FIFA 17 career mode guide

Best cheap players

If spending £50m+ on a single player isn’t really your thing – or your budget simply doesn’t allow it – fear not, as you can still get amazing high potential players for your team.

You just need to unearth the hidden gems with amazing potentials, and a lot of them are much cheaper than you’d expect. Throw in some good performances and a spot of training and you’ll have some world beating beasts in no time.

Goalkeeper – Alban Lafont

OVR: 74
Potential: 86
Age: 17
Club: Toulouse FC
Cost: £4.6m
Wages: £10,000

Not many players become a first team regular when they’re 16 years old, but that’s what happened with Alban Lafont, and it shows what a hugely promising player he is.

In game he’s very well rounded, with all his goalkeeper stats (except kicking) in the mid 70s, so he’s not prone to misjudging shots or spilling the ball in the box. Plus his young age and decent starting OVR means he’s actually got a great chance to exceed his 86 potential – a couple of training sessions a week and he’ll be well on his way to the high 80s or even 90 OVR.

Regardless, he’s one of only 5 players in the game at his age with an OVR above 70. And despite his obvious talent and future potential, you can get him for just £4.6m. That’s an absolute steal.

Defender – Issa Diop

OVR: 74
Potential: 85
Age: 19
Club: Toulouse FC
Cost: £4.7m
Wages: £20,000

Another young talent at Toulouse FC, you’d be mistaken for thinking Issa Diop was much older than 19 if you just looked at his stats. He’s already very strong, so will be able to easily hold his own against powerful strikers.

He’s 6’4” as well and has fantastic aerial ability, so will be as useful in attack as he is in defence. And speaking of defence, his tackling stats are excellent and show that he excels in terms of technical stats as well as physical.

Like Lafont, he’ll cost you less than £5m. Because he’s already an excellent defender, that makes him a great option if you need a high potential centre back for less.

Central midfielder – Pablo Galdames

OVR: 72
Potential: 85
Age: 19
Club: Unión Española
Cost: £3.5m
Wages: £3,850

If you want a player like N’Golo Kanté to run your midfield but can’t afford his price tag, Pablo Galdames is a worthy alternative. He’s got the incredible stamina and reading of the game as Kanté, and the potential to be just as good.

Speaking of his reading of the game, his interceptions stat is 85, which is incredible for a player of his age and rating. Couple that with his 86 stamina and he’ll be constantly harassing the opposition and shutting down their attacks.

He’s got good dribbling and passing ability too, so is useful in attack, and can beat defenders thanks to his pace and low centre of gravity. He’s even got tricks up his sleeve due to his four star skill moves.

He’s super cheap – a bid of £3.5m and £3,850 in wages should make him yours.

Winger – Kylian Mbappe Lottin

OVR: 71
Potential: 87
Age: 17
Club: AS Monaco
Cost: £3.4m
Wages: £25,000

When you see a player rated in the 70s at just 17 years of age, you know you’re on to a winner. Kylian Mbappe Lottin is exactly that, and his potential of 87 shows just what we’re dealing with.

You often find young wingers in FIFA who are fast and good at dribbling, but haven’t really developed much else. Not so with this guy. While he is pacey and has 77 dribbling, his passing and finishing are also looking very promising. With a bit of training he can grow into someone who can be just as home as an attacking midfielder as he is on the wing.

If you’re managing a lower league team and looking for a cheap winger, he’s probably good enough to slot right into the first team. And with 87 potential, he’ll develop rapidly.

All that for just £3.4m? That kind of deal is hard to turn down.

Striker – Tammy Abraham

OVR: 69
Potential: 85
Age: 18
Club: Bristol City
Cost: £1.8m
Wages: £25,000

Finding a player with the potential to become a complete forward is hard. Even harder is finding one for less than £2m, and with 85 potential. No surprises here – Tammy Abraham is all that and more.

He’s tall (6’3”), strong and good at heading, so he’ll suit your play style if you need a lanky target man to aim your crosses at. But unusually for a big player, he’s also pretty fast and decent with his feet too.

What this means is that once he gets near that 85 potential he’ll be so hard to deal with – he’ll outpace or outmuscle any defender in his way, and will be able to score whether the ball comes to him in the air or on the ground. He’s the complete attacking package.

In real life he’s on loan at Bristol City from Chelsea, but due to a quirk in how the game loans players (Chelsea have too many out on loan, basically), he’s permanently transferred in game. That means you can buy him straight away, and only have to pay a measly £1.8m for his services. You’d be a fool not to bite.

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Alex Blake
Freelance Writer

Alex Blake is a freelance writer, who has written extensively for TechRadar, T3, Digital Camera, Digital Trends, CreativeBloq, MacFormat, and GamesRadar. He's a huge FIFA fan and loves FIFA career mode so much so that he runs a site devoted to it at FIFAscoutingtips.com.