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In these articles I look at the best cheap, high potential players in FIFA 16, with tonight’s post focusing on attacking midfielders. 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.
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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 75, 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.
The figure in the player cost column refers to the price you are given if you scout the player. There’s also another column – ‘Enquiry’. 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 ‘Enquiry’ 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 ‘Enquiry’ 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 16 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]
So without further ado, let’s see the cheap young attacking midfielders that I recommend.
Ryan Gauld: potential 86
He may only be 19 years old, but Ryan Gauld already has the ability to match much older players for talent. He’s extremely fast (89 acceleration and 83 sprint speed), which will see him outpace defenders with ease, while his 79 dribbling and 91 balance means that even if he comes up against a very quick opposition player, he can dart past them thanks to his close control and low centre of gravity. Best of all? With 86 potential he’s going to be even more lethal as the years go by.
Sporting CP want £7m for him but you can knock that down to around £6m. His wages are £20,000.
Albert Rusnák: potential 81
Albert Rusnák is next up because he is highly flexible and excels in multiple areas. Like Gauld, he’s very fast but is also incredibly good at whipping balls into the box thanks to his 86 crossing. He’s good down the middle, too – a powerful shot, superb vision and accurate passes mean he can be used as an effective attacking playmaker through the centre. He’s even good at free kicks, so will chip in with plenty of goals of his own. For a fast, technical, talented attacking midfielder, he’s a great choice.
Send an enquiry to FC Groningen and they’ll want £6.5m for him, which can be negotiated down to around £5.5m. His wages are £20,000.
Farès Bahlouli: potential 80
I’ve been a fan of Farès Bahlouli in FIFA games for a few years now because he possesses a holy trinity of traits: pace, strength and skill. His pace combines superbly with his 78 strength to make him a real force in attack – difficult to knock off the ball and difficult to catch. Add to that his tricky dribbling, four star weak foot and four star skill moves and you’ve got a player who can develop into an absolute nightmare for defences.
AS Monaco ask refuse to sell him in the first transfer window, but enquire in January and they’ll give you a price tag of just £2.9m, with wages of £15,000 – for such a dynamic, powerful player, that’s an absolute steal.
Now here are the other cheap, high potential attacking midfielders in FIFA 16:
| Pos | Name | OVR | Pot. | Age | Cost (£) | Enquiry (£) | Wages (£) | Club | Avai? | Foot | Weak foot | Skills | Traits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAM | Hachim Mastour | 67 | 87 | 17 | 1,000,000 | * | 3,000 | Málaga CF | - | Right | 3 | 5 | Flair | On loan from Milan |
| CAM | Marco Asensio | 75 | 87 | 19 | 4,800,000 | * | 20,000 | RCD Espanyol | - | Left | 3 | 3 | On loan from Real Madrid | |
| CAM | Ryan Gauld | 73 | 86 | 19 | 3,700,000 | 7,000,000 | 20,000 | Sporting CP | Y/5 | Left | 5 | 3 | Acrobat, flair | |
| CAM | Levin Öztunali | 71 | 85 | 19 | 2,400,000 | * | 15,000 | Werder Bremen | - | Right | 4 | 3 | On loan from Bayer 04 | |
| CAM | Nathan | 72 | 85 | 19 | 2,700,000 | * | 15,000 | Vitesse | - | Right | 4 | 4 | Dribbler, flair | On loan from Chelsea |
| CAM | Giorgian De Arrascaeta | 73 | 85 | 21 | 3,700,000 | - | 25,000 | Cruzeiro | N/6 | Right | 5 | 4 | Finesse shot, flair | |
