FM 18: Best bargain wingers

If you're looking to strengthen in wide areas in Football Manager 2018, the chances are it will cost you an arm and a leg. But if you look hard enough, especially with the almost countless number of players in FM, you can find a top cheap winger.

Here we have men who can play on both flanks, either as wingers (AM R/L) or as wide midfielders (M R/L), and they can all be bought for a price of £5 million or less. With plenty of add-ons to pad out the deal, you should be able to sign these players for an initial fee of £5 million or below.

For a full list of all the bargain wingers, visit the table at the bottom of this page.

Lautaro Acosta (CA 145 – PA 145)

Age: 29

Positions: AM (LR), ST

Club: Lanus

Country: Argentina

Best attributes: 18 acceleration, 17 pace, 17 loyalty

Value: £1.5 million

Wage: £9,000 a week

An Argentine international for less than £5 million and at the peak of his game? Lautaro Acosta is one of the best bargains on FM 18, with the Atletico Lanus man costing you just £3 million. The 29-year-old winger or striker scored five and grabbed three assists last season, but his biggest honour is striking gold at the 2008 Olympics with Argentina.

Acosta has a 145 current ability on FM 18, which matches his 145 potential, so expect no more growth from the Lanus man. 18 acceleration, 17 pace and 17 loyalty take him to that £3 million price tag with wages of £9,000 a week. 

Gonzalo Castro (CA 144 – PA 146)

Age: 32

Positions: AM (L), M (L)

Club: Malaga

Country: Uruguay

Best attributes: 16 dribbling, 16 technique, 15 composure

Value: £4 million

Wage: £24,000 a week

A regular in La Liga for the past decade, Malaga left winger Gonzalo "Chory" Castro is another fantastic bargain on the game. The 32-year-old featured over 100 times for both Mallorca and Real Sociedad and was a staple for Malaga last season, making 31 appearances.

Castro can be yours for £5 million and £24,000 a week wages on the game, which would get you his 144 current ability rating. He has only just fallen off his peak, with his potential at 146, and his best attributes are his 16 dribbling, 16 technique and 15 composure. 

Javier Aquino (CA 141 – PA 142)

Age: 27

Positions: AM (L), M (RL)

Club: Tigres

Country: Mexico

Best attributes: 16 dribbling, 16 off the ball, 16 determination

Value: £4 million

Wage: £22,000 a week

At the age of 27, Tigres winger Javier Aquino may be one of the best bargain buys to sign, with the Mexico international about to hit his peak. Aquino has 49 caps for his country, and won Olympic gold at the 2012 London Olympics. At domestic level he has two Liga MX titles to his name, but now at a crucial phase of his career and well settled at Tigres, he will be hungry for more silverware. 

Aquino’s 141 current ability rating can creep up to his 142 potential, and he has 16 dribbling, 16 off the ball and 16 determination to his name. For those stats you will need £5 million plus add-ons and £22,000 a week for his wages.

Joaquin (CA 140 – PA 160)

Age: 36

Positions: AM (R), M (R)

Club: Real Hispalis (Real Betis)

Country: Spain

Best attributes: 16 corners, 16 crossing, 16 dribbling

Value: £660,000

Wage: £36,000 a week

Real Betis right winger Joaquin may be 36,  but he can still offer something for your club. The former Spanish international is another man to have been a great servant for La Liga, playing for four Spanish clubs before heading to Fiorentina in 2013. Two years later, he returned to where it all began at Real Betis, after making an initial 218 league appearances for the club.

The veteran will cost you £1 million on Football Manager, with wages of £36,000 a week. 16 corners, 16 crossing and 16 dribbling make up Joaquin’s 140 current ability score, a significant fall from his 160 potential. 

Ricardo Quaresma (CA 140 – PA 155)

Age: 33

Positions: AM (LR)

Club: Besiktas

Country: Portugal

Best attributes: 20 flair, 20 crossing, 18 pressure

Value: £1.7 million

Wage: £38,000 a week

The star name on this list, and even at the age of 33 it's incredible that Ricardo Quaresma is available for less than £5 million. The Portuguese international has played in Serie A, the Premier League, and the UAE as well has his homeland, playing for both Porto and Sporting Lisbon.

The Besiktas winger can be yours for as little as £4 million on the game, with his wages of £38,000 quite reasonable for a name as big as his. Portuguese international Quaresma has a 140 current ability rating, a fall of 15 from his 155 potential. 20 flair, 20 crossing and 18 pressure are his best attributes. 

