Football Manager 2019: Best bargain players to sign

Bargains. Every manager needs to find a few to improve the overall quality of their squad without destroying the finances of the club. But uncovering them is trickier than ever. Transfer fees have skyrocketed over the last few years and seen even average squad players become too expensive for most teams to afford.

How to choose the best bargain players in Football Manager 2019

This article looks at the best bargain players in FM19. These are players that can be signed for an initial fee of £5 million or less regardless of age or position. They all have a current ability of 135, making them a useful part of any squad and even key contributors to many teams.

For a full list of ALL the best bargain players on FM19 see the table at the bottom of the page.

Pepe (CA 150 - PA 165)

Age: 35

Position: D (C)

Club: Besiktas

Country: Portugal

Best Attributes: Bravery (19), Marking (18), Tackling (17)

Value: £1.5 million

Wage: £86,000 a week

Pepe started his career with Portuguese side Maritimo. He made his debut in 2002, and by 2004 had moved to Porto where he made a big impression. In 2007 he made a €30 million transfer to Real Madrid and started to rack up the winners medals. He left Madrid in 2017 after 334 games, 3 La Liga titles, and 3 Champions League trophies.

In FM 19 Pepe is still a quality defender (18 marking, 17 tackling) and has some very good mental attributes as well (19 bravery, 17 positioning, 16 anticipation, 15 decisions). He may be older but Pepe is still a strong athlete (15 natural fitness, 15 jumping, 14 strength) too.

Naldo (CA 147 - PA 161)

Age: 35

Position: D (C)

Club: Schalke

Country: Brazil

Best Attributes: Jumping (20), Heading (18), Anticipation (17)

Value: £2 million

Wage: £52,000 a week

Naldo started his career with RS Futbol in Brazil, moving to Juventude before eventually coming to Europe with Werder Bremen in 2005. He played with Bremen until 2012, making over 250 appearances before moving to Wolfsburg in 2012 and then Schalke in 2016.

In FM 19 Naldo is still a good athlete (20 jumping, 16 natural fitness, 16 strength) and has useful defensive stats (14 marking, 13 tackling). He is strong mentally (17 anticipation, 16 positioning, 16 composure) and deadly in the air (20 jumping, 18 heading).

Gabi (CA 146 - PA 159)

Age: 34

Position: DM, M (C)

Club: Al-Sadd

Country: Spain

Best Attributes: Concentration (18), Leadership (18), Determination (16)

Value: £2.3 million

Wage: £65,000 a week

Gabi started his career with Atletico Madrid, but he struggled to make an impact with the first-team and three years after his debut he moved to Real Zaragoza. There he racked up the minutes and developed into a quality player. After four years with Zaragoza he moved back to Atletico and was finally a key part of the team, helping them to lift 2 Europa League trophies and a La Liga title.

In FM 19 Gabi is still a very good midfielder. He has strong mental attributes (18 leadership, 18 concentration, 16 teamwork, 16 work rate) and can pick a pass exceptionally well (15 passing, 14 technique, 12 vision). He is a solid athlete (15 strength, 14 natural fitness, 13 stamina, 11 pace) and can find the back of the net too (16 penalty taking, 15 long shots, 10 finishing).

Andre-Pierre Gignac (CA 146 - PA 153)

Age: 32

Position: ST

Club: Tigres

Country: France

Best Attributes: Work Rate (18), Strength (17), Finishing (16)

Value: £2.8 million

Wage: £68,000 a week

Andre-Pierre Gignac started his career with Lorient in 2004, and his skill in front of goal soon turned heads. He moved to Toulouse in 2007 and then Marseille in 2010, all while becoming a regular for the France side despite never being capped at a youth level by his national side. Gignac eventually fell out of favour in Europe and moved to Mexican side Tigres in 2015.

In Football Manager 2019 Gignac is still a strong striker. He has good physical attributes (17 strength, 17 balance, 15 stamina) to fight off defenders and is still deadly in front of goal (16 finishing, 15 penalty taking, 14 long shots, 14 heading). Gignac is also a hard worker (18 work rate, 16 off the ball, 14 teamwork) and can run an effective counter press.

Xavi (CA 145 - PA 184)

Age: 38

Position: M (C)

Club: Al-Sadd

Country: Spain

Best Attributes: Passing (20), Decisions (20), Vision (20)

Value: £1.3 million

Wage: £170,000 a week

Xavi is one of the greatest products of Barcelona's youth system. He debuted for the first team in 1998 and went on to play over 750 games for the Catalan club, becoming a vital part of not only their success but also Spain's. He was a member of their Euro '08, World Cup 2010, Euro 2012 victories and lifted 8 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.

