by @fm_throwing
During Football Manager 2023 I’ve embarked upon a few different careers, each with differing purposes and intensity. One player made himself a key part in two of those teams.
After trying to sign this player, unsuccessfully, on numerous occasions in FM22, I first found myself being lucky enough to manage him when I played a season in France’s Ligue 1. The aim of this particular save was to bring the tactical system of Will Still’s Stade de Reims alive in the virtual world.
During this season he proved his versatility as a combative midfielder, a creator and even filled in at right wingback (as performed better than the starter he filled in for). Along with the free-scoring Florian Balogun, he was my favourite player in the Reims team.
It’s little wonder then, that when I found myself back in France (hey, I love managing in Ligue 1) with Montpellier and needed a multi-faceted midfielder I knew exactly the player to make my #1 priority. Whilst in my Montpellier midfield he’s been both a ball winning midfielder and a segundo volante, notching up an average rating of 7.34 and the following statistics:
78% tackles won ratio
73% headers won ratio
0.30 goals per 90
0.15 assist per 90
89% pass completion ratio
7.07 progressive passes per game
Not bad for a player spending most of his time in the defensive midfield strata.
In case you hadn’t guessed, my favourite player of Football Manager 2023 is Swedish International, Jens Cajuste.
Standing at 6’2” tall, Cajuste joined Stade de Reims from FC Midtjylland for £8m.
So, all seems good. A midfielder who can play at a high level in most of the roles and can even fill in at right wingback… surely he’s got some negatives?
Let’s have a look at what the scouts say.
Pros:
Works really hard for the team
A committed player who gives his all to the cause
Fairly consistent performer
Enjoys big matches
Displays a fairly determined attitude
Cons:
Can be wayward when crossing the ball
Fairly susceptible to injuries
Ok, so that last one could be quite a biggie. Let’s look at his medical history:
Since a hip injury suffered in a game in July 2022, he’s had two seasons of only very light niggles. His longest absence was for 8 days due to a cold.
If you have a good medical staff and don’t go all “military boot camp” in your training sessions you should be ok.
How much?
So, how much would it take to get my Player of the Year over to your team? Well, I picked him up for £8.5m on a wage of £27,500 per week.
In my opinion, if you’re playing in one of the top 5 leagues and are looking to make the push from the bottom half or midtable towards the European places, you could do much much worse than buying Cajuste. He’s a combative midfielder who can not only help lock down the middle of the park, but also has the ability on the ball to unlock defences and provide a goal scoring threat.
He’s not even playing at his full potential yet, either!.
Oh, he can also score goals like this:
Ladies and Gentlemen, my FM23 Player of the Year… Jens Cajuste.
Thanks for reading.
You can find more of Matt (aka @fm_throwing on Twitter) over at ViewFromTheTouchline as well as some of his contributions to the Football Manager website via The Byline - top blogger and a top lad as well.
Fancy writing about your FM23 Player of the Year? Drop us a line on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM directly.
