Gaming

The best bargain buys in Football Manager 24

From Martim Fernandes to Óscar Perea, here's a curated list of the best bargains to buy in Football Manager 2024

SCOUTED

31 Dec 2024 — 10 min read

With Football Manager 2025 cancelled completely, 2024 is still the newest iteration of the game we all know and love. We're still playing, at least.

We know our readers are still playing, too, and looking for bargain buys to throw right in their baskets as they build squads to conquer the footballing world. To that end, we’ve put together a list of bargain cheap players in the new game. We’ve tried to go for more obscure names, to broaden your horizons.

As this is SCOUTED, names are curated on SCOUTED vibes. You might find a better list elsewhere, but we promise you won't have as much fun. Onwards.

Here's some of the best-value prospects that we've picked out that you should be scouting and signing on your FM24 saves:

Sinclair Armstrong
Marc Cucalón
Martim Fernandes
Charlie Hughes
Arinaldo Rrapaj
Alwande Roaldsøy

Obviously, we're all about the detail. We want to get into the nitty gritty of their profiles, attributes, traits and potential. Read on for more in-depth breakdowns.

Sinclair Armstrong

Position(s): ST
Club: Queen's Park Rangers (ENG)
Nation: Republic of Ireland
Transfer Value: €200k - €2million

Evan Ferguson isn’t the only big-bodied striker emerging onto the Irish football scene. Sinclair Armstrong is another. He’s already a fan favourite at QPR, where he’s broken into the first team in the past year or so.

What sets Armstrong apart is his athleticism. He’s big, broad, fast and physical, all combining to offer a dynamic focal point at the tip of the attack when you factor in his promising movement and instinct. Unlike Ferguson, he probably won’t amount to much more than mid-table Premier League starter, but you’d take that for the €700k it takes to get him in FM24.

Marc Cucalón

Position(s): DM, CM
Club: Real Madrid (ESP)
Nation: Spain
Transfer Value: €180k - €1.8million

If you’re looking for a deep-lying midfielder to pull the strings from the base of midfield, Marc Cucalón is a great budget option. The €1.6 million release clause in his Real Madrid contract caps his price at a bargain-bucket rate.

Sidelined with a serious knee injury in real life, Cucalón is a graduate of the extremely productive La Fábrica academy. With high values for technique, passing and decisions – as well as the all-important ‘dictates tempo’ trait – the teenager represents great value for plenty of clubs at all kinds of different levels.

Martim Fernandes

Position(s): RB
Club: FC Porto (ESP)
Nation: Portugal
Transfer Value: €850k - €1.9million

A favourite in FM23, Martim Fernandes is a favourite in FM24, too. He has all the attributes and, crucially, potential to develop into a high-level, long-term starter at right-back for club and country.

The best bit? You can pinch him from Porto for a measly €1 million at the start of the game. They don’t put up much of a fight at all to keep one of their prized academy assets, so exploit that to your significant advantage. Even if you’re picking him up to loan him out, the price makes that a more than viable (if not sensible) plan of action.

Player stats provided by Sofascore

Charlie Hughes

Position(s): CB, RB
Club: Wigan Athletic (ESP)
Nation: England
Transfer Value: €80k - €5million

Wigan born and bred, Charlie Hughes has benefited from the financial troubles of his hometown club by nailing down a starting role in their first team. He spent time as a youth at Manchester City and Liverpool, and you can see that in the way he plays.

His FM24 attributes are excellent for a centre-back of his age; he’s probably one of the best in League One already. Solid across the board with a couple of ball-playing traits, Hughes would be a perfect acquisition for Championship sides that want to play some football. He shouldn’t cost much more than €2 million – if you play your cards right.

Player stats provided by Sofascore

Arinaldo Rrapaj

Position(s): AM
Club: Partiziani Tirana (ALB)
Nation: Albania
Transfer Value: €45-450k

There’s plenty of value to be found in the Balkans in FM24. If you look in the right place, you'll discover players with more than enough quality to move upward straight away: Arinaldo Rrapaj chief among them.

For roughly €150k, he’s a good get for clubs in mid-level leagues across Europe. He has the decisive and sharp technical and athletic skillsets to make a difference as an edge-of-box attacker, nipping out of tight spaces to shoot and create. A tenth of a million for a player of his qualities is nothing.

Alwande Roaldsoy, one of the best bargain wonderkids on Football Manager 2024

Alwande Roaldsøy

Position(s): CM
Club: Atalanta BC (ITA)
Nation: Norway
Transfer Value: €20-200k

Everybody loves a lanky midfielder who can play, right? Well, Alwande Roaldsøy is one of them. He stands out on the pitch for his leggy size and composed quality. He glides around, getting on the ball, linking the game together, all at his own pace.

He’s not outstanding in FM24, but he’d be a good player for a lot of clubs at a lot of different levels. Stuck in the deadend that is a Serie A youth team, Atalanta will only ask for about €100k all up. He’s a jumbo-sized bargain worth taking if you’re managing a lower-level side.

