No matter the stature of a particular club, finding a bargain can be a lot of fun. This rings especially true in Football Manager, where players are looking for any advantage they can find during their managerial career.
From various free agents to those who are simply surplus to requirements at their current club, it’s time to take a closer look at the best cheap players in Football Manager 24.
How to Find the Cheapest Players in FM24
There are a few different ways to go about finding a bargain in Football Manager 24, but your best path is through basic scouting. At least, when it comes to free agents or soon-to-be free agents.
Free Agents
To make it as simple as possible on yourself, here’s how to limit your search appropriately:
- Scouting > Players > New Search
- Additional Conditions > Add Condition
- Contract Status > Expired
- Expiring (1 Year)
- Expiring (6 Months)
- Expiring (3 Months)
- Expiring (1 Month)
- Unattached
Generally speaking, players in the last 12 months of their contract are going to be cheaper. Keep an eye on their status, whether or not they’ve been transfer listed, or if they’re unhappy with their current club situation/role. There are a lot of factors that go into denting a players’ value, and all of them can work to your advantage.
Relegated Clubs
There’s nothing quite like kicking a club when they’re down, even if while doing so you’re sort of helping them out financially. That’s what happens when clubs have suffered through relegation. No matter the league, the players become more accessible the moment they drop down a tier.
Sometimes, relegation release clauses are inserted into a contract and the club is powerless to stop an approach. In most cases, players will want to leave regardless because they want to be playing in the best possible leagues. Go for it!
But now, let’s take a look at some of the bargains that can be found from the start.
Goalkeepers
| Name | Age | Club | Value |
| David De Gea | 32 | Free Agent | £0 |
| Sergio Asenjo | 34 | Free Agent | £0 |
| Ivo Grbic | 27 | Atletico Madrid | £325K – £3.3M |
| Ignacio de Arruabarrena | 26 | Arouca | £450k – £4.5M |
| Sergio Rico | 29 | PSG | £1M – £2.2M |
| Keylor Navas | 36 | PSG | £2M – £4.2M |
| Andriy Lumin | 24 | Real Madrid | £3.3M |
| Koen Casteels | 31 | Wolfsburg | £4.2M – £6.6M |
PSG: The land of the unwanted shot-stopper. You could do far worse than either Rico or Navas, but for our money, we’re going with Grbic or Lumin. While goalkeepers can age gracefully as footballers, bringing in a player between the ages of 24-27 on the cheap is tough to pass up.
As for De Gea, yes, he’s a free agent. And sure, he’s probably still somewhat capable depending on your tactical setup. But if recent wages are anything to go by, that’ll be one pricey contract.
Fullbacks
| Name | Age | Club | Value |
| Matteo Darmian | 33 | Inter Milan | £130K – £8.0M |
| Santiago Arias | 31 | Cincinnati | £240K – £2.4M |
| Zaidu Sanusi | 26 | FC Porto | £400K – £4M |
| Yuri | 34 | Athletic Bilbao | £450K – £4.6M |
| Thomas Meunier | 31 | Borussia Dortmund | £1.2M – £2.7M |
| Charlie Taylor | 29 | Burnley | £4.1M – £6.6M |
| Christian Gunter | 30 | SC Freiburg | £6M – £7.6M |
| Dodo | 24 | Fiorentina | £8M – £9.8M |
If you’re looking for a reasonably-priced fullback that can still do a job, the likes of Darmian or Meunier could be useful. Just as well, Taylor is probably even cheaper outside of England. But if you’re still banking on potential, Dodo and Sanusi are our recommendations.
On another note, depending on the path you choose, Hector Bellerin (28) would be a free agent.
Center Backs
| Name | Age | Club | Value |
| Rafael Toloi | 32 | Atalanta | £65K – £7.8M |
| Jan Vertonghen | 36 | RSC Anderlecht | £140K – £1.4M |
| Simon Kjær | 34 | AC Milan | £500K – £4.9M |
| Juan Jesus | 32 | Parthenope (Napoli) | £750K – £7.4M |
| Federico Gatti | 25 | Juventus | £4.7M – £7.6M |
| Jaka Bijol | 24 | Udinese | £5M – £8.2M |
| Robin Knoche | 31 | Union Berlin | £6.2M – £7.6M |
Slimmer pickings here, to be sure. And quite frankly, Knoche seems like a perfect fit for Union Berlin as is. But if you wish to unsettle that, we’re not here to stop you from doing so.
