FIFA 17 | Best cheap high potential central midfielders

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In these articles I look at the best cheap, high potential players in FIFA 17, with tonight’s post focusing on central midfielders. 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.

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The articles in this series should give you some ideas if you’re looking for a new signing in a key area. There is one article for each position on the pitch to make it easy for you to quickly find players to bolster your squad.

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 75, 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.

The figure in the player cost column refers to the price you are given if you scout the player. There’s also another column – ‘Enquiry’. 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 ‘Enquiry’ 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 ‘Enquiry’ 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 17 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 without further ado, let’s see the cheap young central midfielders that I recommend.

Pablo Galdames: potential 85

Pablo Galdames is a tireless midfield ball-winner

If you’ve read my guide to the best cheap high potential defesive midfielders in FIFA 17, you’ll see that I said Santiago Ascacibar was a lot like N’Golo Kanté. Well, now we’ve found another ‘new Kanté’ in the form of Pablo Galdames. He’s the perfect midfield ball-winner – he’s got 86 stamina, 85 interceptions and great tackling stats already, despite only being 19 years old.

He’s also very decent going forward. His 4 star skills and 4 star weak foot, plus good dribbling and pace, make him a real threat on the counter. And of course there’s his amazing 85 potential, so he will grow into a superb box-to-box midfielder with a few years of development.

Bid for him now and Union Española will want £6m, so you can get him for about £4.7m. His wages are very cheap at £2,200.

Lucas Tousart: potential 85

Lucas Tousart is a rock solid defensive-minded player

If you’re looking for a bit more midfield steel, Lucas Tousart is the player to go for. He’s just 19 but already has 84 strength and 75 stand tackling, making him a defensive rock in midfield. Add in his 74 heading accuracy and 74 interceptions and you’ll have a commanding player who will score plenty of goals too.

He’s not slow either, and his 81 stamina means he can last all game. He’s also very decent at picking out a pass, which means he could be useful for starting attacks on the break.

OL-Lyon want £6.5m for him, so you can negotiate that down to about £5.3m. His wages are £16,500.

Yassin Ayoub: potential 81

Yassin Ayoub is a great attacker with huge versatility

For a more attacking option, try out Yassin Ayoub. With 78 ball control, 75 dribbling and good distance shooting stats, he’s very useful in the opposition’s half. He’s also got 83 crossing and decent pace, making him a fantastic supply man to provide his teammates with goalscoring opportunities.

He’s not just an attacker, though. His tackling stats are good, and his 85 stamina will mean he can track back and get forward without getting exhausted. That makes him a versatile player who can offer much in defence as well as attack.

FC Utrecht want £7m for him, but you can knock that down to about £6m. His wages are £9,500.

Now here are the other cheap, high potential central midfielders in FIFA 17:

Thanks for reading! If you have any player recommendations of your own and have some ideas for the website, make sure you let me know in the comments below.

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