There’s always a conundrum when starting a new game or new season as to which players you should sign.
Top players may be out of reach and not want to join your club.
Some players have release clauses in their contracts, which you could activate.
Below is a list of three players I signed in my second season at Manchester United and two who I signed in my first season.
I have just completed my second season, and it’s safe to say these players made me go from finishing third in the league and reaching the Champions League semi-finals to winning the Premier League and Champion’s League!
1) Saul
Saul was an acquisition in my first season from Atletico Madrid, and he is a player I have liked in Football Manager and real life for a few years now.
Saul is a young player who you’ll hear a lot more about in years to come (especially after most recently being linked with Manchester United).
I spent a mere £16m to bring him to the Theatre of Dreams, which has since turned out to be an absolute bargain.
He is a player who fits the mould perfectly for players I like to sign, young, potentially world class and also huge potential sell on value when inevitably the big Spanish clubs come calling to bring him back to his homeland.
He is a great player to have in your squad; he can play Centre Back, Defensive and Centre Midfield.
My tactics are a 4-3-2-1; Saul and Morgan Schneiderlin have bossed my midfield helping the defence out where needed.
2) Gabriel Barbosa
Gabriel Barbosa is a highly talented young striker, attacking midfielder who I think is a definite must buy if you are at a club who can sign him.
Managed to pay just £7m for his services and it may be the best money I have ever spent on Football Manager.
When he signed, I wasn’t sure how much he would play in the first season but wanted to feed him into the team slowly. This could not be done due to him lighting up my team with goals and fine performances.
In the first season, he bagged 27 goals in 31 league games, 40 in all competition. He and Martial formed a lethal partnership which has led to me selling Rooney to Crystal Palace as I couldn’t give him the games he wanted.
The only downside is that he has a preference to play in Spain so you can expect at some point him to want to move on for a new challenge but still if you can get 2-3 seasons out of him, you will no doubt be able to sell him for as much as £50m potentially.
3) Renato Sanches
Renato Sanches is another player who I have started following in real life and is beginning to become more well-known due to (again!) being linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams.
A player who adds pace, strength and goals to your midfield.
I tried to sign him in my first season but was getting quoted ridiculous sums from Benfica, so decided I’d leave it a year and come back the following summer when he would hopefully be cheaper because of being an extra year into his contract.
Roll on 12 months, and just before the season was drawing to a close, I decided I would send one of my scouts to watch him.
What a good decision that was, the scouts came back and said he would be a quality signing, but more importantly, he would be available for between £20m-£40m.
I immediately lodged an offer, and after some negotiation, the deal was concluded at £24m. Just like Saul, this has turned into a bargain buy, and I highly recommend signing him.
4) Antoin Griezmann
Antoin Griezmann is a player who is going to have a brilliant Euro 2016 after a great season at Atletico Madrid.
Another player who was too expensive to buy in the first season despite spending the whole summer trying to negotiate a deal.
Atletico were trying to charge close to his buyout clause of £80m, so again I decided that I would wait and season and hope his value decreases.
It did, I managed to sign him for just under £40m was excited to see how he would fit into my team. It wasn’t a smooth start for him, and he struggled for form and goals before Christmas.
In the second half of the season, it was a completely different story, and he went from strength to strength helping me achieve the success we did.
He is a player I want to build the team around with other young highly talented such as the ones mentioned in this blog.
5) Bernardo Silva
Bernardo Silva is a player I have not heard a lot about, only from FM players but after looking at his stats, I’m not sure how I haven’t discovered him or purchased him before.
For a 21-year-old to be more than ready for your first team is an excellent opportunity to get a young player with bags of pace, power and goals. He had a buyout clause of 21.5m which I cannot recommend highly enough how much you should be activating his release clause if you can.
He is a top young player who in almost every game for me is hitting a match rating of 8!
I get the feeling if Real Madrid or Barcelona come sniffing around for him, he’ll want to move on, but I plan to enjoy his presence on my team for as long as possible.
If you have the money to sign any of the above players mentioned then do it as they will help improve your team massively and they are all players who are fairly versatile covering different positions in your team if needed.