The idea behind these articles is providing quality players to teams limited funds. With that in mind, none of the players in these articles cost more than £1m.
As before, remember that player contracts have a huge impact. The fewer years left on the contract, the more likely you are to get a good deal. So if a player only has 1 year left on his contract you can get him for much less than his asking price. As such, I’ve added a column that says how many years are left on each player’s contract, and whether you can get him in the first transfer window. That’s the “Avai?” column (short for “available?”). To save space I’ve formatted it like this: Y/3 would mean yes, you can buy this player in the first window, and he has 3 years left on his contract. If it says something like “N/5″ that means he has a 5 year contract and you can’t get him at first (the “N” is because he’s just joined the club), but you may be able to get them in the next window. The ones to look out for are Y/1 or Y/0, as some players only have months left on their contracts. Players who are on loan will have a “-” in this column because information on their contracts is not available.
As you can see from the ridiculously-long table below, this has been a great year for cheap players on FIFA! So much so in fact, that I’ve had to make the minimum potential 76 (last year it was 74) because there are just so many cheap, talented players out there! So the players on these lists will have a minimum potential of 76, will cost no more than £1m and will be aged no older than 25.
Here are my recommendations:
- Leon Goretzka
- James Ward-Prowse
- Jonathan Espericueta
A lot has been said about Leon Goretzka and I’m sure you can see why – he’s one of the cheapest high potential players out there. Although you can’t buy him at first, he’ll still be very cheap by the time you can. He could be available in the January window (and if not, then the second season summer window), so make sure you get him as soon as you can. He’s big, has great stamina and is excellent going forward. Give him game time and he’ll shoot up.
If you want someone more immediately then go for James Ward-Prowse. His vision and short passing are superb for a 17 year old, and he’ll easily beat opposition players thanks to his balance and dribbling. There’s only a year left on his contract, so he can be yours for around £650,000.
Jonathan Espericueta at Tigres in Mexico is my third recommendation. He actually has a lot more strong stats than his OVR would suggest, particularly his passing and vision. It also looks like he may become a free-kick specialist in the future because not only can he shoot from distance but his curve stat is excellent as well. Even his crossing’s good, so he’s a great attacking package.
Special mention to Brice Ntambwe and Scott Fraser. Ntambwe has that combination of speed and strength and makes and excellent CDM at a fantastic price, whilst you won’t get a cheaper option than Scott Fraser. 33 points of growth and costing just £60,000 – seems ridiculous, but who wouldn’t want to buy someone like that?
Finally, if you want to buy Lehlogonolo Masalesa, select Rest of World in the league section on the transfer screen, then search for his name.
Players are ordered by potential, then cost, so it should be pretty simple to find someone who meets both your budget and ability/potential requirements.
Finally, if you’ve had any experiences of good players’ prices changing wildly (especially if their price drops), please post it in the comments!
Below is the complete list:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Cost (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Avai? | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM | Nana Welbeck | 64 | 85 | 17 | 1,000,000 | 1,000 | Brescia | N/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Leon Goretzka | 59 | 84 | 17 | 275,000 | 750 | VfL Bochum | N/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | James Ward-Prowse | 64 | 84 | 17 | 1,000,000 | 2,250 | Southampton | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Adrien Rabiot | 63 | 83 | 17 | 650,000 | 1,750 | PSG | N/3 | Left | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Josh Vela | 65 | 83 | 18 | 1,000,000 | 1,500 | Bolton | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Ogenyi Onazi | 60 | 82 | 19 | 450,000 | 2,250 | Lazio | Y/3 | Right | 2 | 3 | ||
