FIFA 18 Career Mode: Best loan signings

Signing players on loan is the perfect way to build up smaller clubs on FIFA 18 Career Mode. If you can find a man to bring in on loan for a few seasons and then sign him permanently once you have the funds, you'll have the perfect structure.

READ: FIFA 19 Career Mode: Best loan signings

How to make a loan signing

You don't need to agree a transfer fee with a club to make a loan signing. First up, go to the transfers tab – here you can either search for a specific player or see which players have been put up for loan by their clubs. Find the player you want, select him and shortlist him in the Transfer Hub.

Head over to the Transfer Hub and here you can view and compare all the players on your shortlist. On the player you want to sign – press ‘approach to loan’. You will then enter the room with the player’s representative and discuss the length of the loan and the split of the player’s wage. If you agree on both of those you have got your man.

How to choose the best loan signing on FIFA 18’s Career Mode

Our best loan signings are all peripheral players aged 25 and under at big clubs, with starting overall ratings of at least 65 and the potential to hit at least 75.

For a complete list of all the best players available on loan look at the bottom of this page.

Jesse Lingard (OVR 78 – POT 80)

Age: 24

Positions: RM, LW, LM, RM

Club: Manchester United

Country: England

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 85 agility, 84 balance, 84 acceleration

Wage: £84,000

Jesse Lingard going out on loan from Manchester United seems unlikely, but with Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial and Ashley Young all wide options at Old Trafford, it is possible to get hold of Lingard on loan. The 24-year-old has been in great form for United for over a year, but he needs consistent game-time to go on and make something of his career.

His 78 overall rating and 80 potential rating means he can come in and do a job on loan for you, but there is no desire to bring him in permanently. The wide man’s skills of 85 agility, 84 balance and 84 acceleration means he has a good foundation, but you will need to negotiate with United over his £84,000 a week wages. 

Abdul Baba Rahman (OVR 77 – POT 83)

Age: 22

Positions: LB, LM

Club: Chelsea

Country: Ghana

Work rate: High/Medium

Best stats: 83 sprint speed, 81 acceleration, 78 standing tackle

Wage: £71,000

One of the more realistic loan moves would be for Chelsea’s Baba Rahman. The left back (or left midfielder) went out on loan to Schalke last season but couldn’t find regular game time behind Arsenal's new man Sead Kolasinac and then suffered a nasty knee injury in January. Now fit, it is likely Antonio Conte will send him out again, so you could get a fantastic left back on loan.

His 77 overall rating with an 83 potential means he could be flying during the second half of your campaign, especially with his 83 sprint speed and 81 acceleration. His 78 standing tackle can also do the business in defence. Baba's wages of £71,000 are a bit steep so try to strike a deal with Chelsea to get them decreased.

Stefano Sturaro (OVR 77 – POT 82)

Age: 24

Positions: CM, LM

Club: Juventus

Country: Italy

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 89 stamina, 86 aggression, 78 sliding tackle

Wage: £71,000

At the age of 24, this needs to be Stefano Sturaro’s breakthrough season, but with Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Blaise Matuidi and Claudio Marchisio above him in the pecking order, you can’t see it happening. With all those options for Max Allegri, central or left midfielder Sturaro can be secured on a loan deal.

Try to get his £71,000 weekly wages reduced to below £50,000 and you can then have some fun with this box-to-box midfielder. His 77 rating and 82 potential makes him a great option off the bench or to control things during the hectic midweek fixtures. He also has an 89 rated stamina, 86 aggression and 78 sliding tackle which will help add strength to your midfield.

Lazar Markovic (OVR 76 – POT 80)

Age: 23

Positions: RM, CF

Club: Liverpool

Country: Serbia

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 91 sprint speed, 89 acceleration, 88 agility

Wage: £74,000

If you had to put money on a player to leave Liverpool in January, most would say right midfielder Lazar Markovic. The Serbian has never settled at Anfield, going out on loan three times – maybe the fourth time's the charm?

With his 91 sprint speed, 89 acceleration and 88 agility he is a serious threat going forward, and his 76 overall and 80 potential suggest that there is enough there to trouble defences. Once again, try to get those hefty £74,000 weekly wages reduced.

Charly Musonda (OVR 76 – POT 86)

Age: 20

Positions: RM, LM

Club: Chelsea

Country: Belgium

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 92 agility, 89 acceleration, 86 sprint speed

Wage: £71,000

There are only 40 players that have five star skills in Career Mode and Chelsea wide midfielder Charly Musonda is one of them. With a two seasons at Real Betis under his belt, Musonda looks braced for top level football, so maybe a loan spell at a bigger club could be what is needed for him on FIFA 18's Career Mode.

His 92 agility, 89 acceleration, 86 sprint speed along with his five star skills make him a dangerous prospect, but you will certainly want to get the 20-year-old’s £71,000 a week wages reduced. His 76 overall rating should explode due to his high potential of 86.

Danny Ings (OVR 76 – POT 80)

Age: 24

Positions: ST

Club: Liverpool

Country: England

Work rate: High/High

Best stats: 83 acceleration, 82 sprint speed, 81 jumping

Wage: £81,000

Another Liverpool man who is likely to leave Anfield is striker Danny Ings. The 24-year-old has been plagued by injuries since arriving from Burnley in 2015, making just 12 appearances for the club since. A fresh start is what he needs, and a loan move may just supply that.

His 83 acceleration, 82 sprint speed and 81 jumping gives you an outlet, but with a 76 overall and just an 80 rated potential there is no way you should be paying him £81,000 a week.

