Well it took a while, but I’ve finally been able to update the FIFA 14 Lower League Gems series for summer! If you want promising players for an absolute bargain, you’re in the right place.
If you’re not sure what these articles are all about, click the bold link below. Otherwise, let’s get straight in to the article.
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This year I made a couple of exceptions to the price rules. I have included players whose clubs want £1.1m for them (as opposed to a maximum price of £1m) because you can negotiate this down to under £1m, and in some cases excluding these players meant to articles were lacking players you could actually buy straight away! For the same reason I have bumped the £500,000 rule up to just under £600,000 (e.g. £525,000, £575,000, etc).
The ‘Cost’ column refers to the price your scout will bring back after he’s looked at the player. The ‘They want’ column refers to the price you will be quoted by the team if you enquire about their player. These enquiry prices are negotiable, so don’t be afraid to bid below what they want.
The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘Available?’ and refers to whether the player is available to buy in the first transfer window. The first letter indicates this (Y for yes, they are available and N for no, they are not), whilst the number refers to the length of their contract. Y/1 means the player’s contract is about to expire, so you should be able to get them for a discount price.
Finally, because EA release update squads every week, this could mean that some of the players listed in the article below are slightly different on your game. Furthermore, players sometimes exceed their potential, while it has been noted that occasionally players don’t grow as hoped. Therefore these stats are a guide only.
In this series I’ve divided the strikers into two groups: goalscorers and target men. Simply put, goalscorers excel with their feet and are good at dribbling and finishing. By contrast, target men use their size and strength to their advantage and are excellent in the air.
Now here are the goalscorers I recommend. As you can see, there were so many good ones it was extremely difficult to narrow it down to just a handful!
- Anthony Martial
- Ante Rebi?
- Fernando Aristeguieta
- Jerry Mbakogu/Aaron Olanare Samuel
- Nikos Vergos
I’m sure many people here will have heard of Anthony Martial thanks to his insane potential and very low price (and because I rave about him every year!). He starts off with searing pace (acceleration 83, sprint speed 85) but is also strong and good in the air, with 71 strength and 74 jumping. His technical stats are very well-balanced too, with his dribbling, control, finishing and heading all being around the same level. What this means is that once he gets to his potential there will be pretty much nothing he can’t do. He’s got the strength and aerial ability to make him a target man, but his skill set extends well beyond that. Though you can’t get him straight away, bid for him as soon as you can because he is going to be one incredible player.
If you’re looking for someone in the Martial mould but don’t want to wait for him to develop, try Ante Rebi?. And like Martial, what drew me to him was the phenomenal balance in his stats. Though he’s strong and great in the air, he can also finish, dribble and has an excellent long shot. He’s got decent pace too, unlike many target men, and is even fairly agile. In a nutshell, he’s very well-grounded in a host of different areas. Although he probably won’t grow as high as Martial (and let’s be fair, there are few that will!), he’s got so many good stats that he’s going to be banging in the goals regardless.
But if you’re looking for an out-and-out target men who will dominate defenses physically, go for Fernando Aristeguieta. He’s got some sensational stats on him – for instance, his 82 heading and 78 finishing make him by far the best finisher in this article. He’s good physically too, with 79 strength, 77 jumping and 78 stamina, and even his sprint speed isn’t bad for his size. Because he’s on a one year contract, FC Nantes want £1m for him and you can get him for around the £800,000, which seems like an absolute no-brainer given his fantastic stats.
Like Martial, I’m sure some readers here will recognise the name of Jerry Mbakogu – he’s probably one of my favourite ever FIFA players. He’s one of those rare players who combine pace and power, and in that respect he’s joined by Aaron Olanare Samuel. Both players are extremely fast (87 acceleration, 83 sprint for Samuel and 87 acceleration, 91 sprint for Mbakogu), but they also have strength in the 80s. This means they’re just going to blast their way through defences and consequently are going to feel a lot better than their OVRs suggest. Mbakogu has the added benefit of having 91 jumping, although he’s on loan for the entire first season, whereas you may be able to bid on Samuel in the January window. Whichever one you go for, you’re going to get a real force on your team.
