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The best cheap players in Football Manager 2023

Here's how to find bargains on the transfer market.

Gavin Mackenzie

Published: Nov 8, 2022 03:03 am

Not everyone who plays Football Manager 2023 wants to manage one of the biggest, richest clubs. Many of us want to manage our own favorite team, and if that’s a lower level club, then scouting for players becomes less of a talent search and more of a bargain hunt. Fortunately, there are several ways to seek out those players who are not only cheap, but also really worth having.

How to find cheap players in Football Manager 2023

The best ways to find cheap players are as follows:

Players with expired contracts: Either they’ll still be at a club, or they’ll be free agents. Either way, you can get them for no transfer fee at all.
Players with expiring contracts: If a player has less than 6 months to go on their contract, you can try to sign them for nothing. But even if they have less than a year to go, you can often negotiate a fee that’s less than what they’re really worth.
Transfer listed players: When a club lists a player, they usually set an asking price that’s less than the player is worth.
Players with minimum fee release clauses: Most minimum fees are well above a player’s value at the time the contract is signed, but if the contract was signed a few seasons ago and they’ve improved dramatically since, then the minimum fee can be a bargain.
Players from South America: Once they sign for a European club, Brazilian and Argentine players’ values go through the roof, so European clubs looking for a bargain should sign them while they’re still playing in their home countries.

The best cheap players at the start of the Football Manager 2023 season

If you’re starting a new game in Football Manager 2023, then look out for the players listed below.

Alejandro Pozuelo

Cheap Because: Contract expiring
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 30
Nationality: Spanish
Club: Inter Miami
Transfer Value: £180K – 9M
Wage: £55K p/w

Victor Wanyama

Cheap Because: Contract expiring
Position: Defensive midfielder
Age: 31
Nationality: Kenyan
Club: CF Montreal
Transfer Value: £1.3M – 2.9M
Wage: £52K p/w

Eden Hazard

Cheap Because: Transfer listed
Position: Winger
Age: 31
Nationality: Belgian
Club: R. Madrid
Transfer Value: £27M
Wage: £375K p/w

Marcel Sabitzer

Cheap Because: Transfer listed
Position: Midfielder
Age: 28
Nationality: Austrian
Club: FC Bayern
Transfer Value: £19M
Wage: £165K p/w

Ricardo Horta

Cheap Because: Minimum fee release clause
Position: Winger
Age: 27
Nationality: Portugese
Club: BRG
Transfer Value: £26M
Wage: £8.25K p/w

Nahuel Molina

Cheap Because: Minimum fee release clause
Position: Full back
Age: 24
Nationality: Argentinian
Club: A. Madrid
Transfer Value: £26M
Wage: £18.75K p/w

Alberto Moreno

Cheap Because: Minimum fee release clause
Position: Full back
Age: 30
Nationality: Spanish
Club: Villareal
Transfer Value: £13M – 16M
Wage: £20K p/w

Alfonso Pedraza

Cheap Because: Minimum fee release clause
Position: Full back
Age: 26
Nationality: Spanish
Club: Villareal
Transfer Value: £19M
Wage: £27K p/w

Williot Swedberg

Cheap Because: Minimum fee release clause
Position: Midfielder
Age: 18
Nationality: Swedish
Club: Vigo
Transfer Value: £13M – 21M
Wage: £2.6K p/w

Gabriel Barbosa

Cheap Because: Plays in South America
Position: Striker
Age: 25
Nationality: Brazilian
Club: FLA
Transfer Value: £11.5M – £19M
Wage: £58K p/w

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Author

Gavin Mackenzie

Gavin Mackenzie has been playing video games since the early 80s, and writing about them professionally since the late 90s. Having been a writer and editor on various British magazines including PLAY, GamesTM, and X360, he's now a freelance guides specialist at Gamepur.