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The series is back for FIFA 15! In these articles I look at the best cheap, high potential players in FIFA 15, with tonight’s post focusing on ‘target men’ strikers. I’ll go through a few recommendations, then show you the full list of top quality players afterwards. For a full run down of how I choose the players and what the different columns in the table mean, click on “What are these articles all about?” below.

Tonight I’m looking at target men – big strong strikers who excel at holding the ball up and winning aerial battles. They can use their size to hold off defenders and set up teammates, and their aerial prowess is ideal if you build your attacks through crossing. If you’re looking for a more mobile striker who will excel with the ball at their feet, you’ll need my article on goalscorers.

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***The articles in this series should give you some ideas if you’re looking for a new signing in a key area. There is one article for each position on the pitch to make it easy for you to quickly find players to bolster your squad.

All of the players given here have a minimum potential of 80, so you know you’re getting quality. The maximum OVR for each player is 73, both to keep transfer prices down and to avoid presenting you with too many options and thus making it too difficult to choose the player you need.

The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘available?’ and refers both to whether or not you can buy the specified player at the start of the first season and how long their current contract is. Let’s take Y/2 as an example – Y means that yes, you can buy him at the start of a new career, and the number means he has two years left on his contract. Similarly, N/3 would mean that no, you can’t buy the player straight away, and he has three years left on his contract. These ‘no’ players are often available for transfer if you wait until the January transfer window, however. For some players this column is blank – this means that they are out on loan at the start and are therefore unavailable for purchase until the second season.

Initial player costs may seem very low this year. The figure in the player cost column refers to the price you are given if you scout the player. But I’ve also added a new column this time round – ‘They want’. This refers to the price the other team want for the player if you enquire about him. Often there is a large difference between the player cost obtained through scouting and that obtained through an enquiry. This leaves a lot of room for negotiation, so don’t be put off if a price in the ‘They want’ column is high, as you can usually get the player for much less. Try bidding lower than what you think will be accepted – you may be surprised at their response. If the ‘They want’ column is blank it’s because the team refused to give a price, either because the player has just joined them or because they are loaning him in.

And as a final note, in FIFA 14 EA update player OVRs and potentials every week. Mose of the time these are very minor changes, and most players won’t be affected at all unless they have had a very noteworthy week. Furthermore, some players occasionally disappear if they have been put in the reserve squad that week. So just bear in mind that these figures should be read as a guide only and not a definitive account of player costs, potentials, etc, for the entire season.[/expand]

See below for tonight’s recommended target men.

Richairo Zivkovic: potential 86

He may only be 17, but already Richairo Živkovi? of Ajax looks like a real star. His 77 finishing is one of the best finishing stats in this article, and his excellent pace gives him an edge that many target men lack. He’s also good in the air, with strong jumping and heading, and his 6’2″ height will cause headaches for all sorts of defenders.

Though you can’t get him in the first transfer window, an enquiry in January will bring back an asking price of £6.5m. You can get him for around the £4m mark, and his wages are £3,000. Not at all bad for one of the best young strikers in the game with fantastic potential and all-round abilities.

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Connor Wickham: potential 83 / Khouma Babacar: potential 81

I’ve chosen a joint recommendation here because Connor Wickham and Khouma Babacar are very similar players, so if you can’t get one then the other will be just as good. Both are very strong but have excellent pace and jumping, so can win the physical battles whatever form they take. They can both score from distance or from up close as well, meaning they’re going to be excellent strikers who grow into lethal finishers as they near their potential.

Babacar’s stats across the board are a little better than Wickham’s, but Wickham is better when it comes to dribbling and crossing. This means he could play on the wing if you need him to, where he can use his size and strength to bully full backs out of the way. Whichever you go for, you know you’re getting a brilliant target man who can pretty much do it all.

When it comes to price, they’re both real bargains. An enquiry to Sunderland for Wickham brings back an asking price of £2.1m, so you can get him for around £1.5m. Similarly, an enquiry to Fiorentina for Babacar gives you a price of £2.5m, so he can be bought for about £1.8m. Wickham’s wages are £15,000 and Babacar’s £25,000, and both are amazing bargains considering their OVRs and potentials.

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Ishak Belfodil: potential 80 / Yussuf Poulsen: potential 80

Now, I wanted to highlight Ishak Belfodil and Yussuf Poulsen because they offer something completely different to most target men: superb dribbling ability. Both are big and strong – 6’4″ with 79 strength and 82 strength respectively – and can both dominate aerial contests thanks to their jumping and heading.

However, with 81 ball control and 83 dribbling, Belfodil is not just a big lump who can hold the ball up. He can take on and beat defenders in his own right, and his good pace and flair trait will add to that talent. He combines striking brilliance with a serious burst of flair, which makes him into a brilliant all-rounder.

Similarly, Poulsen’s main technical speciality lies in his flair and trickery. His 73 dribbling is his strongest technical stat, and his flair trait and amazing four star skill moves – so rare in such a big player – will be a blessing to anyone who likes beating defenders with skills. But as well as that he has blistering pace (85 acceleration and 86 sprint speed) that, when combined with his 82 strength, means that he can just bulldoze his way through the opposition. So whether you want to beat defenders with guile or power, he’s a great option.

You have to wait until January to buy Belfodil from Parma and the price you get back from an enquiry will vary between £4.8m and £7m, so you can get him for between £3.5m and £5m. His wages are £25,000. Poulsen’s club RB Leipzig (in the German second division) will give back an enquiry price of £6m, so he can be bought for about £4m. His wages are £7,000.

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See below for the full list of cheap, high potential ‘target men’ strikers in FIFA 15:

Thanks for reading! If you have any player recommendations of your own and have some ideas for the website, make sure you let me know in the comments below.And don’t forget to connect with me on social media. I’ve just launched the FIFA Scouting Tips YouTube channel, and you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter for all the latest updates.