Foxy Presents: FMM18 Free Transfers XI
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FMM18 Free Transfer XI
Lets all be honest now, we all love a bargain don’t we? It is fun to spend imaginary millions on FMM18 for that wonderkid or established super-star but sometimes it's the reject that you bought for free who shines during a save especially if you are a smaller team. Sometimes you can even pick up world class talent for free once you get a season or two into a save. When I do a lower league save I love going through the free transfer list to try and pick up some gems and even if I’m a big team I always look for players with an expiring contract (I do this in January to avoid the players current club resigning him) such as Leon Goretzka who is a must sign at the end of the first season in this year’s game if you are a big club.
In honour of all those rejected players out their I decided to put together an XI of players who are available for free at the start of a save. This isn’t a list of players who are going to walk into your Manchester City or Real Madrid side and many of these lads are getting on a bit but if you are a smaller club there are a few gems in this list I think. Most of these guys are towards the end of their careers as I decided to go for players who could do a job straight away rather than youngsters who you can develop. I loaded all the divisions from England, Germany, Italy and Spain which gave me a database of 21K+ players. With this size of database I had a choice of 1125 players who where out of contract and looking for a new club.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you this is the definitive list of free transfer players in the game, it is simply a list of players that I think can do a good job for you and your team. Depending on who you are manging some of these guys may simply be good back ups to fill the squad or they could be key players in your promotion push.
How did I pick these guys? I took over Manchester City and then filtered the free transfers based on position and then key stats within that position. I did a couple of searches using different combinations of stats for each position so that I hopefully didn’t miss anyone. I also used the IGE to check some under the hood stats such as current ability and potential ability but I would still recommend scouting these guys before you offer them a contract because hidden stats can change from save to save.
The Team
GK: Tommaso Scuffia – Italy
In goal we have Italian ‘keeper Tommaso Scuffia. He started his career at his home town club Maceratese in Serie D and made 25 appearances for the club before signing at Fiorentina. He never made an appearance for the Florence based side and since leaving them has played lower league football for a variety of clubs including Rimini (loan), Melfi, Catanzaro, Lecce (loan) and Ancona who he left in the summer. In total he has made 141 first team appearances in his career.
At 25 Tommaso has years of football left in him and with some IT and game time could develop further as he is only just entering his peak as a GK. What attracted me to him was the fact he has 14 for aerial, handling and reflexes. All three of these stats are vital for a GK and are only one below becoming green stats. His kicking (12) and agility (13) aren’t bad either although communication of only 7 is a concern. On the mental side of his game a decisions rating of 7 is a concern as one bad decision as a GK leads to a goal conceded. His positioning is OK at 11 but hopefully could be improved. The main physical stat I look for in a GK is strength and 13 is OK again. I wouldn’t want to play him as a Sweeper Keeper though with only 7 pace and 3 creativity.
RB: Bacary Sagna – France
I can’t imagine Bacary will take much introduction as he has been one of the top RB in the Premier League for a decade. Sagna joined Arsenal from Auxerre in France for £6.25m in 2007 and went on to play 213 times for the Gunners, winning the FA Cup in the 2013/14 season. He then joined Manchester City at the end of his contract in 2014. Whilst at City he won the League Cup in the 2015/16 season. On the International stage he made his debut for France in 2007 and played 65 times for Les Bleus.
As you would expect for a 34 year old Bacary isn’t the player he once was but I’m sure he could do a job if you could convince him to drop down a league. I would use him as a full back as he doesn’t have the pace any more to get up and down the pitch as a wing back does. He does have plenty of stamina (16), strength (15) and he works well with the rest of the team. The rest of his stats are quite average but aerial (13), tackling (13), decisions (14) and positioning (13) are decent and that all round spread of OK stats could help he do a job for a lower league team. He can even play CB if required and his vast amount of experience could prove valuable for your team.
LB: Benoit Tremoulinas – France
We have another Frenchman at LB in the shape of 31 year old Tremoulinas. Benoit had a very successful spell with Bordeaux and won Ligue 1 in 2008/09, French league cup 2009 and the French FA cup in 2012/13. He played outside of France for Dynamo Kyiv where he won the league in 2014/15 and the cup in 2013/14 and also Sevilla in Spain where he won the Europa League twice. He played 5 times for the French national team.
