Table of Contents
- Goalkeeper
- Jack Butland
- Right Back
- Kieran Trippier
- Centre Back
- Steven Caulker
- Centre Back
- John Stones
- Left Back
- Aaron Cresswell
- Right Midfielder
- Patrick Roberts
- Centre Midfielder
- James Ward-Prowse
- Centre Midfielder
- Will Hughes
- Left Midfielder
- Brandon Barker
- Striker
- Harry Kane
- Striker
- Cauley Woodrow
- Substitutes
- Alex McCarthy (QPR)
- Joe Gomez (Charlton)
- Sam Byram (Leeds)
- Dele Alli (Tottenham)
- Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea)
- Josh Murphy (Norwich)
- James Wilson (Man Utd)
For the sake of Football Manager fairness, I will not consider players who are too expensive to sign e.g. Luke Shaw, or players that are good now, but are due to decline pretty quickly on FM e.g. Wayne Rooney. What I have done is put together an affordable team, along with a substitute's bench, of the best English players that can be signed on FM15. The formation of choice - 4-4-2.
Goalkeeper
Jack Butland
Cost - £5m
Is he worth it?
Butland's ability at the start of FM15 makes him one of the better keepers in the league before a ball is even kicked, with the potential to turn into one of the best keepers in the game. He also comes at a cost-friendly price, which is always nice.
Right Back
Kieran Trippier
Cost - £9m
Is he worth it?
Trippier is a high quality right-back that is built for a bigger club than Burnley on FM15. If you don't sign him, Burnley usually challenge for Europa League football, and Trippier is a huge reason they're ever able to do that. Sign him up ASAP.
Centre Back
Steven Caulker
Cost - £16m
Is he worth it?
Caulker has a slightly steep fee, but repays that almost immediately with average performances rated above 7.3. Capable of being your best defender, or slotting in next to someone slightly better, either way, he can be a cornerstone of many successful teams.
Centre Back
John Stones
Cost - £14m
Is he worth it? Stones is an absolute steal on FM15. He comes at a moderate fee, with moderate wages, but brings with him 5-star potential. Definitely your centre back for the next 10 years if you sign him.
Left Back
Aaron Cresswell
Cost - £9m
Is he worth it?
You may have to wait a season for Cresswell, but the wait's certainly worth it. After a season at West Ham, he's more than ready to fit into any standard team, and chips in with a fair few assists to.
Right Midfielder
Patrick Roberts
Cost - £6m
Is he worth it?
Roberts will take a few seasons to develop, but when he does, you'll have a goalscoring right winger who is also a strong creator of goals. A buy-and-stash investment, but unbelievably good value.
Centre Midfielder
James Ward-Prowse
Cost - £18m
Is he worth it? JWP has amazing set pieces, meaning you can expect at least 10 assists a season from corners/free-kicks. JWP also has slick passing, great technique, and just like Beckham (the player he's often associated with) he can strike a mean free-kick to.
Centre Midfielder
Will Hughes
Cost - £7m
Is he worth it?
Hughes is capable of stepping into any Premier League side as a starter or sub. He also has a wealth of experience, with two full seasons of Championship football under his belt before FM15 kicks off, meaning he's first-team ready from the word go.
Left Midfielder
Brandon Barker
Cost - £2.5m
Is he worth it?
Barker will take the longest of any prospect to develop, as he's just 17 when the game starts, but has 5* star potential. The trick with Barker is to ensure that when you send him off on loan, you carefully select a competitive club (e.g. don't loan him to the Scottish league when Championship clubs are after him). If you manage him well, that £2.5m you spent to get him will look like chumps change.
Striker
Harry Kane
Cost - £24m
Is he worth it?
Kane is the most expensive on this list, but is also arguably England's best striker on FM15. If that's not reason enough to sign him, I'm not sure what is.
Striker
Cauley Woodrow
Cost - £8m
Is he worth it?
Assuming Fulham don't get promoted in the first season, it's very likely that you'll sign Woodrow for free in 2016 when his contract expires. Even if decide to play your hand earlier, and spend the £8m, you won't be disappointed with Woodrow and his 4-and-a-half star potential.
Substitutes
Alex McCarthy (QPR)
If you need a cheaper option that Butland, McCarthy ticks all the boxes.
Joe Gomez (Charlton)
Gomez can be signed for as little as £3m, and whilst he takes longer to develop, a defence pairing of him and Stones has the potential to be insane when both players have fully developed.
Sam Byram (Leeds)
Byram is a more than capable replacement for Trippier. You may have to spend a pretty penny, but in the end, he proves he was worth every million spent on him.
Dele Alli (Tottenham)
Alli's best signed on loan if you're managing a lower-ranked club. It's harder to sign him permanently if Spurs involve him like they are in real-life, but if they don't, sign him up
Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea)
Shelvey is a brilliant player to sign, as he's skilful, relatively cheap (around £12m), and still has a bit of room to grow.
Josh Murphy (Norwich)
Norwich don't usually like parting ways with Murphy, but if you can prize them into it, watch Murphy become that player in your team who almost always has an average rating higher than 7.4
James Wilson (Man Utd)
Wilson turns out to be one of the best strikers in FM, English or not, but usually demands a huge transfer fee. If you can afford him, then why not sign him. If you can't, the cheaper alternatives listed above will more than suffice.
More articles by Ajay Rose:
FM 16:
The 20 Teams With The Highest Transfer/Wage Budgets
Every European Team's Transfer And Wage Budget Revealed
The 5 Best Free Transfers At Every Position
Best Premier League Wonderkids
5 Bargains You Won't Find In FM16 The Premier League On-Loan XI
6 Teams To Try On FM16 Premier League Teams Transfer/Wage Budget Revealed
What Happened When We Played FM16 For The First Time
FM 15:
The Best FM15 Signings Under £5m
The 11 Best ‘Big Budget’ Signings On FM15
Best English Players To Sign On FM15
Best Free Agent Signings On FM15
FIFA 16:
Complete Team-By-Team Guide To Starting A Career Mode (Premier League)
The Real Picture: What FIFA 16 Needs To Fix
For more articles like this, take a look at our Football Manager page.