| CAM | Abdelhak Nouri | 66 | 84 | 18 | 875,000 | 1,300,000 | 2,000 | Ajax | Y/5 | Right | 4 | 4 | Flair | |
| CAM | Donis Avdijaj | 68 | 84 | 18 | 1,200,000 | * | 2,000 | SK Sturm Graz | - | Right | 4 | 3 | Flair | On loan from FC Schalke 04 |
| CAM | Fabián | 68 | 84 | 19 | 1,300,000 | 2,400,000 | 6,000 | Real Betis | Y/4 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Unai López | 72 | 84 | 19 | 2,500,000 | - | 1,250 | Bilbao Athletic | N/3 | Right | 3 | 2 | ||
| CAM | Marc Stendera | 74 | 84 | 19 | 3,600,000 | 6,000,000 | 20,000 | Eint. Frankfurt | Y/2 | Right | 4 | 3 | Long shot taker | |
| CAM | Manu García | 66 | 83 | 17 | 850,000 | 1,600,000 | 4,000 | Manchester City | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Donny van de Beek | 67 | 83 | 18 | 1,000,000 | 1,700,000 | 2,000 | Ajax | Y/5 | Right | 4 | 2 | ||
| CAM | Ager Aketxe | 74 | 83 | 21 | 3,800,000 | 7,000,000 | 30,000 | Athletic Bilbao | Y/5 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Kyle Edwards | 60 | 82 | 17 | 275,000 | - | 2,250 | West Brom | N/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Andreas Pereira | 66 | 82 | 19 | 925,000 | 1,400,000 | 6,000 | Manchester Utd | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Edimilson Fernandes | 66 | 82 | 19 | 925,000 | - | 4,000 | FC Sion | N/4 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Emiliano Buendía | 69 | 82 | 18 | 1,200,000 | 1,600,000 | 3,000 | Getafe CF | Y/1 | Right | 3 | 2 | Injury prone | |
| CAM | Martin Ødegaard | 69 | 82 | 16 | 1,200,000 | - | 5,000 | Real Madrid | N/5 | Left | 4 | 4 | Flair | |
| CAM | Dodô | 70 | 82 | 20 | 1,700,000 | 1,700,000 | 15,000 | Atlético Mineiro | Y/0 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Otávio | 71 | 82 | 20 | 2,000,000 | 3,500,000 | 15,000 | V. Guimarães | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 4 | Flair | |
| CAM | Valdivia | 74 | 82 | 20 | 3,600,000 | 5,000,000 | 20,000 | Internacional | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Daley Sinkgraven | 74 | 82 | 19 | 3,600,000 | - | 20,000 | Ajax | N/4 | Left | 3 | 3 | Flair | |
| CAM | Tozé | 75 | 82 | 22 | 4,200,000 | - | 25,000 | V. Guimarães | N/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | Acrobat, early crosser | |
| CAM | Diego Lopes | 75 | 82 | 21 | 4,200,000 | * | 25,000 | Kayserispor | - | Right | 4 | 3 | On loan from SL Benfica | |
| CAM | Zachary Elbouzedi | 61 | 81 | 17 | 325,000 | - | 2,250 | West Brom | N/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Jérémie Boga | 63 | 81 | 18 | 475,000 | 700,000 | 1,750 | Stade Rennais | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Jari Schuurman | 65 | 81 | 18 | 750,000 | 1,200,000 | 2,000 | Feyenoord | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | Finesse shot | |
| CAM | Josh Onomah | 66 | 81 | 18 | 875,000 | 1,400,000 | 3,000 | Spurs | Y/4 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Danilo Pantić | 66 | 81 | 18 | 875,000 | - | 2,000 | Vitesse | N/4 | Right | 4 | 3 | Flair | |
| CAM | Gabriel Boschilia | 67 | 81 | 19 | 1,100,000 | - | 8,000 | AS Monaco | N/5 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Marcos Guilherme | 69 | 81 | 19 | 1,200,000 | 2,000,000 | 6,000 | Atl. Paranaense | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | Flair | |
| CAM | Clifford Aboagye | 68 | 81 | 20 | 1,200,000 | 2,200,000 | 6,000 | Granada CF | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Shani Tarashaj | 68 | 81 | 20 | 1,200,000 | 2,200,000 | 6,000 | Grasshopper | Y/4 | Right | 4 | 2 | Finesse shot | |
| CAM | Hany Mukhtar | 70 | 81 | 20 | 1,700,000 | * | 15,000 | RB Salzburg | - | Right | 4 | 3 | On loan from SL Benfica | |
