Well it took a while, but I’ve finally been able to update the FIFA 14 Lower League Gems series for summer! If you want promising players for an absolute bargain, you’re in the right place.
If you’re not sure what these articles are all about, click the bold link below. Otherwise, let’s get straight in to the recommendations.
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These articles aim to highlight young, high potential players that are priced at £1m or less. If a player is not available to buy straight away, their maximum price (in the ‘Cost’ column; see below) is £500,000. Most articles will showcase players with a minimum potential of 77 (although in some cases having a minimum potential of 78 brought back more than enough players).
This year I made a couple of exceptions to the price rules. I have included players whose clubs want £1.1m for them (as opposed to a maximum price of £1m) because you can negotiate this down to under £1m, and in some cases excluding these players meant to articles were lacking players you could actually buy straight away! For the same reason I have bumped the £500,000 rule up to just under £600,000 (e.g. £525,000, £575,000, etc).
The ‘Cost’ column refers to the price your scout will bring back after he’s looked at the player. The ‘They want’ column refers to the price you will be quoted by the team if you enquire about their player. These enquiry prices are negotiable, so don’t be afraid to bid below what they want.
The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘Available?’ and refers to whether the player is available to buy in the first transfer window. The first letter indicates this (Y for yes, they are available and N for no, they are not), whilst the number refers to the length of their contract. Y/1 means the player’s contract is about to expire, so you should be able to get them for a discount price.
Finally, because EA release update squads every week, this could mean that some of the players listed in the article below are slightly different on your game. Furthermore, players sometimes exceed their potential, while it has been noted that occasionally players don’t grow as hoped. Therefore these stats are a guide only.
These are the right backs I recommend:
- Manquillo
- Evgeniy Makeev
- Sébastien Locigno
- Leandro Bacuna
My first recommendation in this article is Manquillo. He already has some superb stats that make him the ideal full back already. His acceleration (83), sprint speed (82) and crossing (77) will see him bombing past opposition defenders and delivering dangerous crosses into the box, and his stamina (72) means he has the energy to do it for long periods of the game. His marking, tackling and interceptions are all excellent as well, and at 67 his strength is not at all bad for a full back and it will only get better as he develops. He’s unavailable at the start of a career, but wait until January and your patience will be rewarded with a fantastic player.
Evgeniy Makeev is up next and, like Shaun Hutchinson in the centre backs article, I’ve included him because you can get him for free. Just bid for him in January and he’ll be yours at the end of the season, and he should have had a nice OVR boost as well. He starts off with some excellent stats – like Manquillo, he is fast, has great stamina and some excellent defensive stats. He’s also very good at ball control and dribbling, so should be able to beat defenders going forward. His wages are high, but if you funnel the money you saved on a transfer fee into the wages pot, hopefully you will be able to afford them. If so, he’s well worth it.
Third up is Sébastien Locigno, and I chose him because he has a very decent OVR for his age, as well as some excellent stats. At 77, he has the highest stamina of any player on this list, and his acceleration (78) and sprint speed (76) mean he’ll be running up and down the touchline all game. Considering his OVR at such a young age, I’d expect him to exceed his OVR and get into the early 80s. You have to wait til January to get him; if you want someone straight away, try either Jean-Philippe Gbamin or Eros Medaglia. Though they’re not quite as good as Locigno, you can get them for around £550,000 and are similar players.
Finally, if you’re looking for something different then Leandro Bacuna is your man. He’s so well-rounded that you could easily play him all along the back line and all across midfield; he’s even got 66 finishing and is 6’2″, so could do a decent job up front as well! He combines pace and power, with 77 strength to go with his 74 acceleration, 72 sprint speed and 85 stamina. He’s got a fierce shot and excels at dead ball situations, so you’ll be getting a penalty and free kick expert to boot. Basically, he’s fantastic in a whole range of circumstances, making him a serious contender if you need a new right back.
Now here’s the full list:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Cost (£) | They want (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Avai? | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | Héctor Bellerín | 58 | 80 | 18 | 70,000 | 425,000 | 2,250 | Arsenal | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| RB | Gianluca Pollace | 60 | 80 | 17 | 120,000 | 600,000 | 2,250 | Lazio | Y/3 | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| RB | Manquillo | 67 | 80 | 19 | 375,000 | - | 10,000 | Atlético Madrid | N/5 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Kenny Tete | 61 | 79 | 17 | 120,000 | 650,000 | 1,750 | Ajax | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Stefano Sabelli | 65 | 79 | 20 | 325,000 | - | 4,000 | Bari | N/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Isaac Donkor | 54 | 78 | 17 | 50,000 | 250,000 | 2,250 | Inter | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Léo Dubois | 58 | 78 | 18 | 70,000 | - | 1,750 | FC Nantes | N/5 | Right | 4 | 2 | ||
| RB | Stefan Simic | 57 | 78 | 18 | 70,000 | - | 2,250 | Milan | N/5 | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| RB | Marcel Tisserand | 63 | 78 | 20 | 200,000 | * | 3,000 | RC Lens | - | Right | 3 | 2 | On loan from AS Monaco | |
| RB | Jack Hunt | 67 | 78 | 22 | 425,000 | - | 6,000 | Barnsley | N/4 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Evgeniy Makeev | 70 | 78 | 23 | 1,000,000 | 2,200,000 | 20,000 | Spartak Moskva | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 3 | Long throw-in | Contract expiring |
| RB | Jan Gyamerah | 60 | 77 | 18 | 120,000 | - | 750 | VfL Bochum | N/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | Injury prone | |
| RB | Jean-Philippe Gbamin | 62 | 77 | 17 | 170,000 | 825,000 | 750 | RC Lens | Y/3 | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| RB | Eros Medaglia | 62 | 77 | 18 | 170,000 | 825,000 | 750 | Vélez Sarsfield | Y/4 | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| RB | Sébastien Locigno | 63 | 77 | 17 | 170,000 | - | 1,500 | KAA Gent | N/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| RB | Cláudio Winck | 62 | 77 | 19 | 180,000 | 850,000 | 3,000 | Internacional | Y/2 | Right | 2 | 2 | ||
| RB | Leandro Bacuna | 66 | 77 | 21 | 425,000 | - | 5,000 | Aston Villa | N/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | Long throw-in, long shot taker |
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