![]() He can sit deep and control the momentum of the game, and his natural fitness, work rate and determination give the team another option further up the pitch when necessary. ![]() ![]() I signed him for 13.5 million dollars for my Man United team in FM14, and during his two seasons he made 77 appearances as either a defensive midfielder (ball-winning/half-back/anchor man) or central midfielder (ball-winning/box-to-box), with equal effectiveness, putting in solid if not spectacular performances, with average ratings of 7.01 and 7.13. With excellent tackling, solid passing, top-notch physicals that allow him to play 90 minutes twice a week without noticeable dips in performance, Nainggolan is, in a word, reliable. Tackling, Aggression, Determination, Teamwork, and Work Rate stand out. But in FM14 and FM15, for around 11 to 13 million euros, you’d get a tough-tackling and reliable midfielder whose excellent mental attributes mean he can slot into any team in any league and deliver consistent performances throughout a league campaign. The 27 year old Belgian midfielder signed a permanent contract with AS Roma earlier this summer after spending the second half of the 2014-15 season with them on loan, and so won’t come cheap in the first season of Football Manager 2016. Some of the following players might have slipped under the radar for many FM players, most may never even have been considered, but you won’t find too many players who represent value for money the way these players have for me. Average attributes on the Technical and Physical fronts can be compensated for, and then some, by strong Mentals, which are generally not as visibly reflected in transfer values.Īnd so, given that I’m always on the lookout for bargains in the transfer market when searching for defensive midfielders, I have come across a fair few excellent players who have shone in my teams, but would have gone unnoticed had I been looking for the most recognizable name or the biggest transfer value. Perhaps it’s to do with the way I play (a 4-1-2-1-2 with a narrow diamond in midfield, and wing-backs instead of full-backs), with the attacking impetus coming from the wing-backs and front three, but I’ve never looked at my defensive midfielder for anything more than basic ball retention and distribution the goal-scorers can enjoy the 7.80 average ratings. It might sound controversial, but I’ve found that if you want a strong, ball-winning presence in the middle of the park who can help connect your defense to your midfield with simple yet efficient distribution, a five million pound player bought from a lower division side can be just as effective as a 50 million pound signing from a top European team. It’s pretty fair to say that bigger transfer fees generally guarantee better attributes across the board, but my view on defensive midfielders is that you don’t need a Pogba or a Gundogan to get the job done where a Jay Spearing or James McArthur will do. However, I’ve never quite taken to the idea of splashing the cash to sign goalkeepers or defensive midfielders. Granted, signing a striker or attacking midfielder for 30 or 40 million dollars can result in the extra 10 to 15 goals a season needed to make an efficient, well-polished side world-class, and an expensive center-back may just be the player needed to provide long-term stability at the back. I’ve never enjoyed breaking the bank to sign big-money players, especially when the transfer market contains a plethora of of hidden gems waiting to be unearthed for relatively dirt-cheap transfer fees and wages. ![]() NOTE: For anyone playing Football Manager 2016, you MUST check out THIS article on 12 excellent defensive midfielders in the game, with detailed analyses of players including the likes of Kristoffer Ajer, Lucas Romero, Thiago Maia and lots more! NOTE: If you are interested in reading about under-rated, value-for-money players in other positions, you must check this out: an article on ten (twelve) dirt-cheap and extremely underrated British full-backs.
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