I’ll also give a quick mention to Nikos Vergos. Already at 17 he’s got heading accuracy 76, which is ridiculous given his age, so in a couple of years’ time he’s going to be incredibly good in the air. He’s got excellent pace and a powerful shot, and with an OVR of 65 at that age I’d expect him to grow into the 80s.
Now let’s have a look at the list in full:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Cost (£) | They want (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Avai? | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST | Anthony Martial | 63 | 87 | 17 | 230,000 | - | 1,750 | AS Monaco | N/5 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| ST | Younes Bnou-Marzuk | 62 | 83 | 17 | 230,000 | - | 3,000 | Juventus | N/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Andrea Petagna | 67 | 82 | 18 | 500,000 | - | 7,000 | Milan | N/5 | Left | 2 | 2 | Strength, power header, outside foot shot | |
| ST | Yuri Mamute | 65 | 81 | 18 | 375,000 | 975,000 | 2,000 | Grêmio | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Léo Bonatini | 65 | 81 | 19 | 375,000 | * | 4,000 | Goiás | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from Cruzeiro | |
| ST | Betinho | 67 | 80 | 19 | 525,000 | * | 6,000 | Vitória FC | - | Right | 4 | 3 | On loan from Sporting CP | |
| ST | Robert Berič | 67 | 80 | 22 | 575,000 | - | 6,000 | SK Sturm Graz | N/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Valmir Berisha | 61 | 78 | 17 | 160,000 | 725,000 | 3,000 | Roma | Y/3 | Left | 3 | 3 | Flair | |
| ST | Ramiro Costa | 62 | 78 | 20 | 275,000 | * | 750 | Uni. Católica | - | Left | 3 | 3 | Strength, flair, outside foot shot | On loan from Rosario Ctral. |
| ST | Michael | 64 | 78 | 20 | 425,000 | 1,100,000 | 4,000 | Fluminense | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Tomi Jurić | 64 | 78 | 21 | 425,000 | - | 750 | Wanderers | N/2 | Left | 4 | 2 | ||
| ST | Ante Rebić | 66 | 78 | 19 | 525,000 | - | 6,000 | Fiorentina | N/4 | Right | 2 | 3 | ||
| ST | Philipp Hofmann | 67 | 78 | 20 | 575,000 | * | 9,000 | FC Ingolstadt | - | Left | 2 | 2 | Strength | On loan from FC Schalke 04 |
| ST | Fernando Aristeguieta | 69 | 78 | 21 | 775,000 | 1,000,000 | 7,000 | FC Nantes | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 2 | Power header | |
| ST | Melvyn Lorenzen | 60 | 77 | 18 | 160,000 | - | 2,000 | Werder Bremen | N/2 | Right | 2 | 3 | ||
| ST | Cauley Woodrow | 62 | 77 | 18 | 230,000 | 650,000 | 2,250 | Fulham | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | Finesse shot | |
| ST | Joel Pohjanpalo | 62 | 77 | 18 | 230,000 | 850,000 | 750 | VfR Aalen | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Nikos Vergos | 65 | 77 | 17 | 375,000 | - | 2,000 | Olympiakos CFP | N/4 | Right | 4 | 2 | ||
| ST | Aaron Olanare Samuel | 64 | 77 | 19 | 375,000 | - | 1,250 | Sarpsborg | N/4 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Arthur | 65 | 77 | 21 | 425,000 | 850,000 | 4,000 | Flamengo | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Jacques Zoua | 67 | 77 | 21 | 575,000 | - | 7,000 | Hamburger SV | N/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Jerry Mbakogu | 67 | 77 | 20 | 575,000 | * | 6,000 | Carpi | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from Padua |