in that being in a 2nd division French team means that his price is always going to stay low, meaning he will be a great bargain whenever you decide to buy him.
Please bear in mind that these figures may not be exactly the same on your game. These stats are taken from my own personal experiences, but are likely to be very similar to those on your own game. The best thing to do is to make sure you keep checking these players, as their prices may drop radically after a while.
Finally, if you’ve had any experiences of good players’ prices changing wildly (especially if their price drops), please post it in the comments.
So, without further ado, here are the players:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Cost (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Foot | Weak foot * | Skills * | Specialities/traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | Nicolai Boilesen | 69 | 86 | 19 | 8,000,000 | 10,000 | Ajax | Left | 3 | 2 | - | |
| LB | Fabio Daprelà | 67 | 83 | 20 | 1,600,000 | 10,000 | Brescia | Left | 3 | 2 | Injury prone | |
| LB | Matteo Liviero | 58 | 82 | 18 | 1,100,000 | 9,000 | Juventus | Left | 3 | 2 | - | |
| LB | Alex Sandro | 70 | 82 | 20 | 3,300,000 | 15,000 | FC Porto | Left | 2 | 3 | - | |
| LB | Lionel Carole | 66 | 81 | 20 | 1,600,000 | 7,000 | CS Sedan | Left | 3 | 2 | - | |
| LB | Jetro Willems | 61 | 81 | 17 | 1,800,000 | 4,000 | PSV | Left | 2 | 2 | Long throw-in | |
| LB | Ryan Bertrand | 69 | 81 | 21 | 2,000,000 | 10,000 | Chelsea | Left | 3 | 2 | Early crosser | |
| LB | Jack Robinson | 62 | 81 | 17 | 2,600,000 | 5,000 | Liverpool | Left | 3 | 2 | Early crosser | |
| LB | Evgeniy Makeev | 70 | 81 | 21 | 3,100,000 | 15,000 | Spartak Moskva | Right | 4 | 3 | - | |
| LB | Georgiy Schennikov | 72 | 81 | 20 | 4,500,000 | 15,000 | CSKA Moskva | Left | 3 | 2 | - | |
| LB | Cristiano Biraghi | 61 | 80 | 18 | 1,800,000 | 4,000 | C. Stabia | Left | 4 | 2 | Long shot taker | |
| LB | Gianluigi Bianco | 62 | 80 | 22 | 2,500,000 | 5,000 | Grosseto | Left | 3 | 2 | - | On loan from Sampdoria |
| LB | Armand Traoré | 71 | 80 | 21 | 3,100,000 | 10,000 | QPR | Left | 2 | 2 | Injury prone | |
| LB | Patrick van Aanholt | 70 | 80 | 20 | 3,100,000 | 10,000 | Wigan Athletic | Left | 3 | 3 | - | On loan from Chelsea |
| LB | Pedro Botelho | 73 | 80 | 21 | 4,100,000 | 15,000 | Rayo Vallecano | Left | 2 | 3 | - | |
| LB | Kévin Théophile-Catherine | 72 | 80 | 21 | 4,500,000 | 10,000 | Stade Rennes | Right | 4 | 2 | - |