FIFA 13 | Lower League Gems – Left backs


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.

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:

  • Luke Shaw
  • Loris Benito
  • Joakim Våge Nilsen

Luke Shaw is my first recommendation, and it’s not hard to see why. With potential 83 and priced at only £275,000 he’s just too much of a bargain to miss. Snap him up before someone else does.

A lot of people have been telling me about the next player – Loris Benito. Only a couple of seasons down the line and he becomes and absolute monster, with all of his physical stats either dark or light green. He’s got great potential and with his pace and strength will be extremely useful on the pitch.

My last recommendation is Joakim Våge Nilsen, who plays for FK Haugesund in the Norwegian Tippeligaen. He’s as quick as he is strong (in fact, all of his physical stats are about the same) and has a wicked shot. His crossing, passing and tackling are all good and he can take powerful free-kicks, making him a great all-rounder. He’s only got a few months left on his contract so you can get him for peanuts and he comes loaded with traits. What more can you want?

Honourable mentions go to Aurélio Saco-Vértiz for his combination of speed, strength and brilliant free kick ability, and to Cristiano Biraghi for being both pacey and having amazing stamina (92). Both are well worth considering.

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!

Here’s the complete list:

PosNameOVRPot.AgeCost (£)Wages (£)ClubAvai?FootWeak footSkillsTraitsNotes
LBLuke Shaw588316275,0002,250SouthamptonY/2Left32
LBRaphaël Guerreiro588218275,000750SM CaenN/3Left32
LBGrimaldo648216975,0001,000FC Barcelona BY/4Left22
LBAurélio Saco-Vértiz6782231,000,0003,000-Y/4Left22Long throw-inFree agent
LBJack Robinson638118600,0002,250LiverpoolY/1Left32Early crosser
LBFernando Evangelista6481201,000,0002,000Boca JuniorsN/5Left33
LBLoris Benito578020275,0001,250FC ZürichY/4Left32Early crosser
LBBenjamin Mendy657917700,0001,000Le Havre ACY/2Left32
LBCristiano Biraghi627819500,0002,000CittadellaY/3Left42Long shot taker
LBCarles Planas657821750,0003,000FC Barcelona BY/2Left32Early crosser
LBJoe Mattock647822750,0003,000Sheffield WednesdayN/3Left32Flair
LBMário Rui657821750,0001,000La Spezia-Left32On loan from Parma
LBFlorentin Pogba627721500,0002,000CS SedanY/1Left32
LBJoakim Våge Nilsen677721850,0002,000FK HaugesundY/0Left33Power free-kick, early crosser, long shot taker
LBMitchell Dijks667719900,0003,000AjaxY/3Left32
LBJonathan Parr697723975,0004,000Crystal PalaceY/2Left53Early crosser
LBMarçal697723975,0004,000CD NacionalY/3Left43
LBMassadio Haïdara6977191,000,0004,000AS NancyY/2Left32
LBJoe Walsh597620275,000750Crawley TownN/1Left32
LBJake Bidwell607619325,000750Brentford-Left22On loan from Everton
LBDenner637618450,000750CorinthiansY/2Left32
LBAlessandro Bassoli627622475,0002,250Chievo VeronaY/3Left32
LBNicolás Tagliafico657619675,0003,000Real Murcia CFY/2Left22
LBGiliano Wijnaldum647619675,0003,000AZY/1Left23Long throw-in
LBMatthew Briggs657621700,0003,000FulhamY/2Left32
LBFrancesco Renzetti667624750,0003,000PaduaY/1Left32
LBLucas Digne667618800,0002,000LOSC LilleY/4Left32Long throw-in
LBFlorian Hartherz677619825,0004,000Werder BremenY/2Left32
LBThimothée Kolodziejczak677620850,0004,000OGC NiceY/4Left22Early crosser
LBMarvin Plattenhardt667620850,0003,0001. FC NuremburgY/2Left32
LBDodô667620850,0004,000RomaN/5Left43Injury prone
LBEron677620850,0004,000A. Goiânia-Left22Early crosserOn loan from Atl. Mineiro
LBAbel Tamata677621850,0004,000Roda JC-Right42On loan from PSV
LBPape N'diaye Souaré667622850,0003,000Stade Reims-Left22Long throw-in, early crosserOn loan from LOSC Lille
LBMichael Lumb687624950,0005,000ZenitY/0Left32Long throw-in
LBMarkus Suttner687625950,0004,000FK AustriaY/4Left33Early crosser, long shot taker
LBZsolt Laczkó687625950,0004,000SampdoriaY/2Left42
LBNikola Gulan687623975,0004,000ModenaN/3Left33
LBLaurens De Bock6976191,000,0004,000Sport. LokerenY/3Left42Early crosser