Football Manager 2022: Bargains Under £15m Groups

[David76]

Not every team on Football Manager 2022 is equipped with a bottomless pit of wealth. The reality is, most teams will have to find bargain signings on the cheap.

Nine of all 20 Premier League clubs begin with a budget of at least £15 million, so if you take over a side struggling for finances, either look to sell fringe players or pay the bulk of the transfer fee in instalments to give you more flexibility.

We have already profiled the best wonderkids to sign as well as the best free agents so, you will not find any of the players in those pieces as part of this list.

Each player profiled below can usually be signed for £15 million or less.

Bruno Gomes​

Position: Central midfielder

Club: VDG (Vasco da Gama)

Gomes plays in the second tier in Brazil, which means most Premier League teams will be able to sign him. The midfielder is a decent option in the middle of the park and can later be sold on for a significantly larger fee.

Julian Aude​

Position: Left-back

Club: Lanus

To sign Aude, you'll need to add Argentina's Primera Division at the start of the save. The more leagues you add, the slower the game will operate, but it's worth adding to your pool of players so you can pick up bargains like this. The full-back is already an excellent tackler with plenty of room to grow.

Adam Hlozek​

Position: Left winger/striker

Club: Sparta Prague

It's not always possible to sign Hlozek in the first transfer window as he just signed a new contract. But as time goes on, he can often be attained for far less than his sticker price. In some instances, the Czech winger can be signed for less than £100,000, making him one of the very best bargains in FM22.

 

[David76]

Leonidas Stergiou​

Position: Centre back

Club: St Gallen

You won't be able to sign Stergiou easily if you don't activate the Swiss Super League but he is worth the extra effort. The one glaring weakness in his game is his aerial ability, but the stats you see below are merely what he's capable of at 19. Give him a few years and you'll have a defensive stalwart on your books.

Colin Dagba​

Position: Right-back

Club: Paris Saint-Germain

Dagba finds himself consigned to PSG's reserve side at the start of a game save, but if you have the money he can be a real bargain. He ticks all of the boxes you might want from a wing-back. If his 11/20 tackling rating puts you off, it's worth remembering that Trent Alexander-Arnold only has a 13/20 rating in the same category in FM22 and he's one of the best right-backs in the game.

Stephy Mavididi​

Position: Striker

Club: Montpellier

Mavididi left Arsenal to join Juventus in 2018. That move didn't quite work out, so now he finds himself on Montpellier's books and on the verge of a breakout season. He is comfortable on the ball and also offers an aerial threat to accompany his pace and strength. On top of that, his resale value grows rapidly after just a few seasons.

Thiago Almada​

Position: Left winger

Club: Velez

Almada was unlucky not to make our list of best wonderkids in FM22, but make no mistake, he is indeed a very promising youngster who can either be sold for a big fee or contribute as a starter right away. Throw in his free-kick-taking ability (13), his reliability from the penalty spot (16) and the fact he can also be used in a central role, and he becomes an attractive proposition.

 

[David76]

Florian Thauvin​

Position: Right winger

Club: Tigres

The 2018 World Cup winner recently moved to Mexico, which makes him less attainable from day one. But if you're willing to wait it out for a transfer window or two, you'll have an accomplished player in his prime. He can be relied on to provide at least 15 goals and assists each season and costs less than £10 million.

Riccardo Orsolini​

Club: Bologna

Position: Right winger

Take a look at the first six technical attributes for Orsolini. You will see corners (14), crossing (13), dribbling (15), finishing (13), first touch (13) and free-kick-taking (13). Those stats alone make him a savvy purchase and when you consider that he's 24-years-old, he offers more value than most you'll find at his price range.

Andre Anderson​

Position: Central attacking midfielder

Club: Lazio

He can play further back in central midfield but Anderson is best used in a No 10 role to make the most of his eye for goal. His attributes in the following areas make him a viable starting option: technique (16), flair (15), finishing (14), first touch (14), dribbling (14), passing (13) and long shots (13).

