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.