The aim of this series, as last year, is to provide a shortlist of players that meet this requirement. All players have at least potential 80, and all will have an OVR of 73 or lower. The original intention of this (in the FIFA 12 series) was to keep costs down, but looking at this list I’m not sure that’s a problem any more! Still, I’ll stick to 73 or lower for the sake of avoiding overwhelming you with options.
A new addition this year is 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.
Finally, if you see that a team is low on this position when you go to buy a player, don’t be put off. On FIFA 12 this meant, essentially, that you’d never be able to buy this player, as his team would never buy backups and thus would always refuse to sell him. In FIFA 13, however, it just means that you have to pay a little extra to get him.
Next up, CMs. These players can fulfill a variety of roles – some will be more defensive, others more attacking, whilst a few are good in both roles. If you’re considering a player then it’s definitely worth checking out his stats to determine whether he’s the type of player you’re looking for.
Here are my recommendations this time around:
- James Ward-Prowse
- Tonny Vilhena
- Fegor Ogude
A lot of people have been talking about Leon Goretzka, and I agree that he is a fantastic prospect and unbelievably cheap. However, you can’t buy him at first, you can only loan him – if you’re willing to wait, then go for him. James Ward-Prowse, on the other hand, can be bought straight away. Even better, he’s only got a year left on his contract, so you can probably get him for around £700,000. He’s definitely more attacking than defending – his vision, dribbling and passing are all very good. For what he becomes, you’d be mad to pass him up.
Tonny Vilhena is a real find. He’s quick, got great stamina and high/high work rate (so he’ll become an engine), a 5 star weak foot and 4 star skill moves and the flair trait (so he can perform more flicks, the rabona pass, etc) and his passing and shooting is excellent. He’s super cheap and only has a couple of years left on his contract, and thanks to all that I’ve listed he’ll play better than his OVR suggests.
Lastly, if you’re unsure whether you need a defensive player or an attacking one, Fegor Ogude is your man. He’s fast, strong, he’s an engine, he’s good in the air, his dribbling and shooting are great (especially his long shots), his marking and tackling are equally good… I could go on. There’s very little that he doesn’t do well, in fact. He can fulfill more or less any role you need him to, and you can’t say that about many players. His positions are listed as CM/CDM/CB/CF, which says it all really!
Also, if you want Lehlogonolo Masalesa then you have to put “Rest of World” in the league field in the transfer screen, then enter his name and press search. For some reason Orlando Pirates don’t show up when you look in the “Rest of World” league, so this is the only way you can find him.
As in FIFA 12, make sure you keep checking these players, as their prices and OVR may fluctuate radically after over time. If you’ve had any experience of this (especially if a player’s price drops), please post it in the comments.
Here’s the table in full:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot | Age | Cost (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Avai? | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM | Afriyie Acquah | 73 | 86 | 20 | 3,900,000 | 8,000 | Parma | - | Right | 4 | 2 | On loan from Palermo | |
| CM | Nana Welbeck | 64 | 85 | 17 | 1,000,000 | 1,000 | Brescia | N/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Josh McEachran | 71 | 85 | 19 | 2,400,000 | 6,000 | Middlesbrough | - | Left | 3 | 3 | On loan from Chelsea | |
| CM | Héctor Canteros | 73 | 85 | 23 | 3,400,000 | 8,000 | Villarreal CF | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | Injury prone, long passer | |
| 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 | Tonny Vilhena | 66 | 84 | 17 | 1,400,000 | 1,750 | Feyenoord | Y/2 | Left | 5 | 4 | Flair | |