Benoit is quicker (14) than his compatriot on the right and also like Sagna still has good stamina (15) but he does lack strenghth (9). His positioning (9) isn’t great but he works well with the team and his movement (13) is decent. The game says his best role is as a wing back so we are looking for crossing (13), dribbling (11) and tackling (12). I think Benoit could do well at League 1 or lower Championship level and could be a good back up option for bigger Championship teams.
CB: Emir Spahic – Bosnia
If you are looking for experience at the back then Emir has it in spades at 36 and with 93 caps for Bosnia. At club level he has played in his native Bosnia as well as Croatia, Russia, France, Spain and Germany. The only honours he has won are the Croatian league and the Russian FA cup but he has played for many well known teams including Lokomotiv Moscow, Montpellier, Sevilla, Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg during his 19 year career.
Emir has some good stats that I would look for in a CB but I’m not sure I would play him as a ball playing defender as the game suggests due to only having 12 passing and 11 creativity. He has 15 for the essential tackling stat and 14 aerial, aggression and positioning is decent as well. He could be captain material with 15 leadership so he can impart some of that experience to the younger lads, that said only having 8 teamwork is a worry because you want him to work well with his CB partner. When you are looking at a 36 year old you expect some drop off in physical stats but 10 pace really isn’t terrible but strength of 12 could be a worry against very physical strikers.
CB: Jan Kirchoff – Germany
I think Jan could be one of the best free transfers this year. He started his career at Mainz in his native Germany before signing for Bayern on a free transfer. Whilst at Bayern he joined Schalke on a year and a half loan to gain match experience. He only made 7 appearances for Bayern before joining Sunderland for an undisclosed fee in January 2016. He helped Sunderland stay up that season but was released following the black cats relegation last summer. In real life he is scheduled to play for the Kerala Blasters in the 2018 Indian Super League.
Jan is a natural DM but I have him at CB because I think he can do a job there and I have other options for midfield. He has good numbers for the required CB technical stats with 16 for aerial and 14 for tackling as well as 14 passing if you want to play out from the back. He isn’t the most aggressive (10) you will ever manage but his decisions (15) and positioning (15) are good as is his teamwork (14). One reason I think that Jan might be better as a CB is his low stamina (10) as this would be less of a problem as a CB than a BWM. His strength and pace are Ok at 13 and may go up with some training.
CM: Javi Matilla – Spain
Javi came through at Villareal and played 14 times for their first team before joining Real Betis in the summer of 2011 for 1.3m euro. Javi spent 5 years at Betis but only made 52 appearances including 15 during the 2015 season when they where promoted back to the top tier. He spent the 2012/13 season on loan at Murcia where he played 34 times and scored a career best 12 goals. In 2016 he signed for Elche but was released this summer. He made one appearance for the Spanish under 21s in a qualifier against Poland in 2009.
At 28 years old it is now or never for Javi if he is going to break into a clubs first team. A natural in CM he is going to provide an creative spark from central areas. He has some good stats for an advanced playmaker with 16 passing, 17 technique and 15 creativity but 12 decisions means he won’t always make the correct choices on the pitch and only 10 movement so he wont always find the space to receive a pass. I would suggest you play him alongside some players with better mental and physical stats who can protect him perhaps in a midfield 3 with him as the creative spark.
CM: Joey Barton – England
We have a controversial inclusion with Joey Barton simply because when Joey is around controversy is never far away. I won't go through the list of his misdemeanours here as the Vibe lawyers may not be happy but in real life he is currently banned from football for betting offences. He is available to buy and play in game so I have him in the team. Despite being a Scouser Joey started his career at Manchester City before they had all the money. He then moved on to Newcastle United for £5.75m where he got one of his three promotions from the Championship the other two coming at QPR and Burnley. He also spent a season on loan at Marseille but was unable to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
Joey is going to add the steel to the midfield although with only 5 pace it won’t be as a BWM as he isn’t going to catch anyone. I would either use him as a CM or an anchor man in DM with that 15 tackling and 15 positioning. It is his mental stats that really stand out although 15 aggression paired with 5 pace may mean a few bookings. I like the fact he has good decisions (15), leadership (16) and teamwork (14) and would be the captain of this reject XI. He still has good stamina (15) for a 34 year old so he shouldn’t tire quickly although that might be because he can’t really move.