Tobias Slotsager

Position(s): CB
Club: Odense BK (DEN)
Nation: Denmark
Transfer Value: €550k-5.6 million

A highly-rated prospect in real life that’s already commanding a starting role at senior level, Tobias Slotsager looks like one of the best emerging centre-backs FM24 has to offer.

He starts the game with really solid foundational attributes that provide a platform for him to develop into a high-level central defender. The best bit? You can get him for about €2.5 million at the start of the game, making him an attainable talent for many. Move quickly though, because Chelsea and Manchester United are circling.

Yacin Titraoui, one of the best bargain wonderkids on Football Manager 2024

Yacine Titraoui

Position(s): CM, DM
Club: Paradou AC (ALG)
Nation: Algeria
Transfer Value: €45-475k

Yacine Tiraoui is a graduate of the Paradou academy, which has been a hotbed for young talent in Algerian football for a decade or so now. Its alumni include Ramy Bensebaïni and Adem Zorgane.

A central midfielder, he has the skillset of a playmaker and string-puller. Tiraoui stands out in his sub-million price bracket for talent as a technician and passer, as well as a set of traits that lend themselves to the role you should have him playing. He’s an excellent option for lesser-league clubs for a bargain bucket €250,000 fee.

Luka Topalovic, one of the best bargain wonderkids on Football Manager 2024

Luka Topalović

Position(s): AM, CM
Club: NK Domžale (SVN)
Nation: Slovenia
Transfer Value: €900k-1.9 million

We first watched Luka Topalović at the 2023 U-17 EURO and were mighty impressed by his quality as the talismanic figure in a very competitive Slovenia side. He’d been playing senior football at Domžale for a while, and you could tell.

He looks like one of the bonafide bargains in FM24. He comes equipped with the good qualities of an attack-minded midfielder already, creative and finishing ability included. There’s scope to develop him into more of a box-to-box presence too, if that fits your system better. At a bottomline price of €900k, you can’t go wrong.

Óscar Perea

Position(s): LW
Club: Atlético Nacional (COL)
Nation: Colombia
Transfer Value: €100k - €1 million

Capped at U-17 level by Colombia, Óscar Perea is one of his nation’s most promising emerging talents. He’s already a regular for Atlético Nacional and is making an impact in his minutes.

In FM24, Perea profiles as a well-rounded, Richarlison-like wide attacker. He combines sturdy athleticism with promising technical qualities that can be moulded whichever way you want. Goalscoring inside attacker? Check. One-v-one winger? That’s in his locker. Do-it-all centre-forward? The potential is there. He’s worth a bet at €1 million.

Vicente Pizarro

Position(s): CM, DM
Club: Colo Colo (CHI)
Nation: Chile
Transfer Value: €210k - €9.2 million

With over 60 appearances for Colo Colo – one of Chile’s most successful clubs – to his name at 20 years old, Vicente Pizarro looks to have a bright future for both club and country.

He looks like one of the better tempo-setting youngsters in FM24, and he’s available at a very attainable €2-3 million fee. He may be small but more than makes up for it with very good ratings in a number of key attributes for a holding midfielder, particularly mentally.

What are Football Manager bargains?

A bargain depends on the circumstances in which your managing on FM24. A bargain for Arsenal is different to a bargain for Aldershot, for instance. Nevertheless, we define a bargain as a deal that falls significantly below the player’s true value, be it in terms of ability or potential.

How do you search for bargains on FM24?

You should start by browsing our website. We have countless profiles – both extensive and brief – one some of the best emerging talents from across world football.

We will be your external scout, and scouts are equally important in the game. Building up a good core of talent-spotters and recruitment analysts should be a priority when building your club. No scouts on the search, no wonderkids.

How do you develop bargains on FM24?

As always, pathways are paramount. You have to make sure that your youngsters have access to meaningful minutes at the appropriate levels. If you have a first-team ready talent, phase him into the team gradually, during pre-season ideally.

If your prospect needs a bit more polishing, the loan system is a valuable tool. But pathways to senior level minutes are key. Assess your youngsters on a case-by-case basis, decide what they need, and enact your decision.

How do you loan out young players on FM24?

Loans are an important tool in youth development, and they can be difficult to get right. It’s all about accurately assessing the levels your prospects can play at, then finding suitable environment for them to develop in. It’s especially important you consider the styles and shapes teams play, and league style is a factor too.

How do you sign young players on FM24?

Squad planning is crucial. Check your depth charts, keep your shortlits updated, sort them by position even, and assess which areas you need to strengthen. Once you’ve done that, you can start signing young players that fit your demands.

Work to your budgets as well – don’t overstretch your club’s financial capabilities.

How do you sell young players on FM24?

Again, squad planning is key. Making sure your young players are playing, whether at your club or elsewhere, is important; more minutes increases their value. Sell at the right time too, set a defined policy and stick to it.

Don’t be afraid to sell young players too. If you haven’t got the right pathway for them, move them on to generate even more profits and reinvest in the squad or club.