FIFA 16 career mode guide

Best Free Transfers

Who needs to pay for players when you can get them for free? Ever since a certain Jean-Marc Bosman forced his freedom from RFC Liège, teams have been able to sign players for free once their contract expires. Thankfully, their virtual counterparts in FIFA 16 are no different.

To get a player for free, their contract must be set to expire at the end of the current season. Once you’ve found a player where this is the case, wait until January, then search for them from the transfer screen. If they are at least 23 by this point, click on them and there will be an option to ‘Approach to sign on contract expiry’ and offer them a contract. If they accept your offer, they’ll join your team at the start of the next season, without you having to pay a penny in transfer fees. Just be aware that players in their 30s may have declined slightly when they arrive.

So with that out of the way, let’s take a look at the five best players you can sign for diddly squat.

*NOTE THAT PLAYER RATINGS AND PRICES CAN CHANGE*

Zlatan Ibrahimović
ST, age 33, OVR 89, potential 89, club PSG
The man whose name is now a verb once said “I can’t help but laugh at how perfect I am”, and with an OVR of 89 who are we to argue? One of the best strikers in the game can, incredibly, be signed for nothing (barring his wages, of course). His list of in-game specialities reads like your Christmas shopping list, and he’s even a Complete Forward (code for “I will dominate your defence”). If you want something done, Zlatan can do it - not that we ever doubted him.

Alisson
GK, age 22, OVR 79, potential 85, club Internacional
Given how good he is for his age, it’s amazing that Alisson hasn’t left his native Brazil for a bigger league. Well, now’s your opportunity to force the issue. He’s still very young for a goalkeeper in FIFA 16 (where keepers can keep growing much later in their careers than outfield players), so there’s a great chance he’ll keep growing past his already-impressive 85 potential and rank among the global elite of shot-stoppers.

André Carrillo
RM, age 24, OVR 79, potential 84, club Sporting CP
On paper, André Carrillo almost looks like the perfect winger. 90 acceleration, 91 sprint speed and 83 dribbling make him almost impossible to stop when he gets running, and his 79 crossing means he can supply his teammates with plenty of accurate balls into the box. He can finish, pass and even head the ball pretty well. Oh, and did we mention he’s got 5 star skills? For a free transfer, he’s a no brainer.

Nicolas Nkoulou
CB, age 25, OVR 81, potential 84, club Olym. Marseille
Pacey centre backs are extremely hard to come by - for every Kurt Zouma there are 20 John Terrys - which makes Nicolas Nkoulou a very tempting signing. He’s not all about speed though, as he’s fantastic in the air and his tackling is exceptional, while his reading of the game will have him stamping out opposition attacks before they get dangerous. Unusually for a centre back, his distribution is also impressive, which is great for starting attacks from the back.

Xabi Alonso
CDM, age 34, OVR 84, potential 84, club FC Bayern
Let’s get one thing out of the way: veteran midfielder Alonso is slow. But that probably doesn’t matter when you’ve got 93 long passing and 92 short passing. Alonso is a deep-lying playmaker much like Andrea Pirlo, so use him to pull the strings in midfield and orchestrate attacks from his holding position. When you can pass (and shoot, and cross, and take free kicks) as well as he can, you don’t need speed on your side - because he’s already passed the ball on with deadly accuracy before he can be closed down.

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