| CM | Jonathan Espericueta | 62 | 82 | 17 | 650,000 | 1,000 | Tigres | Y/4 | Left | 3 | 2 | Long passer | |
| CM | Ravel Morrison | 64 | 82 | 19 | 1,000,000 | 2,000 | Birmingham City | - | Left | 3 | 3 | On loan from West Ham | |
| CM | Christian Nørgaard | 59 | 81 | 18 | 275,000 | 2,000 | Hamburger SV | N/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | José Rodríguez | 63 | 81 | 17 | 650,000 | 1,000 | RM Castilla | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | Long passer, long shot taker | |
| CM | Andrea Romanò | 65 | 81 | 18 | 825,000 | 2,250 | Inter | N/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Danilo Cataldi | 60 | 80 | 17 | 450,000 | 2,250 | Lazio | N/4 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CM | Joel Valencia | 65 | 80 | 17 | 825,000 | 2,250 | Real Zaragoza | Y/1 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CM | Marcel Ritzmaier | 65 | 80 | 19 | 825,000 | 2,000 | PSV | Y/2 | Left | 3 | 3 | Long passer | |
| CM | Mustafa Amini | 65 | 80 | 19 | 825,000 | 3,000 | Bor. Dortmund | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | Long shot taker | |
| CM | Yassin Ayoub | 64 | 80 | 18 | 825,000 | 1,750 | FC Utrecht | Y/4 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Florent Cuvelier | 64 | 80 | 19 | 825,000 | 750 | Walsall | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from Stoke City | |
| CM | Emin Makhmudov | 65 | 80 | 20 | 850,000 | 3,000 | Spartak Moskva | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Lehlogonolo Masalesa | 64 | 80 | 20 | 850,000 | 2,000 | Orlando Pirates | N/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CM | Filipe Augusto | 67 | 80 | 18 | 1,000,000 | 2,000 | Rio Ave FC | Y/5 | Left | 2 | 2 | Flair | |
| CM | Alfred Duncan | 67 | 80 | 19 | 1,000,000 | 5,000 | Inter | Y/4 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Massimiliano Busellato | 66 | 80 | 19 | 1,000,000 | 3,000 | Cittadella | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Scott Fraser | 46 | 79 | 17 | 60,000 | 1,500 | Dundee United | Y/2 | Left | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Brice Ntambwe | 58 | 79 | 19 | 275,000 | 1,500 | Birmingham City | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Taxiarhis Fountas | 61 | 79 | 16 | 450,000 | 1,500 | AEK Athens | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Mehdi Abeid | 61 | 79 | 19 | 450,000 | 2,250 | Newcastle Utd | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Nazmi Faiz | 60 | 79 | 17 | 450,000 | 1,500 | SC Beira Mar | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CM | Lucas Torró | 63 | 79 | 17 | 525,000 | 1,000 | RM Castilla | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Soualiho Meité | 63 | 79 | 18 | 525,000 | 750 | AJ Auxerre | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Simone Calvano | 63 | 79 | 18 | 525,000 | 1,000 | H. Verona | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Scott Allan | 64 | 79 | 20 | 850,000 | 2,250 | West Brom | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | Long shot taker | |
| CM | Yaw Asante | 64 | 79 | 21 | 850,000 | 2,000 | Grosseto | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | André André | 67 | 79 | 22 | 1,000,000 | 4,000 | Vit. Guimarães | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Robin Quaison | 61 | 78 | 18 | 450,000 | 1,250 | AIK Fotboll | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Leonardo Capezzi | 60 | 78 | 17 | 450,000 | 2,250 | Fiorentina | N/3 | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| CM | Raphael Holzhauser | 63 | 78 | 19 | 525,000 | 2,000 | VfB Stuttgart | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Oscar Branzani | 63 | 78 | 22 | 550,000 | 2,000 | Cittadella | Y/1 | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| CM | Park Jong Woo | 65 | 78 | 23 | 750,000 | 3,000 | Busan I'Park | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Saúl | 64 | 78 | 17 | 750,000 | 3,000 | Atlético Madrid | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Tom Carroll | 65 | 78 | 20 | 800,000 | 3,000 | Tottenham | Y/4 | Left | 2 | 3 | ||
| CM | Fausto Rossi | 65 | 78 | 21 | 800,000 | 3,000 | Brescia | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Sergiu Suciu | 64 | 78 | 22 | 800,000 | 3,000 | Torino | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Matteo Mandorlini | 66 | 78 | 23 | 925,000 | 1,000 | La Spezia | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from Brescia | |