CM: Nana – Ghana
In the interests of fairness I should say that you won’t get a work permit for Nana if you are managing a club in the UK as he has no caps for Ghana and no second nationality but of course we don’t all manage UK teams so he is in. Nana was born in Ghana but has spent all of his career in Spain playing for the ‘B’ teams of Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano and the first teams of Cadiz, Recreativio and Fuenlabrada.
Nana is an exception in this team because he is more about potential. He isn’t a great player at the start of the game although 15 stamina and 17 strength is very good but I have him in the team because he has 2 and half CA but 3 and a half PA. At 23 you should still be able to develop him if you are a lower league side by giving him games and IT and either have a very good player or sell him for a healthy profit. Looking at the blue stats he has he could become a decent box to box midfielder.
AM: Jose Antonio Reyes – Spain
Having started at Sevilla Reyes famously joined Arsenal in the 2003/04 season for a huge (at the time) £10.5m. He didn’t have a bad spell at Arsenal winning the Premier League, FA cup and a Champions League runner up medal. He spent the 2006/07 season on loan at Real Madrid where he won the La Liga title and then joined Atletico Madrid for £8.25m the season after where he picked up two Europa league titles. He also had a loan spell at Benfica before re-joining Sevilla in 2011 for £2.8m where he won a further three Europa leagues. He played at the 2006 World Cup and earned 21 caps for Spain before the golden generation took over and won everything.
Jose is natural anywhere in the AM strata but his days of flying past defenders with his pace (11) are long gone and he also lacks the stamina (11) to get up and down the wing. He still has good dribbling (16) and crossing (15) which could be handy on corners. He has decent passing, decisions and movement all at 14. I have him in CAM so he can get involved in the game with his dribbling and movement to try and create space.
ST: Diego Forlan – Uruguay
I couldn’t resist including Diego in our XI despite the fact he is now 38 years old. Starting at Independiente in Argentina he scored 37 goals in 80 appearances before joining Manchester United in 2002. He only managed 10 goals in 63 appearances at Old Trafford but is still remembered fondly for his two goals versus Liverpool. Once he left England to join Villareal his career really took off and he scored 128 goals for both Villareal and then Atletico Madrid in 240 appearances before joining Inter Milan in 2011 for a disappointing spell. Since leaving Europe he has played in Brazil, Japan, Uruguay and India. He is considered one of Uruguay’s greatest players having scored 36 times in 112 caps and also won the best player award at the 2010 World Cup.
Well he isn’t brimming with green stats but his shooting (15) is still decent and Poacher would be the only role to consider for him. I think Forlan is a player you could bring in for a one season challenge where you see how many goals you can get before he retires. Make sure you get good players around him to get him the ball in dangerous areas and he will do the rest.
ST: Mirko Vucinic – Montenegro
Our final player is Mirko Vucinic a player once dubbed the 'Balkan Maradonna' in his youth due to his skills. Mirko has spent most of his career in Italy having played 111 games and scoring 34 goals for Lecce he joined Roma. Whilst playing in the capital he won two Coppa Italia’s in 5 seasons. He then joined Juventus for £13m where he won the league in all 3 seasons he played for the old lady. He has played 48 games scoring 17 goals for Montenegro and scored the first goal in his nations history following there split from Serbia.
Mirko is a player who is renowned for his creative ability and we can see he has a 15 for that stat which coupled with 14 passing and 16 technique means he could do well as a DLF. He is also a good dribbler (14) and crossing of 14 is Ok as well. He doesn’t have great mental stats with decisions (13), movement (13) and teamwork (11) but I think he could still do well in the Championship.
Hopefully you will find a use for some of these guys in a save this year and I would love to hear from you if you have used any of these guys already this year, at what level and how they did for you. You could also tell me your favourite free transfers of all time both on FMM and in real life.
Thank you for reading.
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