There are some clubs that, in previous years, were champions of Europe’s biggest leagues, yet now they sit in mediocrity or have fallen from grace. Here are some of the clubs that are good candidates for taking back to glory:
Leeds United
The Yorkshire outfit was once one of the best teams in the English top-flight. The Whites have been crowned English champions on three occasions in seasons 1968/69, 1973/74 and 1991/92. They were the last team to win the old English First Division before it became the Premier League.
United enjoyed relative success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but then endured years in the wilderness, including a relegation to the third tier of English football.
They are now back in the Premier League and are in a healthy position to beat the drop in season 2025/26. However, their loyal fanbase will be looking for more in the future.
You’ll have a small transfer budget in the first transfer window. Therefore, you will have to be clever with your recruitment, relying on free transfers and loan deals. You will have a decent available wage budget, which will aid you in the market.
Key players to build a team around
However, there are some talented players within that Leeds squad. The likes of Ethan Ampadu, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jaka Bijol and Wilfried Gnonto are all fairly highly rated players on FM26 and will be key in the early seasons.
Valencia
Los Ches have been through turbulent times in recent years, struggling financially, which has led to the team underperforming on the pitch. In the last six seasons, Valencia has failed to finish above ninth place in the table.
For a team that has been crowned Spanish champions six times in its history, it has been a disappointing spell, especially as they finished in the Champions League spots in back-to-back seasons (2017/18 and 2018/19).
Carlos Corberan’s team looks set for a mid-table finish in season 2025/26, but could you bring back the glory days to the Mestalla?
Valencia will have a slightly bigger budget than Leeds, but when it comes to recruitment, you still have to box clever by using the free agent and loan markets. Player sales could also supplement the budget.
Key players to build a team around
Valencia’s core squad is good with quality players such as Jose Gaya, Javi Guerra and Pepelu, as well as talented youngsters like César Tárrega. Overall, it should be a squad capable of a comfortable mid-table finish, which it is likely to achieve this season. However, to restore Valencia to glory, usurping the big two of Barcelona and Real Madrid, you will have to be patient and add the right players.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
In the 1970s, the Foals weren’t just a powerhouse in German football but also in European football, winning the Bundesliga on five occasions from 1970 until 1977. They also reached a European Cup final, only to be defeated by Liverpool and won the UEFA Cup on two occasions.
Gladbach have struggled to recapture that glory in recent decades. They have mostly been a mid-table team in the Bundesliga of late. However, in the 2019/20 season, the Foals qualified for the Champions League.
Since then, their highest finish in the German top-flight has been eighth, which came in the season after they finished fourth. Since then, three tenth-place finishes and a 14th place, with the team on course for another mid-table finish.
When it comes to budgets, Monchengladbach is more like a whip round than a budget, which makes returning the club to glory even more challenging, especially when the likes of Dortmund, Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig’s budgets dwarf the Foals.
That means your recruitment needs to be spot on, with clever free signings and loan moves the order of the day. There are players that can be sold to raise that budget, but Gladbach will be a good test of your recruitment skills as a manager.
Key players to build a team around
With the German club, you are starting with a decent foundation of players. The likes of Luca Netz, Julian Weigl, Rocco Reitz and Florian Neuhaus are all of a decent quality. This will be Reitz’s last FM with Gladbach, as a summer transfer to RB Leipzig has already been arranged.
They don’t have the worst squad in the Bundesliga, and there are enough young players to make Gladbach a long-term save.
Bordeaux
Helping the French club return to glory would be the ultimate phoenix-from-the-ashes story. In 2024, due to financial issues, Bordeaux were given a double administrative relegation to the Championnat National 2, which is the fourth tier of the French game.
The French fourth tier is a long way from the club’s glory years, as Bordeaux have been French champions on six occasions, with the last of those titles coming in 2009.
This is the biggest challenge of all when it comes to budgets. The club’s fourth-tier, semi-professional status means that you basically start the game with no money for transfers or for wages.
That means relying on the players already at your disposal or promoting players from the youth teams. Those youth teams will be vital to the club’s resurrection. Selling players already with the club will also help.
Key players to build a team around
With Bordeaux’s current position, it’s not surprising that the quality of players at the club isn’t great. However, the squad includes some decent players, such as goalkeeper Jan Hoekstra, experienced full-back Oualid El Hajjam, and Tunisian attacking midfielder Faissal Mannai.
One good factor for Bordeaux is that they have a relatively large squad, which means players can be sold and the budget can be improved.
Which team would you like to return to their glory days on FM26?
