In every FM game, a manager is only as good as the staff they employ. The better the staff, the better the results a team will get. One of the most important members of staff you can employ is, of course, the assistant manager.
One who doesn’t have to be bought out of a contract is even better. Here are our favourite free assistant managers:
Jim Fraser
When the game starts, the 48-year-old is a free agent. That’s a surprise because not only is Fraser a good fit for the assistant manager role, but he can also fill a variety of roles, and his job description is actually head of youth development.
As we know, non-playing personnel no longer have numerical ratings. Fraser’s ratings are strong, though. He is rated as outstanding in judging player and staff ability, as well as determination.
Fraser is also rated very good in attacking, tactical, technique, working with youngsters, judging player potential and motivating. If you can’t nab him as an assistant, then get him on your staff somehow, as his ability is too good to waste.
Peter Krawietz
The German coach is another who is out of work in the game’s first summer. The 53-year-old’s career highlight in real life was working at Liverpool as assistant manager for nine years from 2015 until 2024. He has also worked at Dortmund and RB Leipzig.
There is a reason why so many prestigious clubs have employed Krawietz; he is a very good coach/assistant coach. His ratings on FM26 illustrate that. For instance, he has outstanding for tactical, judging players ability and tactical knowledge.
He is also rated very good among others, coaching both attacking and defending, working with youngsters, and judging player potential. The German coach has other attributes rated very good, making him a fantastic addition to any club.
Unfortunately, as I often manage Everton, he is not willing to join the club due to his time at Liverpool. However, if you are managing other clubs, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Mauro Bianchessi
The Italian is another on our list who can perform many different roles on your staff. He is listed as a Head of Youth Development when you first start the game, but he is a free agent.
However, his work with Milan, Lazio, and Atalanta shows he is well respected. His time with those clubs in his homeland was mostly spent as a scout.
His ratings are that strong that he could easily be a very good assistant manager/coach, too. Bianchessi’s two outstanding ratings are working with youngsters and judging player abilities. Those are two good stats to have, especially if you have a relatively young squad.
He is also very good at coaching tactical and technical skills, while also having the same rating for judging player ability, people management, determination and motivating.
Overall, he has excellent stats. The one negative is that his stats show he is unsuited in the authority category, which is not suitable for an assistant manager. His other high ratings may negate that negative, though.
Francesco Mauri
The Brazilian has an interesting career so far, as at just 36, he has worked as a coach, a fitness coach, and a physio. He is well respected in the football fraternity, having worked for the likes of German giants Bayern Munich and, from 2021 to 2025, for Real Madrid as a fitness coach.
His jobs in football show him as an all-around and he actually has assistant manager as his most suitable position. He obviously has many of the attributes needed for the role, such as being rated very good in, amongst others, authority, people management, tactical knowledge, judging player ability and judging player potential.
He has not yet got any outstanding ratings, but that’s probably because he is younger than the other staff on this list. He is undoubtedly a promising coach, so I doubt you would regret appointing him as assistant manager.
Manuel Pires
Like many of the staff on our list, Manuel Pires has had a varied career in football when it comes to non-playing roles. Although he is listed as Head of Youth Development, he is also considered suitable for the assistant manager role. He has previously worked at Nice and Monaco in the role.
However, he has also worked as an assistant manager at Laval and in the lower leagues at Red Star, so he is not unfamiliar with the role.
His main positive attributes are on the mental side of the game. He is rated as very good for authority, determination, motivating and judging player potential.
The only rating in unsuitable is fitness training, which is not a major issue, as clubs usually have fitness coaches to handle that, so it’s not an essential attribute for an assistant manager.
Overall, his ratings are undoubtedly good enough for him to be an assistant manager and do an excellent job.
