FIFA 17 | Best free pre-contract defensive midfielders

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Welcome to the next installment in the FIFA Scouting Tips series on the best free transfers in FIFA 17. Today we’re taking a look at defensive midfielders that you can get for no transfer fee – you just pay for their wages.

What is a pre-contract?

A pre-contract is an agreement by a player and an agreeing to take his registration at a later date. A club may sign a pre-contract with a player while he is still with another club, by which the player agrees to move to the club at a future date, usually after his contract with his current club expires. Under the Bosman ruling, a player can sign a contract with a new club up to six months before his existing contract expires. There is no transfer fee involved in FIFA 17, and you have the January transfer window only to sign pre-contract players.

A good defensive midfielder can greatly benefit any team. Whether you need a solid ball-winner to shore up the midfield or a deep-lying playmaker to start attacks, a defensive midfielder can fulfill these roles and more.

I’ve reviewed players of at least 78 potential and narrowed my list below down to 3 players who I feel will really benefit your side. I have taken into account age, OVR rating, potential, and wages mainly to give my honest opinion on who will fit your side.

Jan Kirchhoff – 77 overall, 81 potential

Jan Kirchhoff is deadly in the air

Jan Kirchhoff is my first choice. He’s a beastly defensive-minded player who will help shut out opposition attacks thanks to his 83 strength. He’s got decent pace (74 sprint speed), enabling him to quickly cover ground, and his 81 interceptions will make it simple to cut out passes and halt attacks. He’s also great in the air – with 84 heading accuracy and 6’5″ in height, he’ll score plenty of goals from set pieces.

Compared to some of the players on this list, his wages aren’t too expensive: £32,500. Not at all bad for a player with a high starting OVR and 81 potential.

Sidney Pessinho – 77 overall, 80 potential

Sidney Pessinho is a defensive rock

This is actually a fake player – EA didn’t have the rights for domestic Brazilian players, so had to create players with fake names. Regardless, Sidney Pessinho is 100% certified awesome. He’s quite like Kirchhoff, but is more flexible (albeit with slightly lower potential). He’s much better at dribbling, crossing and distance shooting, so can easily play a little higher up the pitch than Kirchhoff. He’s also got better stamina and strength, excellent attributes for a defensive midfielder.

All that and you only have to pay £10,500 in wages – that’s an awesome bargain for any team.

Filipe Augusto – 73 overall, 80 potential

Filipe Augusto is a great budget option

The second Brazilian in this article, Filipe Augusto is very much like a lower-rated, cheaper Pessinho. He’s very well-rounded and is good in both attack and defence (and it’s worth playing him a bit further forward to make use of his good dribbling and skill moves. He’s also got excellent passing ability, so is a great option if you’re looking for a deep-lying playmaker without breaking the bank.

Speaking of cost, he’s one of the cheapest players in this article – just £6,900 in wages.

Now here are the best free, high potential defensive midfielders in FIFA 17.

Thanks for reading! Want to get some more free players? Check out the rest of the guides so far:

– Goalkeepers
– Centre backs
– Right backs
– Left backs

Cheers,

Alex.