FIFA 23 Brentford Career Mode Guide: Starting Lineup, Who to Sign & more

Brentford have done a great job of cementing their status as a Premier League side, but it's time to take them to the next level in FIFA 23.

The Bees have the potential to push on and compete for European places in the seasons to come with the right recruitment and strategy.

So, can you be the man to take Brentford to the big time and compete for major honours? We're providing all the tools for you to succeed as the Bees manager in FIFA 23 Career Mode.

Team Rating

Brentford has a four-star rating in FIFA 23.

The breakdown of the ratings is as follows: ATT 76, MID 74, DEF 75.

Starting Lineup and Formation

The Bees set up in the 4-3-3 formation in FIFA 23 and there isn't much need to stray too far from this set-up as it allows the team to remain defensively stable whilst posing an attacking threat.

You may wish to switch to the 4-3-3 attacking variation if you prefer playing with a traditional number 10, or 'CAM'.

Up front is the main man himself, Ivan Toney. The England international will be supported by pacey wingers Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa.

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TALESMAN TONEY - Ivan is pure quality up top

The two creative box-to-box central midfielders who will play in the number eight roles are Mikkel Damsgaard and Mathias Jensen.

Giving the team defensively stability in midfield is Frank Onyeka, who will operate in the number six position.

In the full-back positions, we've gone for Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey, whilst Kristoffer Ajer partners Ben Mee in central defence.

Spanish 'keeper David Raya is the man between the sticks.

Tactics and Instructions

With top-class striker Ivan Toney being the main target up front, we want to maximise his goal threat.

So, instruct the striker to Stay Forward and Stay Central to give him the best possible chance of a sight at goal.

You may also want to set the speedy Yoane Wissa on Get In Behind, whilst instructing Bryan Mbeumo to Cut Inside.

Both full-backs, Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry, are capable of providing a real threat going forward, so instruct the wing-backs to Always Overlap in order to bolster the attack.

Make sure you instruct your number six, Frank Onyeka to Cover Centre and Stay Back While Attacking, or you may leave yourself vulnerable to the counterattack.

Training

Unfortunately, Brentford's current squad only holds three players with a potential rating of over 80 OVR.

So, when it comes to developing youngsters, it's pretty straightforward.

You'll want to make sure you are training versatile full-back Aaron Hickey (POT 85), who can play on both the left and right flanks in the future.

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FLYING SCOTSMAN - Hickey hags bags of potential

Creative midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard (POT 85) is one of the only player with four-star skill moves in the entire squad.

The Denmark international can develop into one of the top central attacking midfielders in the Premier League with a few seasons of training.

Centre-half Kristoffer Ajer (POT 83) can grow by eight overall points, so it is worth developing the Norwegian defender too.

Transfer Market

Starting budget: £26.3 million

Who should go?

As is to be expected with a team that has recently been promoted from the Championship, there are a fair few players who don't quite cut the mustard in this Brentford squad.

The sales of ageing centre-backs Ben Mee (OVR 78), Zanka (OVR 72) and Pontus Jansson (OVR 75) can generate around £15 million for future signings.

The likes of Saman Ghoddos (OVR 68), Charlie Goode (OVR 67) and Shandon Baptiste (OVR 70) can be sold in order to free up a further £6 million for the transfer budget.

With Matthew Cox providing proficient cover in goal, Thomas Strakosha (OVR 78) can be sold for around £15 million.

The following youngsters can also be sold as their potential rating is not high enough in FIFA 23 to challenge for a first-team spot:

Alex Gilbert, Tristan Crama, Ryan Trevitt, Aaron Pressley

Loans

The Bees have ample depth, meaning there are a number of youngsters who can be sent out on loan.

You should look to offer Ukrainian midfielder Yehor Yarmoliuk (POT 80) regular minutes elsewhere in order to develop properly.

English forward Keane Lewis-Potter (POT 80) is another player who will benefit from going out on loan as he can grow by nine overall points.

Who to Sign

New transfer budget: £64.3 million

Classy Centre-Back

Once the sales of Ben Mee and Pontus Jansson have gone through, you will need a new defender to boss things at the back.

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LYON LADS - Lyon has always been a breading ground for top talents

Olympique Lyonnais centre-half Castello Lukeba (OVR 76) is our number one choice.

The French CB can be picked up for around £15 million and will grow into a world-class defender, with a potential of 86 OVR.

Transfer Options (CB)

Player
Age
Club
Cost
Wage
OVR
POT
Castello Lukeba
19
Lyon
£13m
£22k
76
86
Joao Victor
23
Benfica
£13m
£9k
76
84
Tanguy Nianzou
20
Sevilla
£6m
£11k
73
85
Micky van de Ven
21
Wolfsburg
£3.7m
£15k
71
85
Antonio Silva
18
Benfica
£2.8m
£2k
69
87

Tricky Winger

Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele (OVR 83) might prove slightly too expensive, so Newcastle's Allain Saint-Maximin (OVR 81) could be an astute purchase.

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FRENCH FLAIR - ASM has the skills to pay the bills

The French forward can play across the front line and boasts five-star skill moves.

The exciting 25-year-old will instantly be one of the best players in the squad and can develop into an 83 OVR card in FIFA 23 Career Mode.

Transfer Options (RM/LM/RW/LW)

Player
Age
Club
Cost
Wage
OVR
POT
Ousmane Dembele
25
Barcelona
£41m
£155k
83
86
Rafa
29
Benfica
£26m
£21k
82
82
Wilfried Zaha
29
Crystal Palace
£26m
£73k
82
82
Hirving Lozano
26
Napoli
£24m
£59k
81
81
Allan Saint-Maximin
25
Newcastle
£28m
£82k
81
83
Leon Bailey
24
Aston Villa
£25m
£66k
80
83
Adama Traore
26
Wolves
£18m
£77k
79
80

Board Expectations

There is no pressure on your Continental Success as you won’t be competing in Europe during your first season.

Domestic Success is also of very low importance to the board, but of course, we want to finish as high as possible on the table.

Brand Exposure and Youth Development are also low priorities for the board which comes as a surprise.

Your Financial targets and the highest priority and they are only medium.

These are some of the most lenient board expectations in the Premier League, so you really have a clean slate to build the club however you want.