In FM 19 Xavi is still a passing god (20 passing, 20 vision, 20 decisions, 18 technique). No one moves the ball better than him, even if he can't really move himself so well any more (7 pace, 7 acceleration). Xavi is also a dead ball expert (16 corners, 15 free kick taking, 15 penalty taking). 

Geromel (CA 145 - PA 155)

Age: 32

Position: D (C)

Club: GRE

Country: Brazil

Best Attributes: Tackling (16), Leadership (16), Heading (15)

Value: £4.1 million

Wage: £15,500 a week

Geromel started his career with Chaves in Portugal, he didn't stay hidden there for too long, moving first to Vitoria Guimaraes and then to FC Koln in 2008. He played over 100 games with the German side before heading to Brazil in 2014.

In FM19 Geromel is a quality defender (16 tackling, 15 marking). He has good mental attributes to back up those defensive stats (16 leadership, 15 teamwork, 15 work rate, 15 positioning) and is still a solid athlete (15 jumping, 14 stamina, 14 strength, 13 pace).

Samir Nasri (CA 145 - PA 151)

Age: 31

Position: AM (RLC), M (RL)

Club: None

Country: France

Best Attributes: Technique (17), Flair (17), Passing (16)

Value: £0

Wage: £0

Samir Nasri broke into the Marseille squad at the age of 17, and moved to Arsenal four years later, a transfer that introduced his skills to the wider football world. Nasri was immediately a key piece of Arsenal's attack and in 2011 moved to Manchester City where he won two Premier League titles.

In FM 19 Samir Nasri is still a very good creative player (17 flair, 17 technique, 16 passing, 16 vision). He is comfortable anywhere across the attacking midfield and can provide from wide as well as central (13 crossing, 14 acceleration). He also has good mental attributes to go along with his talent on the ball (16 off the ball, 16 composure, 14 anticipation).

Miguel Borja (CA 142 - PA 151)

Age: 25

Position: ST

Club: SEP

Country: Colombia

Best Attributes: Finishing (16), Penalty Taking (15), Heading (15)

Value: £3.2 million

Wage: £13,000 a week

Miguel Borja started his career with Cucuta Deportivo in Colombia in 2011. In 2015 he made a move to Europe with Livorno but he never made an appearance for them, instead spending time out on loan with Santa Fe. He now plays his football with Palmeiras in Brazil.

In FM 19 Borja is a very good forward. He can find the back of the net (16 finishing, 15 penalty taking, 15 heading) but also move the ball well in possession (13 first touch, 12 passing, 12 technique). He has solid physical traits (13 stamina, 13 pace, 13 acceleration, 13 strength) and good mental attributes too (14 off the ball, 14 decisions, 14 determination, 14 composure).

Walter Kannemann (CA 142 - PA 145)

Age: 27

Position: D (LC)

Club: GRE

Country: Argentina

Best Attributes:  Work Rate (18), Bravery (18), Aggression (17)

Value: £1.9 million

Wage: £10,250 a week

Walter Kannemann started his career with San Lorenzo, joining them at the age of 8 and debuting at 19. He played over 80 games with them before moving to Mexican side Atlas for a year and then Brazilian side Gremio.

In FM 19 Kannemann is a quality defender (16 tackling, 16 marking) with the mental attributes to match his defensive skill (18 work rate, 18 bravery, 15 positioning). He is a good athlete (15 natural fitness, 15 strength, 13 pace) and offers more longevity than other bargain centre backs on this list.

Ricardo Quaresma (CA 140 - PA 170)

Age: 34

Position: AM (RL)

Club: Besiktas

Country: Portugal

Best Attributes: Flair (20), Crossing (20), Technique (18)

Value: £3.4 million

Wage: £39,000 a week

Ricardo Quaresma started with Sporting, making his debut in 2001. He made a brief move to Barcelona in 2003 but soon returned to Portugal with Porto where he played over 150 games before moving to Inter Milan and then Chelsea. He joined Besiktas in 2015 and still plays for them and has also racked up 80 caps for Portugal.

In FM 19 Quaresma is a remarkably creative player (20 flair, 20 crossing, 17 vision) that can produce deadly balls into the box. He can also take on defenders and make his own opportunities (17 dribbling, 13 pace, 13 acceleration). Quaresma can take part in moving the ball (18 technique, 14 passing) and is also good from dead balls (17 corners, 14 penalty taking, 13 free kick taking).

All the best bargain players on Football Manager 2019