Benjamin Sesko​

Position: Striker

Club: RB Salzburg

You will likely need to offer a few million in add-ons to secure Sesko's signature, but that small dent is worth the outlay for a side in need of a striker to lead the line. The 18-year-old Slovenian forward presses well, is decent in the air and has enough pace to run in behind opposing defenders.

Khellven​

Position: Right-back

Club: ATP (Athletico Paranaense)

If your glass is always half empty, you'll look at Khellven's stats and see no strengths. If you're a glass-half-full sort of person, you'll conclude that this young Brazilian has no notable weaknesses. The full-back is solid in all areas of the game, still has room to develop and can be signed with relative ease by most teams who can afford him.

 

[David76]

Dominik Livakovic​

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: Dinamo

Livakovic usually signs with a bigger club in FM22 and boasts a resale value north of £50 million. For a player that can be signed for less than £15 million, that's a hard bargain to overlook. He can easily be a starter for most teams in need of a new goalkeeper.

Gabriel Menino​

Position: Central midfielder

Club: SEP (Palmeiras)

In the Brazilian league, Menino is already playing at the highest level and started in the 2020 Copa Libertadores final, which Palmeiras won. He can also double up at right-back and is a technically gifted player with impressive stats across the board. He's first-team ready and offers the versatility top teams need to thrive.

Amine Gouiri​

Position: Left winger/striker

Club: Nice

If we're being picky, ideally you want your wingers to have a better crossing rating than 10/20. But outside of that, Gouiri's attributes make him a huge goalscoring threat at a bargain price, even more so if you choose to deploy him as a striker rather than out wide. What he lacks in crossing, he more than makes up in finishing (15), flair (16), determination (16) and his work off the ball (16).

Mykola Shaparenko​

Position: Central midfielder

Club: Dynamo Kyiv

If nothing else, Shaparenko is worth a punt for his set-piece proficiency. A rating of 15 as a free-kick taker and 14 on corners is a healthy sign for any team in need of a dead-ball specialist. As well as that, he can pick a pass, creates opportunities for others and is a strong ball carrier.

Vitaliy Mykolenko​

Position: Left-back

Club: Dynamo Kyiv

If you don't sign Mykolenko early on, you can be fairly sure that someone else will within a few seasons and will likely fork out at least £20-30 million to get a deal done. The Ukrainian full-back can offer an attacking threat and unlike some full-backs with comparable stats in FM22, he is also decent in the air, which will shore up your defence.

 

[David76]

Nicolas Dominguez​

Position: Central midfielder

Club: Bologna

Dominguez offers huge value as a box-to-box enforcer. His stats sit on the cusp of being what you might consider as elite for a midfielder in FM22, as evidenced by the following attributes: stamina (16), tackling (15), technique (15), first touch (15), work rate (15), passing (14), flair (14), vision (14), teamwork (14). If you don't sign him, someone else will.

Andrew Omobamidele​

Position: Centre-back

Club: Norwich

In Omobamidele, Norwich may have a long-term option in defence on their hands and a player who develops into a dependable option at the back. He is a pacey centre-back with a good understanding of the game and the technical attributes needed to make a contribution in your first season.

Dennis Man​

Position: Right winger

Club: Parma

Another talented player who resides in the second-tier, Romanian winger Man is ready to play at a higher level. Given that Parma are a Serie B team, he can be signed by a wide variety of clubs and possesses very few notable holes in his game.

 

[Dylan]

Great article, but for those extra cheap bargains fit for lower-level top-flight clubs and below for relative peanuts in many cases (depending on work permit issues and the team you're managing, of course);

Zan Rogelj
Onni Valakari
Michael Zaper
Carlos Rodriguez
Ibrahim Sangare
Karim Konate
Issahaku Abdul-Fatawa
Filip Ronningen Jorgensen
Patrick Berg
Fredrik Bjorkan
Anel Ahmedhodzic
Hampus Finndell
Roberto Alvarado
Mahlambi Phakamani

Hope it's allowed to post a few suggestions here!