Jefferson Farfan (CA 135 – PA 161)

Age: 32

Positions: AM (R), M (R)

Club: Lokomotiv Moscow

Country: Peru

Best attributes: 17 penalty taking, 16 acceleration, 16 balance

Value: £4.1 million

Wage: £36,000 a week

Another very recognisable name, it wasn’t long ago that Jefferson Farfan was terrifying defences in the Bundesliga. In 2015 the Peruvian international headed to Abu Dhabi-based side Al-Jazira, but a contract dispute the following year caused him to leave the club. He has since linked up with Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow, helping the club win the Russian Cup last season.

The 32-year-old right winger will set you back £5 million on FM 2018, giving you his attributes of 17 penalty taking, 16 acceleration and 16 balance. Those skills help make up his 135 current ability rating, which has fallen from his 161 potential. With wages of £36,000 a week, you might look at other players before moving for Farfan.  

Yuri Zhirkov (CA 135 – PA 160)

Age: 33

Positions: D (L), AM (L), M (L)

Club: Zenit

Country: Russia

Best attributes: 18 determination, 16 important matches, 16 technique

Value: £1.4 million

Wage: £33,000 a week

A blast from the past, it seems many moons ago that Yuri Zhirkov was turning out for Chelsea in the Premier League. After two years at Stamford Bridge, the left winger, midfielder or full back headed back to his native Russia with Anzhi Makhachkala, before moving to Dynamo Moscow and then ultimately Zenit St Petersburg.

The 33-year-old will cost you £3.5 million on FM, with £33,000 needed for his weekly wages. 18 determination, 16 important matches and 16 technique contribute to the Russia international’s 135 current ability score. 

Jadson (CA 135 – PA 157)

Age: 33

Positions: AM (RC), M (RC)

Club: Corinthians

Country: Brazil

Best attributes: 17 penalty taking, 16 pressure, 16 corners

Value: £1.5 million

Wage: £25,000 a week

A Brazilian you feel was so close to making the big time, right winger or attacking midfielder Jadson was part of the initial Brazilian movement at Shakhtar Donetsk, winning six Ukrainian Premier League titles. The 33-year-old then headed back to Brazil with Corinthians, but dabbled in China for a season in 2016, getting Tianjin Quanjian promoted to the Super League. 

The former Brazil international will set you back £3 million on the game, with £25,000 a week wages. 17 penalty taking, 16 pressure and 16 corners help his 135 current ability score, but the fall from his 157 potential shows he is well past his best. 

Hatem Ben Arfa (CA 134 – PA 164)

Age: 30

Positions: AM (RC)

Club: PSG

Country: France

Best attributes: 18 flair, 17 dribbling, 17 first touch

Value: £3.8 million

Wage: £169,000 a week

Struggling for game time at French giants Paris Saint-Germain, Hatem Ben Arfa is waiting in the wings behind Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani, Angel di Maria and Julian Draxler. An exit in the coming transfer window looks likely, with the former Newcastle man in the final year of his contract.

If you act fast, he can be yours on Football Manager 2018, with the right winger or attacking midfielder available for just £5 million. His hefty wages of £169,000 a week will need some negotiating, but you may be tempted by Ben Arfa’s 18 flair, 17 dribbling and 17 first touch. A 134 CA rating puts a move for the crafty Frenchman in the balance, but at the age of 30 he's not over the hill yet, so that rating could creep back towards his 164 potential.

Walter Montoya (CA 134 – PA 144)

Age: 23

Positions: M (R)

Club: Sevilla

Country: Argentina

Best attributes: 16 work rate, 15 off the ball, 14 long shots

Value: £2.1 million

Wage: £12,000 a week

If you're looking for a younger star Walter Montoya is your man. The right midfielder is a great signing for those who play with a flat midfield four, with the Argentine offering more protection for his full back. The 23-year-old has struggled to adapt to life at Sevilla, making just seven appearances since January 2017, so perhaps a move to your club in is what he needs.

Montoya has a 134 current ability rating which can rise to a useful 144. 16 work rate, 15 off the ball and 14 long shots can be yours for a cost of just under £5 million and £12,000 a week wages.

More bargain wingers

A = Age

V = Value

W = Wage

Who have you signed on FM 18? Let us know in the comments section below.

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