World Cup 2022 (according to Football Manager 2013)

 
 

by MaddFM.

The year is 2012. Manchester City have won their first Premier League title in 44 years after Sergio Aguero scored THAT goal which sealed the league title on goal difference over arch-rivals Manchester United. Chelsea became the first team to win the Champions League under a caretaker manager after Roberto Di Matteo took the reins following the sacking of André Villas-Boas earlier in the season. Lionel Messi is about to win his fourth Ballon d’Or award and Spain are now World and European Champions after smashing Italy 4-0 in the final having been victorious in the World Cup final against the Netherlands just two years earlier - inspirational for Spaniards watching at home in particular a 9-year-old Pedri and an 8-year-old Gavi. How little they knew back then.

A lot can happen in 10 years and what better way to look at what may have been than to delve into the multiverse of Football Manager 2013 to see how the next 10 years were predicted to unfold, culminating in the simulation of World Cup 2022 to see how the in-game mechanics and researcher input saw the world at the time and predicted how football would evolve 10 years down the line. Strap in folks, it’s a rollercoaster…

 
 

At the start of FM13 Marouane Fellaini becomes the most expensive transfer of the Summer Transfer Window after his £27.5m move from Everton to Man City - all of the narrative considering he would move to Man Utd in real life just a year later. 10 seasons on and the narrative balance is restored with the most expensive in-game transfer being Ilkay Gundogan’s £46m move from Dortmund to Man Utd - go figure right? Incidentally, by the time we hit the summer of 2022 Man Utd (led by José Mourinho) are again Premier League winners while it’s Markus Babbel’s Dortmund who are crowned Kings of Europe after beating Barcelona 1-0 in the Champions League final courtesy of a goal from former Real Madrid player Rodrigo - that must have been tasty for him indeed, hope no-one tells him that in real life he has ended up at Leeds United of all places. While in reality Germany (2014) and France (2018) saw a spell of World Cup dominance for European nations, Brazil have won both tournaments in-game making them heavy favourites for the 2022 competition which doesn’t include giants Portugal, Croatia or the Republic of Ireland (sigh) who all missed out on qualification. Strangely Norway have qualified in a world where Erling Haaland doesn’t even exist so make of that what you will.

 

World Cup 2022 according to FM13

 


England Manager Stuart Pearce (you heard me) has announced his 30-man preliminary squad to travel to Qatar who are included in-game as hosts even if a Winter tournament is not (who saw that coming right?). The squad is peppered with newgen talent but the Top 5 inclusions in terms of in-game value are Chelsea’s Jack Wilshere, Porto’s Wilfried Zaha (must have missed that call from the Ivory Coast), Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling (they got that one right), Man Utd’s Will Hughes and Man City’s Ross Barkley, while the #1 jersey is hotly contested by Stoke’s loyal Jack Butland, West Brom’s Alex Smithies and Fraser Forster of AC Milan. Yes, that’s a thing. In this universe Harry Kane (also at West Brom) has never earned a cap for England, nor has Harry Maguire who has just signed for Championship side Hull from Burnley mirroring a real-life move he actually made in 2014 - how does this game always know?!

Out of 30 players only 3 actually went on to feature in Gareth Southgate’s final 26 man squad for the real-life World Cup - Luke Shaw, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling. Granted newgens have a part to play, but knowing what you know now can you imagine if England’s current real-life World Cup hopes rested on the likes of Wilshere, Phil Jones, Ross Barkley, Nathan Redmond and Ryan Shawcross? Let’s see how they got on..

 

England XI vs Cameroon, Mon 13th June 2022.

 

Man like Stuart Pearce rocking an old-fashioned 4-4-2 for England’s opener against Cameroon - I suppose we can imagine some of the newgens that feature as a few real-life current players; Simmons can be Trent seeing as 31-year-old Kieran Trippier has found himself at St. Pat’s Athletic in the League of Ireland, Rowlands can be Declan Rice seeing as he is a Londoner and the two Strikers up top must be the multiverse’s answer to Harry Kane and Callum Wilson. They go on to win 2-1 before an embarassing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Sweden and a rescued 1-1 draw with Australia which puts them 2nd in their group and sets up a Last 16 clash with wouldn’t you know it, Brazil, who topped Group E ahead of Belgium. Meanwhile Spain, Italy and France all top their respective groups while Argentina crash out at the hands of Japan .

