Welcome to the Lower League Gems series for the winter update to FIFA 13! If you want promising players for an absolute bargain, you’re in the right place.
These articles aim to highlight young, high potential players that are priced at £1m or less. The pre-winter update version of this series had 76 as the minimum potential, but there were simply so many eligible players this time round that I’ve had to up it to 77.
This year EA have been updating the game week by week. This means that player OVRs and potentials can change slightly depending on real world performances. As such, please note that the player stats on your game may slightly vary from those depicted in the table below. I tried to be as accurate as possible, but it’s conceivable that if you download the squad update in, say, two months time, some of the stats may be different.
Just remember that this year players can exceed their potentials if they play enough games and play well enough. Thus take this table to be a guide only. A player listed with potential 78 could reach the mid 80s (or even higher) if he consistently plays well!
As a final note, people have asked me what the ‘Avai?’ column is for. ‘Avai?’ is short for ‘available?’ (there is not enough space for the full word), and it refers to whether or not each player is available to buy in the first transfer window. ‘Y’ means yes, they are available, whilst ‘N’ means that they’re not. The number after the ‘Y’ or ‘N’ is the amount of years left on their contract. So ‘Y/2’ means that yes, they are available to buy in the first transfer window and that they have 2 years left on their contract. Similarly, ‘N/5’ means they’re not available to buy right away and that they have 5 years left on their contract. The ones to look out for are ‘Y/1’, as you should be able to get these players for less than their listed value. Players who are on loan will have a “-” in this column because information on their contracts is not available.
Right, here are my choices:
- Zakaria Bakkali
- Virgil Misidjan
- Nixon
- Ohi Anthony Omoijuanfo
He’s only 16 but already Zakaria Bakkali is looking pretty special. He’s very pacey and has fantastic balance, and taking on defenders will be a breeze. He can shoot from distance as well with either foot, as his weak foot rating is five stars. He’s also got a four star skill move rating and the flair trait, so if you like using tricks then this guy will be high up your list. You can’t get him right away, but wait until January and you may be able to buy him then.
My second choice is Virgil Misidjan. Like Bakkali, this guy is very quick and great at dribbling. He’s an acrobat and has superb balance, plus four stars for both his weak foot and his skill moves. He’s a lot like Bakkali, so if you don’t want to wait for him to become available then Misidjan should be your first choice. Don’t worry about his potential, he’s young and has plenty of time to grow, so I would expect him to easily reach into the 80s with consistently good performances.
Number three is a little different. Nixon has the potential to be a real goal machine, as his shooting is one of his strong points. Combined with his dribbling ability, this means he should be able to weave his way past defenders before finishing off the chance he has crafted for himself. Unlike most players on this list, he’s also pretty good in the air (although he is not the tallest player), so he will bring an extra element of flexibility to your side.
My final recommendation is Ohi Anthony Omoijuanfo, and the difference he brings is his strength. He’s a big guy and although he’s not the quickest, his strength makes up for this; instead of sprinting past defenders, he should be able to hold off their challenges and create chances for himself this way. In addition to this, he’s got decent finishing and only has one year left on his contract. If you’re looking for something a little different then this is a player you should consider.
Anyway, check below for the list in full:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Cost (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Avai? | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RW | Zakaria Bakkali | 63 | 85 | 16 | 675,000 | 1,750 | PSV | N/3 | Right | 5 | 4 | Flair, long shot taker | |
| RM | Anthony Limbombe | 66 | 80 | 17 | 1,000,000 | 1,500 | KRC Genk | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RM | Dimitris Pelkas | 66 | 80 | 18 | 1,000,000 | 1,500 | PAOK | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 4 | ||
| RM | Shaquille Hunter | 51 | 79 | 16 | 110,000 | 750 | Bristol Rovers | N/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| RM | Ryan Williams | 60 | 79 | 18 | 450,000 | 750 | Gillingham | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| RM | Taxiarhis Fountas | 66 | 79 | 16 | 1,000,000 | 1,500 | AEK Athens | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RW | Jacob Murphy | 55 | 78 | 17 | 200,000 | 2,250 | Norwich City | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| RW | Blair Turgott | 61 | 78 | 18 | 450,000 | 750 | Bradford City | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RW | Serge Gnabry | 62 | 78 | 16 | 550,000 | 2,250 | Arsenal | N/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| RW | Benito Raman | 63 | 78 | 17 | 550,000 | 1,500 | Beerschot AC | - | Right | 3 | 3 | Speedster, injury prone | On loan from KAA Gent |
| RW | Luciano Slagveer | 64 | 78 | 18 | 800,000 | 2,000 | SC Heerenveen | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RW | Lacerda | 64 | 78 | 20 | 850,000 | 3,000 | Modena | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| RW | Nixon | 66 | 78 | 19 | 1,000,000 | 3,000 | Flamengo | Y/2 | Right | 2 | 3 | ||
| RW | Alassane Pléa | 63 | 77 | 19 | 525,000 | 3,000 | Olympique Lyon | N/1 | Right | 3 | 3 | Long shot taker | |
| RW | Diego Martínez | 62 | 77 | 18 | 550,000 | 1,000 | Cruz Azul | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| RM | Ohi Anthony Omoijuanfo | 65 | 77 | 18 | 700,000 | 1,250 | Lillestrøm SK | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RM | Marcel Sabitzer | 65 | 77 | 18 | 700,000 | 1,250 | SK Rapid Wien | Y/4 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| RM | Sean Murray | 67 | 77 | 18 | 875,000 | 2,000 | Watford | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 3 | Flair, long shot taker | |
| RM | Markus Mendler | 67 | 77 | 19 | 900,000 | 4,000 | 1. FC Nuremburg | Y/2 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| RW | Virgil Misidjan | 67 | 77 | 18 | 925,000 | 1,750 | Willem II | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 4 | Acrobat, flair | |
| RM | Akaki Gogia | 67 | 77 | 20 | 925,000 | 4,000 | FC St. Pauli | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| RM | Amin Younes | 66 | 77 | 18 | 950,000 | 2,000 | Bor. M'gladbach | Y/4 | Right | 5 | 3 | Flair | |
| RW | Carlos Fierro | 66 | 77 | 17 | 1,000,000 | 2,000 | Guadalajara | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 2 | Power header |