Usually EA release a big update with all of the transfers sometime in early February. However, this year they did it slightly differently. Since FIFA 13 came out, every year the EA team have made updated OVRs and potentials available for download based on real life player performances. Usually these are just slight tweaks, but after some breakout performances a player’s potential can change a lot (Raheem Sterling is a good example). This is rare, though.
So please bear in mind that the information below is based on the updated squads from 2nd February. However, there’s no need to panic if you downloaded the update on 8th February (or any other subsequent update), as most players will not change (or if they do, it’ll be by a small amount). In any case, this year potentials are very flexible, so if a player you’re interested has his potential lowered in an update, he can still reach his old potential if he plays well for you.
The ‘Avai?’ column 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.
Now it’s time for the last article in the series, this time on target men. These strikers differ from goalscorers in that they are strong and very good in the air and use their physical presence to their advantage. They can not only be used to score goals but also to create them, by holding the ball up and acting as a focal point for the attack, hence the name.
Let’s see who I recommend from this article:
- Johnny Russell
- Niklas Helenius
- Jürgen Locadia
- Papá Babacar Diawara
My first recommendation is Johnny Russell, and you won’t find another striker like him. Whilst not the biggest, he has jumping 94, so he should easily win headers even against much bigger opponents. He’s got a very powerful shot (shot power 80), but what makes him unusual as a target man is that he is extremely quick. Most target men are good in the air but very slow, but not Russell, as he excels at both. I have him on my career and he has practically every attacking speciality – ‘speedster’, ‘clinical finisher’, ‘dribbler’ and ‘distance shooter’, whilst he’s two points away from ‘aerial threat’ and four away from ‘acrobat’. Leave him to grow for a year (growth on AI teams is usually very fast) and then you’ll be able to get him with less than a year on his contract – perfect! If you’re looking for the most complete forward you could ever want, go for Johnny Russell.
My second recommendation is Niklas Helenius. Like Russell, Helenius has the hallmarks of a great target man and also brings something slightly different, this time the fact that he is skilled in so many different technical areas. One of his main strengths is his already strong free-kick ability. As well as that his finishing is good across the board, and he can dribble and pass well. Being 6’5″ he’s going to be hard to beat in the air but he’s also very quick for such a big player. He is multi-talented but seems to be a pretty well-kept secret. Let’s put an end to that.
Next up is Jürgen Locadia. Still very young and an absolute steal for his abilities and potential, this guy is going to be dominating opposition defenders for years to come. He’s already strong and great in the air as you’d expect, but he’s also very good with his feet. Like the previous two strikers, he’s also very quick for a big man, but in addition he has a strong weak foot. With his talents he’ll be banging in the goals, so don’t be surprised to see him grow over his potential – time is certainly on his side.
My final pick is Papá Babacar Diawara. I was unsure whether I should choose him at first because he has a fair amount of growing to do for his age, but then I saw some of his stats – jumping 90 and heading accuracy 82 (plus the ‘power header’ trait) particularly come to mind, but he’s also strong and quick (sensing a theme here?) and has a scorching shot (shot power 83). The goals are going to be raining in as he has quite simply the best heading and jumping stats of anyone in this article. But with this being the case I wouldn’t worry, he can definitely get to 80 OVR or more – and imagine what his aerial ability will be like then!
Finally, Robert Beri? is a free agent so he’ll be assigned to a random team at the start of your career. Just search for Slovenian attackers (using the nationality and position boxes) if you want to buy him.
For the rest of the list, check below:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Cost (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Avai? | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST | Nélson Oliveira | 73 | 84 | 20 | 3,900,000 | 10,000 | RC Deportivo | - | Right | 3 | 3 | On loan from SL Benfica | |
| ST | Yuri Mamute | 65 | 83 | 17 | 1,100,000 | 1,000 | Grêmio | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Mauro Caballero | 67 | 83 | 17 | 1,200,000 | 3,000 | FC Porto | Y/5 | Left | 4 | 3 | Power header | |
| ST | Connor Wickham | 69 | 83 | 19 | 1,500,000 | 4,000 | Sunderland | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Jürgen Locadia | 68 | 83 | 18 | 1,600,000 | 2,000 | PSV | Y/5 | Right | 4 | 2 | ||
| ST | Arkadiusz Milik | 68 | 83 | 18 | 1,600,000 | 3,000 | Bayer 04 | Y/6 | Left | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Niklas Helenius | 70 | 82 | 21 | 2,400,000 | 6,000 | Aalborg BK | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Luc Castaignos | 73 | 82 | 19 | 3,400,000 | 10,000 | FC Twente | N/4 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CF | Haris Seferovic | 68 | 81 | 20 | 1,600,000 | 4,000 | Novara | - | Left | 2 | 2 | On loan from Fiorentina | |
| ST | Morata | 70 | 81 | 19 | 2,400,000 | 4,000 | RM Castilla | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Maxim Kanunnikov | 70 | 81 | 20 | 2,400,000 | 7,000 | Amkar Perm | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | Power header | |
| ST | Rogelio Gabriel Funes Mori | 70 | 81 | 21 | 2,400,000 | 7,000 | River Plate | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Valentín Viola | 72 | 81 | 20 | 3,600,000 | 7,000 | Sporting CP | N/5 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Thibaut Vion | 63 | 80 | 18 | 675,000 | 1,500 | FC Porto | Y/5 | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| ST | Abou Diop | 66 | 80 | 18 | 1,100,000 | 2,250 | Torino | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| ST | Michy Batshuayi | 69 | 80 | 18 | 1,400,000 | 3,000 | Standard Liège | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| ST | Salim Cissé | 68 | 80 | 19 | 1,400,000 | 4,000 | Académica | N/3 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CF | Johnny Russell | 69 | 80 | 22 | 1,500,000 | 4,000 | Dundee United | Y/2 | Left | 2 | 3 | Speedster | |
| ST | Marko Livaja | 71 | 80 | 18 | 2,100,000 | 4,000 | Atalanta | Y/5 | Right | 5 | 3 | ||
| ST | Richmond Boakye | 70 | 80 | 19 | 2,200,000 | 7,000 | Sassuolo | - | Right | 3 | 2 | On loan from Juventus | |
| ST | Robert Berič | 71 | 80 | 21 | 2,300,000 | 7,000 | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 2 | Free agent | ||
| ST | Papá Babacar Diawara | 73 | 80 | 24 | 2,900,000 | 15,000 | Sevilla FC | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | Power header | |
| ST | Christian Benteke | 73 | 80 | 21 | 3,300,000 | 10,000 | Aston Villa | N/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | Strength, power header |