As the release date for Football Manager draws ever closer – highly anticipated following the scrapping of FM 2025, many of you will probably have already started thinking about how you will start the next one and with which teams.
A lot has obviously changed since two years ago – clubs have been promoted, relegated, sold and bought players and in some cases, maybe even seen their transfer budgets increase. Ah yes, the all-important transfer kitty.
However, deciding which club to start a new save with, has no doubt dominated most of your thinking for when the next game comes out. So, we have drawn up a shortlist of three that we think might get you excited.
Arsenal
Good news if you are an Arsenal fan – finally you have a team that seems capable of competing. No doubt in previous versions, you did what Mikel Arteta hadn’t done that summer and signed a striker straight away.
Well, this time you don’t have to. Arteta and new Sporting Director Andrea Berta, earmarked Viktor Gyokeres from the get-go and eventually brought him in. This wasn’t before they had addressed another priority position though – Martin Zubimendi is available to you as one of the best defensive midfielders in the game. Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze adds that maverick edge while he also seems to come with his own body pillow for bouncing off opponents, Noni Madueke, an all-important back-up to Bukayo Saka, while there are a number of solid squad players.
You might decide to tinker though. If you feel Eze can more or less play anywhere, but you want a better quality left-winger, then selling Gabriel Martinelli and upgrading could be an option. Potentially, you could also do the same with Gabriel Jesus. However, you certainly have great options with an Arsenal save.
Borussia Dortmund
One of Europe’s most exciting clubs, the Bundesliga side has an array of top-class, exciting talent, however, issues seem to persist at the back. While there might be a temptation to add to the attack and even in midfield, defence is a priority.
You need to make sure you don’t leak goals against top clubs such as Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, so at least two new central defenders and even full-backs must be a priority. This is likely possible from your transfer budget – there will be some affordable gems out there if you know where to look and you just might find the next Mats Hummels.
Definitely Dortmund represents an interesting challenge for the next Football Manager save – if the transfer budget is decent enough.
York City
If you fancy a challenge in Non-League Football, then York City could be just the ticket. A club that is actually owned by the son of a billionaire, this has had substantial investment pumped into it in recent years and has the best stadium in the non-league.
Likely, you will have money to spend, however, York City would be a great draw for loan signings, while the club also played some of the best football in the league last season and has the players to do just this.
Definitely a hard task, though if you want to build something and effectively ‘do a Wrexham’, then York City could be just the save you’re looking for.
