by MaddFM
It’s almost that time of year again. The Transfer Deadline has officially “slammed shut” in the Premier League which usually signifies that the annual Football Manager Winter Data Update will soon be upon us once all transfer windows have closed globally, upon which the Sports Interactive team and researchers will be scrambling to make the various personnel changes, transfer moves, contract updates and most importantly attribute changes wherein we usually see players who have in real life been exceeding their in-game ability receive a generous upgrade and bump in attributes to reflect their IRL performances and improvements.
This is also an ideal time to start a new save (you might find some inspiration here 😉), and while we await the eagerly anticipated Winter Update (usually arrives around mid-late February), here are 10 Players who deserve an upgrade and/or an attributes boost based on their real-life performances and excellent form this season.
1. Karou Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion)
We could probably include the entire Brighton squad in this list however it has to be said that Japan international Karou Mitoma has been the shining light of Roberto De Zerbi’s talented side who have been consistently outperforming in the league this season. Costing a mere €2.5m after completing a transfer from Union Berlin, Mitoma showed glimpses of quality for Japan at the World Cup and since returning he has arguably been the best player in the Premier League for Brighton, racking up 7 goals, 2 assists and 3 man-of-the-match awards this season so far not to mention already being linked with a €35m move to Arsenal (how do Brighton do it).
That said - in FM23 he is very much bang average when it comes to his ability and attributes - quick enough with a bit of technique and dribbling but definitely underestimated when it comes to his goal-scoring, ball-striking and finishing ability. Watch this space when the Winter Update drops 👀.
2. Ademola Lookman (Atalanta)
If I was to tell you that the player with the second highest goal contributions in Serie A is a former Everton player who was born in London, you probably wouldn’t believe me right? Enter Ademola Lookman, who after a big move to Red Bull Leipzig in 2018 found himself struggling after multiple loan moves to Everton, Fulham and Leicester and last summer eventually made a permanent move to Italian giants Atalanta in Serie A. Since then he has gone from strength to strength under Gian Piero Gasperini both as a winger or a second striker, bagging 14 goals & 4 assists and comfortably outscoring his Expected Goals & Assists (7.5 & 3.5 respectively).
At the start of FM23 Lookman has decent pace and technicals however would not really be viewed as much of a goal threat looking at his preferred roles and also his Off the Ball, First Touch and Composure, and if he continues in this vein then it’s almost a certainty that he will receive an attributes boost once the Winter Update arrives.
3. Folarin Balogun (Reims)
Picture the scene. You are told by Arsenal that they want you to go out on loan to Reims in Ligue 1 for the season, where your main competition to be top scorer will be the likes of Mbappe, Neymar, Messi, Lacazette and Ben Yedder. Sounds easy right? Well it’s so far so good for Folarin Balogun who at the time of writing sits at the top of the league scorer charts with 14 goals in 21 games for a Reims side whose exploits under Football Manager enthusiast Will Still are attracting headlines for all the right reasons in France. After a disappointing loan spell at Middlesbrough last season things weren’t looking great for Balogun who is among the all time goalscorers for the England U21s, however he looks rejuvenated at Reims and it remains an interesting prospect as to whether we will see him turn out for Arsenal next season should his form continue.
In FM23 his attributes aren’t bad but at 24 are unlikely to hugely improve - the data update should see justice served to reflect his goalscoring instinct and natural finishing ability, most likely looking at his Composure, First Touch, Off the Ball and Finishing. One to watch once that loan has ended for sure.
4. Miguel Almiron (Newcastle United)
We can’t do a “most improved” list and not include Wor Miggy. At the time of writing he has scored 10 goals in 20 odd appearances this season which is one more than his overall goal tally for the previous 3 seasons combined since he joined Newcastle from Atlanta Utd in the MLS. While huge credit goes to Eddie Howe for helping to rejuvenate his career in the North-East, Miggy himself looks to be far more confident and assured in front of goal and it’s no wonder that he has amassed the second highest amount of FPL points this year so far with only the anomaly that is Erling Braut Haaland ahead of him.