| CAM | Juan Pablo Añor | 71 | 81 | 21 | 1,900,000 | 3,000,000 | 15,000 | Málaga CF | Y/5 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Alisson | 71 | 81 | 22 | 1,900,000 | 3,300,000 | 15,000 | Cruzeiro | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Adryan | 71 | 81 | 20 | 1,900,000 | 3,500,000 | 15,000 | FC Nantes | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 4 | Finesse shot, flair | |
| CAM | Marcos Lopes | 73 | 81 | 19 | 2,800,000 | - | 30,000 | AS Monaco | N/5 | Left | 3 | 4 | ||
| CAM | Luis Alberto | 73 | 81 | 22 | 3,100,000 | * | 25,000 | RC Deportivo | - | Right | 4 | 3 | On loan from Liverpool | |
| CAM | Albert Rusnák | 74 | 81 | 20 | 3,500,000 | 6,500,000 | 20,000 | FC Groningen | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | Power free-kick, flair | |
| CAM | Riccardo Saponara | 74 | 81 | 23 | 3,500,000 | - | 25,000 | Empoli | N/2 | Right | 4 | 3 | Outside foot shot | |
| CAM | Kenneth Paal | 61 | 80 | 18 | 325,000 | 450,000 | 1,500 | PSV | Y/5 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Adam Ounas | 63 | 80 | 18 | 475,000 | - | 1,750 | Giron. Bordeaux | N/3 | Left | 4 | 3 | ||
| CAM | James Maddison | 65 | 80 | 18 | 750,000 | 1,400,000 | 2,000 | Coventry City | Y/3 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Alexis Araujo | 65 | 80 | 18 | 750,000 | - | 2,000 | LOSC Lille | N/6 | Right | 4 | 4 | ||
| CAM | Leonardo Suárez | 66 | 80 | 19 | 925,000 | 1,300,000 | 4,000 | Villarreal CF | Y/3 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Jarlan Barrera | 67 | 80 | 19 | 925,000 | 1,400,000 | 2,000 | Junior FC | Y/6 | Left | 4 | 4 | Acrobat, flair | |
| CAM | Alexandr Golovin | 68 | 80 | 19 | 1,000,000 | 1,600,000 | 8,000 | CSKA Moscow | Y/2 | Right | 4 | 2 | ||
| CAM | Filipe Chaby | 69 | 80 | 21 | 1,300,000 | * | 1,500 | Madeira | - | Left | 3 | 3 | Flair | On loan from Sporting CP |
| CAM | Alexey Miranchuk | 70 | 80 | 19 | 1,400,000 | 1,400,000 | 15,000 | Lokomotiv Moscow | Y/1 | Left | 3 | 3 | Flair | |
| CAM | Farès Bahlouli | 70 | 80 | 20 | 1,600,000 | - | 15,000 | AS Monaco | N/5 | Right | 4 | 4 | ||
| CAM | Sergej Milinković-Savić | 70 | 80 | 20 | 1,600,000 | - | 15,000 | Lazio | N/5 | Right | 4 | 2 | Flair, power header | |
| CAM | Orbelín Pineda | 72 | 80 | 19 | 2,000,000 | 3,800,000 | 4,000 | Querétaro | Y/6 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Robin Quaison | 72 | 80 | 21 | 2,300,000 | 3,800,000 | 15,000 | Palermo | Y/2 | Right | 3 | 3 | Finesse shot, flair | |
| CAM | Oscar Romero | 72 | 80 | 22 | 2,300,000 | - | 15,000 | Racing Club | N/6 | Left | 3 | 4 | Long shot taker | |
| CAM | Yony González | 73 | 80 | 20 | 3,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 7,000 | Envigado | Y/6 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Simon Thern | 73 | 80 | 22 | 3,000,000 | 5,500,000 | 25,000 | SC Heerenveen | Y/3 | Right | 4 | 3 | Flair | |
| CAM | Lucas Andersen | 73 | 80 | 20 | 3,000,000 | * | 20,000 | Williem II | - | Right | 1 | 3 | On loan from Ajax | |
| CAM | Juan Cazeres | 74 | 80 | 23 | 3,400,000 | 6,500,000 | 25,000 | Banfield | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 4 | Speedster, acrobat, flair, long shot taker | |
| CAM | Roberto Soriano | 74 | 80 | 24 | 3,400,000 | 6,500,000 | 25,000 | Sampdoria | Y/5 | Right | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Santiago Montoya | 74 | 80 | 23 | 3,400,000 | - | 25,000 | V. Guimarães | N/1 | Left | 3 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Bryan Rabello | 74 | 80 | 21 | 3,400,000 | - | 25,000 | Santos Laguna | N/5 | Right | 4 | 3 | ||
| CAM | Simone Verdi | 74 | 80 | 22 | 3,400,000 | * | 9,000 | SD Eibar | - | Left | 5 | 4 | Acrobat, flair | On loan from Milan |
| CAM | Emre Çolak | 75 | 80 | 24 | 4,000,000 | 6,000,000 | 25,000 | Galatasaray | Y/1 | Left | 3 | 3 | Flair, long shot taker | |
| CAM | Valeri Qazaishvili | 75 | 80 | 22 | 4,000,000 | 7,000,000 | 25,000 | Vitesse | Y/3 | Right | 5 | 4 | Flair |
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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