| CM | Jeff Louis | 67 | 78 | 19 | 975,000 | 4,000 | AS Nancy | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Jeff Hendrick | 67 | 78 | 20 | 1,000,000 | 4,000 | Derby County | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Roberto Soriano | 67 | 78 | 21 | 1,000,000 | 4,000 | Sampdoria | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Danny Drinkwater | 66 | 78 | 22 | 1,000,000 | 3,000 | Leicester City | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CM | Matti Steinmann | 59 | 77 | 17 | 275,000 | 2,000 | Hamburger SV | Y/1 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CM | Alexey Evseev | 57 | 77 | 18 | 275,000 | 1,500 | Zenit | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Manuel Zeitz | 63 | 77 | 21 | 500,000 | 2,000 | SC Paderborn | - | Right | 3 | 2 | On loan from 1. FC Nuremburg | |
| CM | Nono | 65 | 77 | 19 | 725,000 | 3,000 | Real Betis | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Oliver Buff | 65 | 77 | 19 | 725,000 | 3,000 | FC Zürich | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 2 | Long passer | |
| CM | Adam Blakeman | 64 | 77 | 20 | 800,000 | 3,000 | Bolton | Y/1 | Left | 3 | 2 | Power free-kick | |
| CM | Koh Myong Jin | 67 | 77 | 24 | 825,000 | 4,000 | FC Seoul | Y/2 | Left | 4 | 2 | ||
| CM | Ruiz de Galarreta | 67 | 77 | 18 | 875,000 | 3,000 | Athletic Bilbao | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Enzo Réale | 66 | 77 | 20 | 1,000,000 | 4,000 | Olympique Lyon | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Damian Djokovic | 66 | 77 | 22 | 1,000,000 | 3,000 | Cesena | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Phousseyne Diaby | 54 | 76 | 17 | 200,000 | 750 | LB Châteauroux | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Callum Reilly | 57 | 76 | 18 | 275,000 | 1,500 | Birmingham City | N/1 | Left | 3 | 2 | Long passer, long shot taker | |
| CM | Gael Bigirimana | 60 | 76 | 18 | 325,000 | 2,250 | Newcastle Utd | N/5 | Right | 3 | 2 | Acrobat | |
| CM | Joel Allansson | 61 | 76 | 19 | 350,000 | 1,250 | IFK Göteborg | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Rafidine Abdullah | 60 | 76 | 18 | 350,000 | 1,750 | Marseille | Y/1 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Tom Hölscher | 61 | 76 | 17 | 350,000 | 1,750 | FC Twente | N/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | Long passer | |
| CM | Fabian Schnellhardt | 60 | 76 | 18 | 350,000 | 750 | 1. FC Köln | N/2 | Left | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Valerio Verre | 60 | 76 | 18 | 350,000 | 2,250 | Siena | - | Right | 3 | 2 | On loan from Genoa | |
| CM | Marco Augusto Romizi | 60 | 76 | 22 | 375,000 | 1,000 | Bari | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Sekou Junior Sanogo | 63 | 76 | 23 | 475,000 | 2,000 | FC Lausanne | - | Left | 2 | 4 | On loan from FC Thun | |
| CM | Conor Thomas | 62 | 76 | 18 | 475,000 | 750 | Coventry City | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Julian Korb | 63 | 76 | 20 | 500,000 | 2,000 | Bor. M'gladbach | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Ryan Jack | 63 | 76 | 20 | 500,000 | 2,000 | Aberdeen | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Choi Young Jun | 63 | 76 | 20 | 500,000 | 2,000 | GyeongNam FC | Y/4 | Right | 4 | 2 | ||
| CM | Ronaldo | 62 | 76 | 22 | 500,000 | 2,000 | Grosseto | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | John Ogu | 65 | 76 | 24 | 675,000 | 3,000 | Académica | N/3 | Left | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Jasmin Kurtić | 65 | 76 | 23 | 700,000 | 3,000 | Palermo | Y/3 | Right | 2 | 2 | Strength, power free-kick, long shot taker | |
| CM | Daniel Johnson | 64 | 76 | 19 | 725,000 | 3,000 | Aston Villa | Y/1 | Left | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Oscar Gobern | 65 | 76 | 21 | 750,000 | 3,000 | Huddersfield | Y/1 | Left | 2 | 2 | Speedster, long shot taker | |
| CM | Zvonko Pamić | 65 | 76 | 21 | 750,000 | 3,000 | MSV Duisburg | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from Bayer 04 | |
| CM | Cristian Battocchio | 67 | 76 | 20 | 925,000 | 5,000 | Udinese | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Artur Yusupov | 66 | 76 | 22 | 925,000 | 4,000 | Dinamo Moskva | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Nicolas Viola | 66 | 76 | 22 | 925,000 | 3,000 | Palermo | N/4 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Kemy Augustien | 68 | 76 | 25 | 1,000,000 | 4,000 | Swansea City | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | Injury prone |