Looking at his FM23 profile, it will be a travesty if we don’t see an attributes boost across the board for the lad, most certainly his Finishing, Shooting, Composure and Technique all of which are relatively poor in-game - as a Newcastle fan I for one am very much looking forward to Miggy 2.0 when the data update is released in the coming weeks.
5. Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt)
More goals than Sadio Mané and more assists than Jamal Musiala..you’d take that at the start of the season wouldn’t you? Randal Kolo Muani has experienced something of a rapid rise to stardom in the last 12 months - little hype was made when he moved to Eintracht Frankfurt from Nantes last summer on a free transfer, however since then he has been a breakout star in the Bundesliga amassing 9 goals and 10 assists while also scoring two goals to help Frankfurt qualify from one of the hardest Champions League groups ahead of Sporting and Marseille. It’s little wonder he was included in Didier Deschamps final World Cup Squad during which he became the third fastest substitute to score at a World Cup Finals and won a penalty to help bring the World Cup Final to a shootout against Argentina (in which he himself scored despite France’s defeat to Argentina).
From an FM23 perspective he is already a very good Striker however is definitely lacking in the Vision, Composure, Decisions and Off the Ball department and as such is more than serving of an upgrade based on his 19 goal contributions so far in Germany - considering he was a free transfer, this is the stuff Football Manager dreams are made of 🔥.
6. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
What a difference a day/year/manager makes..2022 and 2023 Rashford are not the same player, it’s as simple as that. Having returned to full fitness and now clearly the main man under new manager Erik Ten Haag, Marcus Rashford is a man on a mission and at the present time is arguably the most in-form player in the Premier League with 20 goals in 26 starts for Man Utd and 13 in his last 15 in all competitions. He has been unstoppable cutting in on the left-hand side, scoring goals in and outside the box and causing nightmares for opposition defenders in every game he has played particularly since returning from World Cup duty.
It’s not like he is a bad player in FM23 however last seasons slump in form has seen some of his technical and mental attributes take a dip - the data update should likely see Finishing, Composure, Long Shots and Vision all increase and at 24 he can only continue getting better if Ten Haag continues to keep this United side clicking.
7. Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion)
There had to be an Irishman. After scoring 5 goals in 6 games for the Brighton U21s, Ferguson has been brought into the Senior squad by Roberto De Zerbi and hasn’t looked back since, scoring 3 goals in 6 appearances and bagging two assists by the time of writing. Not bad for an 18-year-old who only had 22 minutes of Premier League experience prior to that. Talks of an Ireland call up are already rife (let’s not mention the silly England links) and looking at how quickly he has taken to life in the Premier League as well as his ability, physique and confidence - the future is bright for Ferguson in a Brighton side who are thriving in their current environment.
Though not a bad finisher in FM23 he is nowhere near Premier League standard nor is his potential in-game where he rarely goes on to achieve anything beyond XX football in most saves - it’s possible he will receive one of the higher attribute boosts of all players in this update especially if he can continue to impress in real life in the coming weeks.
8. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Dortmund)
We must not get ahead of ourselves, we must not get ahead of ourselves. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens was born in London in 2004 and after spells at Chelsea and then the Manchester City academy, he decided to follow in the footsteps of one Jadon Sancho by making the switch from the Etihad to the famous Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. Since moving to Germany he has evolved from a pacy winger to a powerful inside forward, adding goals to his game which has led to a rapid ascent to the Dortmund first team wherein he has already amassed 3 goals this season in just 280 minutes of senior football.
In FM23 it’s clear that he is seen as a quick winger with his attributes heavily leaned towards his speed, dribbling and technique however now that he is already proving himself in front of goal at the highest level, it’s quite possible we will see a jump in his goal-scoring attributes in particular his Finishing (11), Composure (9) and Off the Ball (9) which are all poor even for a 17-year-old in-game. If Gareth Southgate isn’t watching, he f*cking well should be.
There we are - 8 players who have been in scintillating form this season and therefore deserve and are likely to get some form of upgrade and attribute boost once the FM23 Winter Data Update lands in a few weeks time. Hopefully they will get the justice they deserve and no doubt there will be others - let us know who else you think deserves an upgrade either in the comments below or as usual @5StarPod on Twitter 👌.
Roll on the update ⏳.
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