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The series is back for FIFA 15! In these articles I look at the best cheap, high potential players in FIFA 15, with tonight’s post focusing on goalscorers and strikers. I’ll go through a few recommendations, then show you the full list of top quality players afterwards. For a full run down of how I choose the players and what the different columns in the table mean, click on “What are these articles all about?” below.
Tonight I’m looking at goalscorers – strikers who excel with the ball at their feet. They are often fast and have excellent shooting and dribbling ability, so if you enjoy scoring goals with the ball on the deck, these are the players for you. If you’re looking for a strong striker who can dominate the aerial battles, you’ll need my article on target men.
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All of the players given here have a minimum potential of 80, so you know you’re getting quality. The maximum OVR for each player is 73, both to keep transfer prices down and to avoid presenting you with too many options and thus making it too difficult to choose the player you need.
The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘available?’ and refers both to whether or not you can buy the specified player at the start of the first season and how long their current contract is. Let’s take Y/2 as an example – Y means that yes, you can buy him at the start of a new career, and the number means he has two years left on his contract. Similarly, N/3 would mean that no, you can’t buy the player straight away, and he has three years left on his contract. These ‘no’ players are often available for transfer if you wait until the January transfer window, however. For some players this column is blank – this means that they are out on loan at the start and are therefore unavailable for purchase until the second season.
Initial player costs may seem very low this year. The figure in the player cost column refers to the price you are given if you scout the player. But I’ve also added a new column this time round – ‘They want’. This refers to the price the other team want for the player if you enquire about him. Often there is a large difference between the player cost obtained through scouting and that obtained through an enquiry. This leaves a lot of room for negotiation, so don’t be put off if a price in the ‘They want’ column is high, as you can usually get the player for much less. Try bidding lower than what you think will be accepted – you may be surprised at their response. If the ‘They want’ column is blank it’s because the team refused to give a price, either because the player has just joined them or because they are loaning him in.
And as a final note, in FIFA 14 EA update player OVRs and potentials every week. Mose of the time these are very minor changes, and most players won’t be affected at all unless they have had a very noteworthy week. Furthermore, some players occasionally disappear if they have been put in the reserve squad that week. So just bear in mind that these figures should be read as a guide only and not a definitive account of player costs, potentials, etc, for the entire season.[/expand]
So, here are tonight’s recommended goalscorers.
Luciano Vietto: potential 85
Luciano Vietto is the most technically gifted striker in this article and well worth his price tag
If you’re looking for a deadly striker who can pretty much do it all, go for Luciano Vietto. He is the most technically accomplished striker in this article, and excels at almost every aspect of attacking. His 78 finishing is the best out of everyone in this article, and he’s lethal from range as well thanks to his 78 long shots and 80 shot power. His 80 acceleration, 80 sprint speed and 82 balance will see him breeze past defenders, aided by his 76 dribbling and four star skill moves. His short passing is good too, so he can set up chances for his teammates, while his 80 stamina will help him last the full 90 minutes.
All that comes at a price. You can’t buy him in the first window, but enquire near the end of January and Villarreal CF will want £12.5m for him. That can be brought down to the £9m – £10m range, while his wages are £25,000. He is expensive, but you won’t find a more technically astute player with that OVR and that potential for less. So if you have the cash, he’s an option you should seriously consider.
Luis Muriel: potential 81
Luis Muriel is incredible cheap for the talent and dribbling ability he possesses
A much cheaper option is Luis Muriel of Udinese. He’s the perfect embodiment of this ‘goalscorer’ category, with the highest dribbling and ball control in this article. His 85 ball control is superb, and his 85 dribbling is only one point short of giving him the Dribbler speciality. His 88 acceleration and 88 sprint speed will be devastating when combined with his technical ability, and his four star skill moves complete the picture of a dribbling master.
He’s got good finishing too, and his powerful shot means he can score from distance if he gets the opportunity. His 75 positioning will also prove very useful, and he’ll get into excellent positions to create opportunities and score goals.
The price Udinese ask for varies, but it’s usually either £3.3m or £4.3m. For a player with 73 OVR and who is the best dribbler in this article, that’s a very low price. You can get him for between £2m and £3m depending on the enquiry price, which is an absolute steal. His wages are £30,000.
Breel Donald Embolo: potential 83
Breel Donald Embolo brings good strength, and can hold off defenders to create opportunities on goal
There are several reasons I’ve chosen to recommend Breel Donald Embolo tonight. His OVR is excellent for his age, and his high potential will see him develop into a world class striker. He’s got very good finishing and shot power, but is also skilled at dribbling past opponents and passing to his teammates. His fantastic ball control (79) means he can quickly get the ball moving, and his 84 stamina will seem him running all game long for your team.
