FM 16 Bargains: Best XI Of Transfer-Listed Steals Under £10m

Published: Dec 05, 2015, 2:53 pm Updated: Sep 25, 2020, 5:20 pm

As with any FM game, players you once thought were superstars soon become afterthoughts with clubs desperate to offload them. Those players who were once FM15 wonderkids could become afterthoughts, equally, the FM16 bargains of today may become the afterthoughts of FM17. It's just the way things go in the world of Football Manager. Don't fight it. Accept and embrace it, pick your soon-to-be bargains wisely, and go about your business.

FM16 has served up a fair few superstars who after at least half a season, are put on the transfer-list and therefore potential bargains for whoever's savvy enough to sign them up.

Please note the players listed have been checked across multiple game-saves but may vary in different games.

A list of other useful FM 16 guides:

Asmir Begovic

Club: ChelseaNationality: Bosnia and HerzegovinaTransfer fee: £7.5mYear signed: 2016/17

Begovic doesn't take kindly to playing second fiddle to Courtois on FM, and before you know it, he's made himself available for a transfer elsewhere. Begovic also isn't one to forget his roots or try to go all Hollywood on you since moving to Chelsea, which means as long as you're a decent enough club (i.e. Premier League top-half), Begovic will sign for your team, and do one hell of a job from thereon after.

Kieran Trippier

Club: Tottenham HotspurNationality: EnglandTransfer fee: £5.5mYear signed: 2015/16

Trippier is an addicts dream and one of the more under-rated FM16 bargains, especially if you're using a smaller club. I became the manager at Leicester, and after half a season, the team is now sitting in 6th position. Vardy was by far the greatest goal scorer, Mahrez was typically brilliant, but the right-backs I still had on the books (De Laet and Benalouane), started to drop in performance. De Laet (my 1st-choice) was injured for 10 months, then two games after, I was told Benalouane would miss the next three months. Great.

I signed Trippier initially on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, who was amazing for me, solidifying my defence with more quality than I had before, so I signed him for £5.5m the next season. Since becoming a lifer at Leicester (well I hope he will be), he's never averaged less than 7.15 across a season. Just check his stats out below and tell me that wasn't an incredibly well spent £5.5m:

Neven Subotic

Club: DortmundNationality: SerbiaTransfer fee: £3.5mYear signed: 2016/17

Subotic is a solid choice here for such a small fee. Granted, there are better centre-back choices out there, but the Serb can do an amazing job in any team, be it a team in the Champions League or one in the bottom half of the Premier League. Oh, and he only demands wages of £25k/week, and costs less than £4m, so you'll definitely get bang for your buck.

Marcos Rojo

Club: Manchester UnitedNationality: Argentina Transfer fee: £7mYear signed: 2016/17

Rojo ticks all the boxes but comes with one red flag - his wages, which were north of £100k at the time of signing him. Still, a solid option at the back for anyone in need of a centre-half and he can also double-up well at left back.

Sime Vrsaljko

Club: SassuoloNationality: CroatiaTransfer fee: £7.5mYear signed: 2016/17

Vrsaljko is the versatile full-back every good team needs. He can fill in either on the right of left, is capable of being a good attacking threat, and comes at a decent price. A smart buy for someone looking for a strong back-up at a Champions League team.

Daniele De Rossi

Club: RomaNationality: ItalyTransfer fee: £5mYear signed: 2016/17

How can you say no to De Rossi for £5m? You will have to offer him Europa League football at the very least, but if you can sign him, you'll have that experienced centre midfielder every great side needs. He also boasts an average rating of over 7.40. A win-win all round if you can afford his wages.

Mousa Dembele

Club: Tottenham HotspurNationality: BelgiumTransfer fee: £5mYear signed: 2016/17

Dembele alongside De Rossi is a dream on FM, despite their ageing personas. While De Rossi can sit back and make things tick, Dembele can push forward as a box-to-box midfielder, driving your team up the pitch when needed and he can also be an attacking threat when he wants to. If you don't want to sign him permanently, a loan move from the second season onwards is surely worth it if you need a centre midfielder.

Andre Carrillo

Club: SportingNationality: PeruTransfer fee: £0Year signed: 2016/17

Carrillo usually opts to leave via bosman ruling, and if (and this is a big if because loads of clubs are always after him), you manage to sign him, you've hit the money. Carrillo is a lively right-winger who will get you an average rating of over 7.05, and chip in with a fair few goals and assists too. Failing that, he is perhaps the biggest cash cow of any FM16 bargain, and comes with an average value of around £25m. Receiving £25m+ for a player you signed for free is an absolute steal!

Unai Lopez

Club: Athletic BilbaoNationality: SpainTransfer fee: £8mYear signed: 2015/16

Lopez was a risky move for me at first, as my Aston Villa side needed a CAM to contribute from the off and I wasn't sure Lopez could be that guy. At first, I tried him out in centre midfield, but it soon became clear he was destined for more, so I shifted him up to CAM. From that point onwards, he became a a potent threat, registering 10 goals and 3 assists in 22 games for me, and soon became a starter for Spain too. You'll need to manage Lopez carefully, but he's definitely worth the gamble.

Taison

Club: Shakhtar DonetskNationality: BrazilTransfer fee: £5.75mYear signed: 2017/18

Taison comes with bags of experience and still has a good few years left in him to make a lasting difference. He's one of those attacking midfielders with the potential to always average above a goal/assist every other game, and he can be signed for just under £6m.

Callum Wilson

Club: BournemouthNationality: EnglandTransfer fee: £6mYear signed: 2016/17

Bournemouth's relegation from the Premier League in FM16 is somewhat inevitable, meaning Wilson is usually always available to sign from the second season onwards. Like Trippier, Wilson is one of the most under-rated FM16 bargains, but a awesome player nonetheless. I signed him for £6m with Leicester, and before I knew it, he became the league's top scorer, worth £21.5m and an England regular. I'll let the screenshot from my game below do the talking:

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