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The Lower League Gems series is back once again, bringing you super cheap high potential players. If you liked the series on the best cheap players in FIFA 15 but felt they were too expensive, these are the articles for you – every player will cost you £1m or less!

NOTE: Prices seem to fluctuate a bit on FIFA 15, so you may find the prices listed in this article are slightly different on your game. As such, this article aims to be a guide only and hopes to highlight some of the cheaper options when it comes to high potential players.

If you’re not sure what these articles are all about, click the bold link below. Otherwise, let’s get straight in to the article.

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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 76 (although in some cases having a minimum potential of 77 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.

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NOTE: Trezeguet is a free agent, so he will be assigned to a random team when you start a career. This means that his wages, contract length and expected price will change every time, so I have left these areas blank. However, given that your scout puts a valuation of £150,000 on him, he’s cheap enough to be included in this guide.

Anyway, here are my recommendations for cheap, high potential central midfielders.

Danilo Cataldi: potential 79

One thing I love about doing these guides is they can throw up some real surprises. Players can be rated very highly in terms of OVR and potential, but still cost a ridiculously low amount. That is perfectly illustrated in Danilo Cataldi. With 67 OVR and 79 potential, he should be way out of reach for most lower league teams, but he’s not – Lazio want just £100,000 for him.

For that bargain basement price you get a very competent central midfielder. His main strengths are his passing, vision and long shots, so I’d probably play him a little further forward, just behind your strikers, where he can cause the most damage. With his high potential, it won’t be long before he starts scoring and creating goals at will.

As I said, Lazio want just £100,000 for him, so you should be able to get him for around £80,000. His wages are £8,000.

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Corentin Tolisso: potential 78

Another player who should really cost more, Corentin Tolisso feels like he should be rated higher as well. His physical stats are excellent all round, with pace, stamina and strength all in the mid-to-high 70s. This is perfect for a central midfielder, as he’ll have the energy and strength to chase opposition players and win the ball back.

Not only that, but his tackling and marking stats are all in the 70s as well, so he’ll be very difficult to get past. And once he’s inevitably won possession, his 75 short passing will have him creating opportunities going forward. He’s the ideal central midfielder for any team, and the fact that you can get him for less than £1m only adds to his credentials.

Speaking of cost, Olympique Lyon want just £625,000 for him, so you can bring that down to around £450,000 – £500,000. His wages are £9,000.

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Joel Obi: potential 77

If you’re looking for someone who can play in pretty much any midfield position, Joel Obi is your man. With 75 ball control, 72 dribbling and 67 crossing, he’s a very capable attacker, and his 78 shot power and 68 long shots should also bag him a few goals. Add to that his 70 short passing and 69 long passing and you’ve got a player who can score and create from day one.

He’s also lightning quick and has great stamina – as I mentioned earlier, perfect traits in a central midfielder. And if that wasn’t enough, his tackling, marking and interceptions are all very respectable and will grow nicely as he develops, making him a cheap central midfielder who can do a bit of everything.

Inter want £750,000 for him – a great price considering his 69 OVR – so you can pick him up for around £550,000. Note that sometimes Inter will ask for £1.1m for him, in which case you can get him for about £850,000. His wages are £10,000.

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Gael Bigirimana: potential 77

Now, if you felt that these players still cost too much for your team, you’re in luck, as Gael Bigirimana is about as cheap as can be. But that doesn’t denote a lack of quality, because he’s a bit like a slightly lower-rated Joel Obi: He’s strong in a huge number of areas and so should be able to play all over the midfield.

His passing and vision are two of his strongest assets, so he’d do equally well as a holding playmaker or as a more advanced player designed to supply your strikers. Adding to this attack/defence mix is the fact that he’s got good tackling but can also take free kicks. Not to mentioned he’s got pace and decent dribbling and crossing, so could even play out wide if you need him to. He’s a multi-talented player that ticks all the boxes when it comes to central midfield requirements.

There are a few players in FIFA 15 whose prices seem to be unnaturally low, and Bigirimana is one of them. Send an enquiry to Newcastle United and they’ll want just £3,400 for him, so you can get him for absolute peanuts – around £2,500. His wages are also very affordable at £4,000.

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See below for all the best cheap, high potential central midfielders under £1m 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.

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