Calum Chambers (OVR 75 – POT 84)

Age: 22

Positions: CB, RB

Club: Arsenal

Country: England

Work rate: Low/High

Best stats: 81 aggression, 79 standing tackle, 77 sliding tackle

Wage: £56,000

There was so much hype surrounding Calum Chambers following his £16 million move to Arsenal in 2014 but the 22-year-old hasn’t lived up to the hype. The centre or right back has seen so many defenders move pass him for both Arsenal and England and even getting regular game-time on loan at Middlesbrough last season didn’t solve his problems.

One successful loan move could set him straight, and his 84 potential should tempt you to take him on for a season. The former Saints man’s 75 rating consists of 81 aggression, 79 rated standing tackle and 77 sliding tackle. If you can get his £56,000 a week wages down towards £40,000 he should be worth bringing him.

Alex Iwobi (OVR 74 – POT 84)

Age: 21

Positions: LM

Club: Arsenal

Country: Nigeria

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 83 dribbling, 82 ball control, 79 acceleration

Wage: £56,000

Ever becoming a more important player at Arsenal, Alex Iwobi has now moved above Theo Walcott in Arsene Wenger’s plans and at the age of 21, Iwobi could go far. The Nigerian is a direct runner and certainly deserves more than his 74 overall rating on FIFA 18.

The left midfielder’s 85 potential means he will grow quickly and when his 83 rated dribbling, 82 ball control and 79 acceleration improve he will be a serious threat to opponents. His £56,000 a week wages are not horrific, but for his 74 rating they are a touch steep.

Tom Davies (OVR 73 – POT 85)

Age: 19

Positions: CM, CAM

Club: Everton

Country: England

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 81 stamina, 79 short passing, 77 ball control

Wage: £40,000

Given his form for Everton since announcing himself to the Premier League last season you couldn’t imagine Tom Davies being sent out on loan, but a summer overhaul means that Ronald Koeman now has plenty of options. In a 5-2-1-2 formation, Everton do not need many central midfielders, with Morgan Schneiderlin, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Davy Klaassen, James McCarthy and Muhamed Besic all rated higher than the 73 rated Davies.

A loan move to a bottom half club would be perfect for the 19-year-old, as he would run the midfield and get regular starts. His 81 stamina, 79 short passing and 77 ball control shows he has the core skills to reach his 85 potential. In real life he is worth his £40,000 a week wages, but they are a touch steep on Career Mode. 

Axel Tuanzebe (OVR 73 – POT 84)

Age: 19

Positions: CB, CDM, RB

Club: Manchester United

Country: England

Work rate: Medium/Medium

Best stats: 76 sprint speed, 74 standing tackle, 74 acceleration

Wage: £39,000

With Jose Mourinho only needing to pick two of Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, and Marcos Rojo, you can’t see centre back Axel Tuanzebe forcing himself into his manager’s plans at Manchester United. A loan move seems likely with other defenders Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Regan Poole all sent away for the season in the summer.

The 19-year-old Tuanzebe would be a fantastic loan signing due to his versatility, with the 19-year-old also able to play as a defensive midfielder and right back. If you need to add a slight bit of depth to your squad, the England U20s international is your man. Tuanzebe offers 76 sprint speed, 74 standing tackles and 74 acceleration, but £39,000 a week wages is expensive for a player with just five senior appearances to his name.

Other top loan signings

Name
Age
Pos .
Club
Country
OVR
POT
Andre Ramalho
25
CB CDM
B. Leverkusen
Brazil
73
77
Borja Mayoral
20
ST
Real Madrid
Spain
72
84
Landry Dimata
19
ST
Wolfsburg
Belgium
72
84
Kenedy
21
LM LWB
Chelsea
Brazil
72
81
Rob Holding
21
CB
Arsenal
England
72
85
Mame Thiam
24
ST RM
Juventus
Senegal
72
76
Marko Grujic
21
CM CDM CAM
Liverpool
Serbia
71
85
Joel Pereira
21
GK
Man United
Portugal
71
84
Achraf Hakimi
18
RB LB
Real Madrid
Morocco
71
81
Adama Traore
22
CM CDM CAM
Monaco
Mali
71
79
Jose Mauri
21
CM CDM
AC Milan
Italy
71
78
Dominic Solanke
19
ST
Liverpool
England
70
84
Rodrigo Bentancur
20
CM
Juventus
Uruguay
70
84
Joe Gomez
20
CB RB LB
Liverpool
England
70
83
Jay Fulton
23
CDM CM
Swansea
Scotland
70
81
Fran Villalba
19
CAM CM
Valencia
Spain
70
80
Assane Gnoukouri
20
CM
Inter Milan
Ivory Coast
70
80
Danny Ward
24
GK
Liverpool
Wales
70
78
Jon Flanagan
24
RB LB
Liverpool
England
70
76
Paulo Gazzaniga
25
GK
Tottenham
Argentina
70
75
Patrick Cutrone
19
ST
AC Milan
Italy
69
84
James Wilson
21
ST
Man United
England
69
76
Cameron Brannagan
21
CM CAM
Liverpool
England
69
79
Shani Tarashaj
22
CAM
Everton
Switzerland
69
79
Juan Foyth
19
CB
Tottenham
Argentina
68
86
Alexander Isak
17
ST
B. Dortmund
Sweden
68
84
Oscar
19
CAM CM
Real Madrid
Spain
68
81
Jan Bednarek
21
CB
Southampton
Poland
68
80
Nikola Vlasic
19
RW CAM
Everton
Croatia
67
82
Mason Holgate
20
RB RWB CB
Everton
England
67
82
Josh Sims
20
LM
Southampton
England
67
81
Connor Mahoney
20
RM LM CAM
Bournemouth
England
67
77

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Who do want to pick up on loan? Let us know in the comments section below.