As well as that, he’s got 80 acceleration and 84 sprint speed, but also 81 strength. It’s very rare to find a goalscorer who is both quick and strong, and it means that he’s going to be able to hold off defenders who are rated much higher than him. He’ll be able to create more space for himself and take chances that would see weaker strikers pushed off the ball. That’s a property that will make him play better than his OVR would suggest – an OVR that is already excellent for his age.
You can’t buy him in the first transfer window, but enquire in January and FC Basel will want £3.9m for him. You can get that down to around £2.5m, and combined with his £3,000 wages that makes him a very affordable player indeed.
See below for the full list of cheap, high potential goalscorers and strikers in FIFA 15:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Cost (£) | They want (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Avai? | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST | Luciano Vietto | 73 | 85 | 20 | 2,000,000 | - | 25,000 | Villarreal CF | N/5 | Right | 3 | 4 | Long shot taker | |
| ST | Breel Donald Embolo | 67 | 83 | 17 | 500,000 | - | 3,000 | FC Basel | N/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | Finesse shot | |
| ST | Enes Ünal | 68 | 83 | 17 | 700,000 | 6,500,000 | 3,000 | Bursaspor | Y/2 | Right | 4 | 4 | Flair | |
| CF | Paulo Dybala | 70 | 83 | 20 | 1,300,000 | 1,1000,000 | 15,000 | Palermo | Y/2 | Left | 2 | 4 | Acrobat, finesse shot | |
| ST | Ángelo Henríquez | 73 | 83 | 20 | 2,000,000 | Right | 4 | 3 | Free agent | |||||
| ST | Younes Bnou-Marzuk | 63 | 82 | 18 | 230,000 | 1,600,000 | 3,000 | Juventus | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Neal Maupay | 64 | 82 | 17 | 375,000 | 2,400,000 | 2,000 | OGC Nice | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Luka Đorđević | 68 | 82 | 19 | 775,000 | * | 9,000 | Sampdoria | - | Right | 4 | 3 | On loan from Zenit | |
| ST | James Wilson | 63 | 81 | 18 | 230,000 | 1,300,000 | 3,000 | Manchester Utd | Y/1 | Left | 4 | 2 | ||
| ST | Bård Finne | 65 | 81 | 19 | 375,000 | 2,600,000 | 4,000 | 1. FC Köln | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Abdul Majeed Waris | 71 | 81 | 22 | 1,300,000 | - | 15,000 | Trabzonspor | N/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | Speedster | |
| CF | Luis Alberto | 72 | 81 | 21 | 2,000,000 | * | 25,000 | Málaga CF | - | Right | 4 | 3 | On loan from Liverpool | |
| ST | Luis Muriel | 73 | 81 | 23 | 2,300,000 | 3,300,000 | 30,000 | Udinese | Y/4 | Right | 4 | 4 | Flair | |
| ST | Donis Avdijaj | 60 | 80 | 17 | 160,000 | 1,400,000 | 2,000 | FC Schalke 04 | Y/5 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CF | Adam Armstrong | 60 | 80 | 17 | 160,000 | - | 2,250 | Newcastle Utd | N/1 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Denis Davydov | 64 | 80 | 19 | 375,000 | 3,700,000 | 6,000 | Spartak Moskva | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Munir | 66 | 80 | 18 | 500,000 | - | 5,000 | FC Barcelona | N/7 | Left | 2 | 4 | ||
| ST | Britt Assombalonga | 68 | 80 | 21 | 775,000 | - | 7,000 | Nottingham Forest | N/5 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Diego Rubio | 69 | 80 | 21 | 775,000 | * | 7,000 | Sandnes Ulf | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from Sporting CP | |
| ST | Héctor Villalba | 70 | 80 | 19 | 1,200,000 | 3,700,000 | 15,000 | San Lorenzo | Y/6 | Right | 4 | 3 | Speedster, acrobat, flair | |
| CF | Branimir Hrgota | 70 | 80 | 21 | 1,300,000 | 4,200,000 | 15,000 | Bor. M'gladbach | Y/2 | Left | 4 | 3 | Flair | |
| ST | Luc Castaignos | 73 | 80 | 21 | 2,000,000 | 8,500,000 | 30,000 | FC Twente | Y/2 | Right | 2 | 3 |