We all love to sign a bargain on Football Manager, and there are so many players that we will look to sign in each save. In the FM23 edition of the game, like everybody, I had favourites who, for the most part, were bargain buys.
However, as is the case a lot of the time, life imitates FM, as some of those favourites have impressed in real life and earned big-money moves this summer. Here are a few of my FM23 favourites that have moved clubs:
Jude Bellingham (Dortmund to Real Madrid)
It would have been wrong to start anywhere else but with Jude. The England midfielder is the sort of player I would sign four or five years into the game on my Everton saves. He is, of course, the complete midfielder, despite his tender years.
Although he was expensive while at Dortmund, you could sign him, after making a £103m switch to Real Madrid in the summer, the midfielder will be even more expensive. Bellingham has made a sensational start with Los Blancos. It will be far more difficult to sign him on FM24.
Josip Gvardiol (RB Leipzig to Manchester City)
Like with Bellingham, Gvardiol is one of the best young players in his position in the world game. He was never an easy signing to make during FM23 but is likely to be a much harder player to sign in FM24, as Manchester City snapped him up for a fee in the region of £100m in the summer.
It was only a matter of time before a club with a big wallet came along and bought him from Die Roten Bullen, as he is a defender who seems to be mature beyond his tender years with strong all-around defensive attributes. He has already shown bits of what he brings to the City team.
Gvardiol, like FM, has the potential to go on and become one of the best defenders in the world game.
Josip Sutalo (Dinamo Zagreb to Ajax)
The Croatian centre-back is one of the bargains of FM23 for me. He quickly becomes an outstanding defensive asset who could be brought in for less than £20m. In fact, with many of my Everton saves, Sutalo is also a player who contributes majorly at the other end of the pitch, regularly scoring double figures in a season.
Unfortunately for FM players, but fortunately for the player, his performances in real life caught the eye of Dutch giants Ajax. The club from the Netherlands have spent a reported fee of £18m on the defender, and no doubt he will go from strength to strength in Amsterdam.
Alex Scott (Bristol City to Bournemouth)
The highly-rated young versatile midfielder is one of my favourite players on FM23. The fact that he could play in so many midfield roles and could be bought for a relatively cheap fee and develop into a quality player within a few seasons is why he is up there in my estimations.
Scott had been linked with multiple moves to the Premier League in recent years, despite his tender years. However, it was Bournemouth who snapped up the youngster this summer, signing him for a fee of around £20m. He will be far more difficult to sign on FM24, though, especially if his stats are boosted for the latest edition of the game.
Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb to Fenerbahce)
For me, the Croatian international has been one of the best bargain goalkeepers in recent editions of FM. Often in my FM saves, using Everton, I have cashed in on Jordan Pickford and brought Livakovic in, which hasn’t really made the team weaker.
I am massively surprised that Livakovic has been at Dinamo Zagreb for so long, as he has been really solid not only for Dinamo but also for his national team. However, his situation changed this summer when he made a move to Turkish giants Fenerbahce for a reported fee of around £6m.
He may still be within reach of the more cash-strapped clubs in FM24, but he certainly won’t be as much of a bargain, as his new employers are unlikely to sell the ‘keeper cheaply.
Vitor Roque (Athletico Paranaense to Barcelona)
The Brazilian wonderkid is without a doubt one of the best young forwards in FM23. He quickly develops into an elite talent and enjoys a long career at the top level in most saves. The fact he can play in so many attacking positions, coupled with insane potential ability and a reasonable price made him such a popular player on FM23.
His potential has obviously not gone unnoticed, as Catalan giants Barcelona have snapped up the youngster. However, Roque won’t join up with reigning La Liga champions until next January. His transfer fee of a reported £40m illustrates how highly Barcelona think of the forward.
Have any of your favourite players bagged a big summer move?