And, based on anecdotal experience, Vertonghen is a perfect filler in a lower-table Premier League side when searching for a solid defender with excellent leadership qualities.
Midfielders
| Name | Age | Club | Value |
| Jose Campana | 30 | Free Agent | £0 |
| Ivan Rakitic | 35 | Sevilla | £450K – £4.6M |
| David Lopez | 33 | Girona | £600K – £5.8M |
| Giacomo Bonaventura | 33 | Fiorentina | £600K – £6.2M |
| Patrick Berg | 25 | Bodø/Glimt | £950K – £9.4M |
| Henrikh Mkhitaryan | 34 | Inter Milan | £3.9M – £7.6M |
| Wendel | 25 | Zenit | £5.8M – £9.8M |
| Dani Parejo | 34 | Villarrael | £6.6M – £8.4M |
A couple of notes for grins.
When choosing ‘Your World,’ Lionel Messi is a free agent! The GOAT is free! Just, umm, don’t inquire about his salary expectations.
Cheekily, we would’ve included Toni Kroos here (£10.5M – £16.0M) because for certain clubs, that might fit their range for one very good transfer. But the wages, folks. The wages. Still, maybe you can entice him enough to take a pay cut? From Bayern to Real Madrid to gosh knows where. Who knows; maybe he’ll go for it.
Wingers
| Name | Age | Club | Value |
| Gerard Deulofeu | 29 | Udinese | £375K – £3.7M |
| Ivan Perisic | 34 | Tottenham Hotspur | £2.0M – £3.2M |
| Willian | 34 | Fulham | £2.8M – £6M |
| Facundo Torres | 23 | Orlando City | £5.2M – £8.6M |
| Lucas Vazquez | 32 | Real Madrid | £6.8M – £10.5M |
| Yaser Asprilla | 19 | Watford | £7.8M – £10M |
| Riccardo Orsolini | 26 | Bologna | £9.2M – £11.5M |
We decided to mix and match here. The good news regarding Deulofeu? Very cheap! The bad news? He’s injured for 7-8 months. Perisic has been converted to a wing back at club level in his later years, but he can still play a more than competent left winger. And as for Asprilla, it’s all about his potential.
Wingers, along with strikers, are the most expensive players you’ll find on this list. But if you’re looking to bolster your attacking threat in a pinch, you can do a whole lot worse than these chaps.
Strikers
| Name | Age | Club | Value |
| Moussa Dembele | 26 | Free Agent* | £0 |
| Luis Muriel | 32 | Atalanta | £55K – £5.6M |
| Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting | 34 | FC Bayern | £170K – £1.7M |
| Marko Livaja | 29 | Hajduk | £4.5M – £7.4M |
| Yussuf Poulsen | 29 | RB Leipzig | £4.9M – £9.6M |
| Martin Braithwaite | 32 | Espanyol | £6.2M – £7.6M |
| Olivier Giroud | 35 | AC Milan | £7M – £9M |
| Gift Orban | 20 | AA Gent | £12M – £19.5M |
Maybe Choupo-Moting won’t work outside of FC Bayern; that’s a very reasonable assumption to make. But if he’s able to still soak up semi-meaningful minutes for Bayern, of all clubs, then heck, why not take a punt?
As for Dembele, his availability at the beginning of a save is only possible under the ‘Your World’ career pathway. And let me just say, he’s worth it. Lastly, we’re including Orban because on potential alone, that price range is difficult to pass up. I’m not saying every club you choose will be able to afford him, but relatively speaking, that’s a bargain.
That’s all for now as it pertains to the best cheap players in Football Manager 24. But while you’re here, be sure to read our full review of the game and catch up on all the latest coverage at the links below.
