FIFA 14 | Best Free Transfers – Left backs


FIFA 14 best free transfers - left backs

What better way to try something new before FIFA 15 hits the shelves than delve into the free transfer market? There are tons of high quality players out there that you don’t even need to pay a fee for, provided you make a move for them at the right time. If you’ve never tried it before you’re in luck, because I’m here to guide you through the best free transfers in FIFA 14, position by position.

How do I get players for free in FIFA 14?

It’s actually really straightforward to purchase players for free in FIFA 14 – at least, once you know who you’re looking for. They just need to be aged 23 or over when the January transfer window rolls around, and must have less than a year left on their contract (i.e. it will expire at the end of the season).

If you’ve identified the player you want, find them using the ‘Search Players’ option in the Transfer tab, click on them then click ‘Approach to sign on contract expiry’. You then just need to offer them a contract and wait a few days to see if they accept. If they do, they will join your team at the end of the season.

That’s the easy bit – the hard part is finding players who match those criteria. You can send your scout to find players in a certain country who have a year left on their contract and are 23 or older, but if you don’t have a very good scout you may not find many matching players.

Luckily I’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Simply browse the list below or have a look at the other articles in this series and decide who you want to go for, then follow my steps above to get them to join your squad. All the players in these articles will have a minimum potential of 75, so you know you’ll be getting quality for a fantastic price.

The OVRs listed here are true for the start of a career. When the player joins you the next year it is highly likely these will be different, as they can grow (or decline) during their first season. This can be great if they grow a lot, but just be aware that any player over the age of about 30 may well be worse than you expect when they arrive.

Let’s see who my left back recommendations are.

Recommendations

The elite option

Caner Erkin

Today’s choices are all about versatility. Although there aren’t many left backs available for free and there are quite a few older ones, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any good options. On the contrary, Caner Erkin is an incredible option because there’s very little he can’t do. He’s got all the attributes of a top class full back – pace, stamina, tackling, crossing – but he can shoot, pass and is fairly strong as well. Even his finishing isn’t too shabby for a left back. If you want versatility and someone who can play in multiple positions, go for Erkin.

There is a slight caveat, though. Because he’s a free agent, his wages are entirely dependent on the team he ends up at. Furthermore, this also affects his contract length. Though the game has set him to have a one year contract, this doesn’t always turn out to be the case. So hopefully you should be able to get him for free, but just be aware that his contract length may be different to what you see here. To find him, just search for his name or Turkish left backs.

The mid-range option

Fabian Johnson

After an excellent World Cup campaign, here’s another reason to recommend Fabian Johnson: you can get him for free. With his 88 sprint speed and 79 crossing, he should be a constant thorn in the opposition’s side and creating chances galore. He’s got good defending stats and his five star weak foot means he can play on either side of the pitch should injuries or fatigue become an issue for other players.

Moreover, his distribution and stamina are both some of his strongest stats, so you could play him in central midfield or on the wing if you wanted to. All this means he comes as more than just a straightforward full back and makes him a great choice for anyone looking to fill multiple positions in their squad.

The budget option

Carlinhos

Carlinhos is the very definition of versatility – even more so than Erkin. He doesn’t have a single red stat and only five orange stats, so there’s very little he can’t do. He could conceivably play in pretty much any position on the pitch, including attacking midfield, and it means that he can offer you something whatever the situation and wherever he pops up.

Just make sure you alter his work rates in the team management screen (go to you team’s formation, press X on Xbox or square on PlayStation to edit, then highlight Carlinhos and change his rates). Currently he’s set to have low defensive and high attacking work rates, so change that and you’ll be good to go.


Here’s the list in full:

[table id=136 /]
Have you tried any of these free left backs in your career? Is there a left back not in this article that you’d thoroughly recommend? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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