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.
Now let’s have a look at my right back recommendations.
Recommendations
The elite option
If money is not a consideration then your choice today is clear: Ignazio Abate. He’s got superb OVR and potential ratings, and thanks to his age he should arrive very close to his potential. £60,000 a week is surely a fair price to pay for someone who can bring that kind of ability to your club.
In terms of his stats, he’s a speedster with an amazing 94 sprint speed – one of the best sprint speed ratings in the game. But he won’t let up either, as his 94 stamina means he’ll be running all game. He’s got fantastic crossing and dribbling, but has good strength and can defend as well. He’ll be a great option if you like your full backs harrying the opposition all game long.
The mid-range option
Marcos Rocha has been a player I’ve kept my eye on for a few FIFAs now, and the opportunity to bag him on a free transfer is a seriously tempting prospect. Like Abate, he can run – at pace – all day, with 83 acceleration, 84 sprint speed and 87 stamina among his best attributes. He’s superb going forward and will be creating tons of chances for you, and his fantastic dribbling, powerful shot and good positioning could see him pop up with a few goals along the way.
He should arrive around the 76 to 77 range, perhaps even higher. It’s not often you get a chance to sign a player like him for just £20,000 a week and no transfer fee, and I can attest he will be worth every penny.
The budget option
My final choice for this article is Daniel Opare. Opare should be your choice if you want a player in the style of Abate and Rocha but can’t afford their wages. He’s extremely fast (88 acceleration and 91 sprint speed) and has brilliant stamina, while he has something to offer in both attack and defence.
While he’s not quite as technically accomplished as the other two, don’t forget that he will have a year of AI growth before he joins your team. Players on AI teams often grow much more than would be possible on player-controlled squads, so there’s every chance his technical stats will have improved rapidly after a year. That’ll make him a superb option for any club looking for an affordable option at right back.
NOTE: Although I mentioned earlier that players have to be 23 to be eligible, there may be some entries in these articles whose age is 22. That’s because they start a career aged 22, but by the time January arrives they are 23 and can be signed for free.
If there is a 22-year-old whose date of birth (‘DOB’) is given in the Notes column, this is because you can only sign him on or after that date. So if a player has ‘DOB: 27 January’ in the Notes column, you can only move to sign him for free on or after 27 January.
Now let’s have a look at the complete list:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Wages (£) | Club | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | Ignazio Abate | 77 | 82 | 26 | 60,000 | Milan | Right | 2 | 3 | Speedster | |
| RB | Bacary Sagna | 80 | 80 | 30 | 70,000 | Arsenal | Right | 4 | 3 | Early crosser | |
| RB | Marcos Rocha | 73 | 80 | 24 | 20,000 | Atl. Mineiro | Right | 3 | 2 | Long throw-in | |
| RB | João Pereira | 79 | 79 | 29 | 70,000 | Valencia CF | Right | 3 | 3 | Long throw-in | |
| RB | Abdoulay Konko | 78 | 78 | 29 | 50,000 | Lazio | Right | 4 | 2 | Injury prone | |
| RB | Evgeniy Makeev | 70 | 78 | 23 | 20,000 | Spartak Moskva | Right | 3 | 3 | Long throw-in | |
| RB | Roberto Rosales | 73 | 76 | 24 | 25,000 | FC Twente | Right | 3 | 3 | Long throw-in | |
| RB | Allan-Roméo Nyom | 73 | 76 | 25 | 20,000 | Granada CF | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| RB | Francesco Pisano | 72 | 76 | 27 | 15,000 | Cagliari | Right | 3 | 2 | Injury prone, early crosser | |
| RB | Mario Gaspar | 70 | 76 | 22 | 15,000 | Villarreal CF | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Mattia Cassani | 75 | 75 | 29 | 35,000 | Parma | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Anthony Réveillère | 75 | 75 | 33 | 40,000 | Napoli | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Zdeněk Pospěch | 75 | 75 | 34 | 20,000 | 1. FSV Mainz 05 | Right | 3 | 2 | Early crosser | |
| RB | Aleksandar Ignjovski | 72 | 75 | 22 | 15,000 | Werder Bremen | Right | 4 | 3 | DOB: 27 January | |
| RB | Daniel Opare | 71 | 75 | 22 | 15,000 | Standard Liège | Right | 4 | 2 | Acrobat | |
| RB | Sueliton | 71 | 75 | 26 | 15,000 | Atl. Paranaense | Right | 3 | 3 | Flair | |
| RB | Dedryck Boyata | 68 | 75 | 22 | 10,000 | Manchester City | Right | 3 | 2 |
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