Exclusive: Top Transfer Bargains on Football Manager 2015 Game
November 4, 2014Exclusive: Top Transfer Bargains on Football Manager 2015 Game
It's Football Manager week at Bleacher Report, and day two takes in the top transfer bargains on the newest instalment of the game, Football Manager 2015.
FM Week, Day 1: The Cult of Football Manager, FM Then and Now
Everyone loves the idea of being in charge of transfers—whether that involves chatting with a friend over a drink about who the club should offload in the next transfer window, watching summer international tournaments to ascertain the next big star or, as is the case with so many followers of the series, spending millions on Football Manager.
Sometimes, if you take over a club big enough, you can afford to go out and sign the very best. Most of the time, though, especially at the start of a career, funds might be tight and room to manoeuvre is minimal. In those instances, you have to search out more than a few bargains, so here's a list to help you on your way!
Info is provided by Sports Interactive, makers of FM 2015, exclusively for Bleacher Report.
Eder Alvarez Balanta
Colombian central defender Eder Alvarez Balanta will be well-known already to anybody who has played the game for a season or two...or indeed to anybody who knows anything about South American football.
Balanta plays with River Plate in Argentina and is also part of the Colombian national team at age 21, having featured in their World Cup squad this past summer. At under 6'0", he certainly isn't the biggest defender around, but his pace, power and aggression mark him out as a promising talent nonetheless.
Primary position: Centre-back
Approximate transfer fee: £6 million
Best in-game attribute: Marking
Adama Traore
Barcelona's next teen prodigy to make a first-team splash could certainly be Adama Traore, with the Spanish-born attacker having already debuted in the Champions League.
Tricky, a difficult opponent to mark and a player who possesses great acceleration from a standing spot, Traore has already made an impact at B team level with the Catalan club and at under-19 level with Spain. Traore is just 18 years of age and is tipped to be capped this season at full international level with Mali.
Primary position: Right-winger
Approximate transfer fee: £3 million
Best in-game attribute: Dribbling, pace
Itumeleng Khune
Searching for a goalkeeper? South African international-stopper Itumeleng Khune could be the answer. Still playing with Kaizer Chiefs in his home country, Khune has featured at the World Cup for his nation and is a two-time Goalkeeper of the Year award winner.
Rumored to make a potential move to Europe in the summer, as reported by Goal.com's Ernest Makhaya, Khune is now 27 years of age and still has time to make an impact on the domestic scene outside of Africa.
Primary position: Goalkeeper
Approximate transfer fee: Less than £1 million
Best in-game attribute: Determination
Bruno
La Liga side Villarreal are an exciting, attack-minded side with pace and flair throughout—and 30-year-old Bruno Soriano is right in the centre to stitch it all together.
A hard-working, conscientious presence in the middle of their midfield, Bruno is the captain and performs the all-important duties of protecting the defence, setting up the counter-attack and making sure that his attacking team-mates all keep up with their duties facing their own goal. Bruno rarely wastes the ball and is as impressive technically as he is with his tactical diligence.
Primary position: Defensive midfielder
Approximate transfer fee: £3.5 million
Best in-game attribute: Positioning, teamwork
Lucas Pratto
Lucas Pratto began his career with Boca Juniors and later had a spell in Italy with Genoa, but he is now a first pick back in his home country with Velez Sarsfield.
The 26-year-old—who can play just off the main striker, as he did during his time in Italy, or as a more orthodox attacking midfielder—has been a regular goalscorer for Velez after joining them initially on loan in 2012 and then signing permanently thereafter. He has not been capped at international level.
Primary position: Attacking midfielder
Approximate transfer fee: £5.5 million
Best in-game attribute: Penalty-taking, determination
Sergio Garcia
Spanish forward Sergio Garcia remains a quality front man, despite now being 31 and never having exactly been a regular goal-getter.
While not prolific, he is a key performer in so many other ways: his holding up of the ball, his ability to bring team-mates into play and his selfless running, creativity and top-class attitude on the pitch. Garcia played twice for Spain: one friendly appearance right before Euro 2008 and one appearance during the competition. Two caps, one trophy.
Primary position: Striker
Approximate transfer fee: £3.5 million
Best in-game attribute: Off the ball
Juraj Kucka
Juraj Kucka is a Slovakian central midfielder who has spent the past three-and-a-half years in Italy playing with Genoa in Serie A. Playing from either the centre of the park or off to the left flank, Kucka is a regular in the team once more this year after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in 2013-14.
A hard-working player who can run at the opposition with the ball, Kucka is a regular at international level and has won almost 40 caps.
Primary position: Central midfielder
Approximate transfer fee: £2 million
Best in-game attribute: Strength, balance
Zvjezdan Misimovic
Now playing with Guizhou Renhe in the Chinese Super League, Zvjezdan Misimovic was part of Bosnia-Herzegovina's squad for the 2014 World Cup, the most experienced player at that level in the nation's short history and a veteran of the Bundesliga, having actually been born in Germany.
The 32-year-old spent his early years with Bayern Munich before notably starring with Wolfsburg later in his career. A creative and aggressive threat on the ball, he can play right in the centre of the park or farther forward.
Primary position: Attacking midfielder
Approximate transfer fee: £500,000
Best in-game attribute: Passing, technique, vision
Rafael Toloi
Rafael Toloi seems to have been a "highly rated" player for a number of years, but now aged 24, he's right in the middle of his career and remains in Brazil with Sao Paulo. He did join AS Roma in Italy this past January but failed to make much of an impression and did not make the move permanent.
The central defender has not been capped at senior level by his nation, though he was a long-term player within the youth set-up.
Primary position: Centre-back
Approximate transfer fee: £3.5 million
Best in-game attribute: Tackling, determination, natural fitness
Carlos Gurpegi
We finish up with a veteran defender, Athletic Bilbao's Carlos Gurpegi. He remains a part of the first-team scene now at age 34, playing regularly this term as Athletic look to bounce back from a poor start to the season.
Aggressive, committed and a loud organiser of the back line, Gurpegi relies on his ability to read the game and dominate opposing attackers as he performs alongside younger, often inexperienced team-mates in the Bilbao back line.
Primary position: Centre-back
Approximate transfer fee: £1 million
Best in-game attribute: Determination, leadership, work rate