| CM | Lorenzo Crisetig | 69 | 84 | 19 | 1,600,000 | 1,000 | La Spezia | N/2 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Sergio Roberto | 72 | 84 | 20 | 3,600,000 | 9,000 | FC Barcelona | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | Long shot taker | |
| 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 | Marco van Ginkel | 71 | 83 | 19 | 2,200,000 | 6,000 | Vitesse | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 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 | Jordan Veretout | 67 | 82 | 19 | 1,100,000 | 3,000 | FC Nantes | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Jonjo Shelvey | 71 | 82 | 20 | 2,300,000 | 9,000 | Liverpool | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | Long passer | |
| CM | Gary Gardner | 70 | 82 | 20 | 2,300,000 | 7,000 | Aston Villa | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | Injury prone, long passer, long shot taker | |
| CM | Rúben Micael | 73 | 82 | 25 | 3,000,000 | 10,000 | SC Braga | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from Atlético Madrid | |
| CM | Pedro Obiang | 73 | 82 | 20 | 3,400,000 | 9,000 | Sampdoria | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Jonathan Dos Santos | 73 | 82 | 22 | 3,400,000 | 15,000 | FC Barcelona | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 2 | Long shot taker | |
| CM | Ivo Pękalski | 72 | 82 | 21 | 3,400,000 | 7,000 | Malmö FF | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 3 | Injury prone | |
| 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 | Real Madrid 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 | Rubén Pardo | 69 | 81 | 19 | 1,400,000 | 4,000 | Real Sociedad | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Tom Trybull | 68 | 81 | 19 | 1,500,000 | 4,000 | Werder Bremen | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Fillipe Soutto | 71 | 81 | 21 | 2,100,000 | 6,000 | Atl. Mineiro | Y/3 | Left | 2 | 2 | ||
| CM | Fabio Sciacca | 70 | 81 | 23 | 2,100,000 | 6,000 | Catania | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | Long shot taker | |
| CM | Markus Henriksen | 73 | 81 | 19 | 2,900,000 | 10,000 | AZ Alkmaar | Y/5 | Right | 4 | 3 | Long shot taker | |
| CM | Francesco Della Rocca | 72 | 81 | 24 | 3,000,000 | 8,000 | Fiorentina | - | Left | 3 | 3 | On loan from Palermo | |
| CM | Campaña | 72 | 81 | 19 | 3,200,000 | 9,000 | Sevilla FC | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Victor Wanyama | 72 | 81 | 21 | 3,400,000 | 7,000 | Celtic | Y/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 | Long shot taker | 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 | Adrien Trebel | 66 | 80 | 21 | 1,100,000 | 3,000 | FC Nantes | Y/2 | Left | 4 | 3 | ||
| CM | Lucas Finazzi | 66 | 80 | 22 | 1,100,000 | 3,000 | Brescia | N/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Abdisalam Ibrahim | 69 | 80 | 21 | 1,400,000 | 2,000 | Strømsgodset IF | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from Manchester City | |
| CM | Manuel Giandonato | 69 | 80 | 20 | 1,400,000 | 4,000 | Vicenza | - | Right | 3 | 2 | Finesse shot | On loan from Juventus |
| CM | Isaac Cofie | 68 | 80 | 21 | 1,400,000 | 4,000 | Chievo Verona | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Gianluca Musacci | 70 | 80 | 25 | 1,900,000 | 6,000 | Parma | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CM | Héctor Herrera | 70 | 80 | 22 | 2,100,000 | 6,000 | Pachuca | Y/4 | Right | 4 | 2 | Long passer | |
| CM | Fegor Ogude | 73 | 80 | 24 | 2,700,000 | 10,000 | Vålerenga | Y/2 | Right | 4 | 3 | Engine, long shot taker | |
| CM | Alexandr Ryazantsev | 72 | 80 | 25 | 2,700,000 | 7,000 | Rubin Kazan | Y/1 | Right | 4 | 3 | Injury prone, long passer, long shot taker | |
| CM | Denilson | 72 | 80 | 24 | 2,700,000 | 8,000 | São Paulo | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CM | Migjen Basha | 72 | 80 | 25 | 2,700,000 | 7,000 | Torino | - | Right | 3 | 2 | Long shot taker | On loan from Atalanta |
| CM | Barry Bannan | 73 | 80 | 22 | 3,100,000 | 10,000 | Aston Villa | Y/2 | Left | 2 | 3 | Early crosser, long passer, long shot taker | |
| CM | Alessandro Florenzi | 72 | 80 | 21 | 3,100,000 | 10,000 | Roma | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 3 |