 
 


England’s woes continue and no doubt Stuart Pearce is living up to his nickname as a Neymar-inspired Brazil thrash them 6-1, Ryan Shawcross with the consolation goal for England which we all expected. High-flying Holland give Germany a 4-1 hiding - hardly surprising considering it’s a side with former Newcastle legends Vurnon Anita, Jetro Williams and Tim Krul in their starting XI. Japan continue their heroics by beating the Czech’s 2-0, while Spain, Italy and France all progress to the Quarter Finals at the expense of Russia, Paraguay and Serbia.

Last 16 Results

The Quarter Final sets up a mouth-watering clash between Spain and France which goes to Extra-Time and requires a Bojan penalty to seal it for the Spaniards (yes the former Stoke City chap) after Paul Pogba had equalised in the 90th minute for the French who prefer Moussa Sissoko over Antoine Griezmann for some unknown reason. Spain also seem to have Erik Lamela starting for them so in hindsight he must be happy with his life choices. Japan’s dreams of World Cup glory are crushed in a 6-goal drubbing by Brazil, Italy need penalties to overcome a Carlos Fierro inspired Mexico (see our Wonderkid Hall of Fame for more info) and Manolo Gabbiadini seals it for the Azurri (remember him?), while it’s a similar story in the game between Belgium and Holland where 20 penalties are needed before Thibault Courtois steps up and misses to send the Dutch through to the Semi-Final. Not dramatic at all here.

Holland have a new hero in Ricky van Wolfswinkel (yep him of former Norwich City fame). Memphis Depay’s 92nd minute own goal looked to have won it for the Italians in extra-time but Ricky pops up in the 119th minute to send the game to penalties, this time Marco Veratti is the villain as he misses to send the flying Dutchmen through to the final. In the other Semi-Final clash we have a thrilling stalemate between Spain and Brazil until that man Neymar pops up to send Brazil through to their third World Cup Final in a row, it’s almost a certainty they will become champions for a 3rd time but let’s not forget, this is FM we are talking about…

Here we are. The World Cup Final according to Football Manager 2013. Holland versus Brazil who surprisingly have never met in a World Cup Final previously despite both sides being at the pinnacle of international football during the 1970’s. The famous Oranje against the iconic yellow and blue Seleção - not out of the question that this could happen in real life, however for now we will have to settle for FM13’s visualisation of how the World Cup 2022 final plays out and having scored 23 goals in 7 games so far in this year’s competition compared to Holland’s 15 (plus two penalty shootouts needed) - surely our collective money is on Brazil for this one…right?

 
 

But of course. It was him. The man, the myth, the legend. Luc Castaignos. Not a newgen, no. Old school FM’ers will remember Luc Castaignos from earlier versions of Football Manager, however his was not the name we might have expected to start a World Cup final let alone scoring the brace which handed Holland their first ever World Cup trophy after losing out in 2010, 1978 and 1974 respectively. Luc Castaignos, whose name now gets listed alongside Bergkamp, Van Basten, Gullit, Koeman, Rijkaard, Cruyff et al in the Dutch Hall of Fame list, the most unlikely of heroes but of course, this is exactly what we hoped for in this simulation! 10 years on and the FM13 multiverse has determined that Castaignos would start for and win Holland the World Cup final while in real life, despite a career largely at the top level of European football following spells at Feyenoord, Inter Milan, FC Twente, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting CP, poor Luc Castaignos has never even been capped by the Dutch national side and though the game predicted him playing and scoring prolifically for Monaco and Holland by July 2022 at age 30, sadly his real life career did not continue in an upward trajectory and at age 30 now he finds himself without a club following a stint at OFI Crete in the Greek Super League. Perhaps someone managing a Dutch lower league should take a look at him 👀

 
 

Luc Castaignos - FM13 vs FM23

For now we pay tribute to Luc and to Football Manager 2013 for it’s valiant effort in predicting the World Cup 10 years down the line…never an easy task (as The Independent proved in 2013) however where it may lack in terms of accuracy and foresight, it more than makes up for in entertainment and wonder at what could have been and how things never go quite as one might expect. Dare we form our own predicted England World Cup winning side 8-10 years from now and see how we do in the unlikely (but likely) event that we are still podding and blogging here well into our 40’s and 50’s? Stay tuned 😄.

Thanks for reading.

Tune into the 5 Star Potential podcast every Monday for more of our latest and best Football Manager content, the longest running Football Manager podcast out there with a new episode released every week on iTunes, Spotify and most other podcast apps and platforms.

World Cup 2022 - 6 Wonderkids to Watch

 
 

by MaddFM.

The World Cup brings about a unique and unrivalled sense of anticipation and enchantment every four years that is almost unrivalled in world sport, and although this year’s competition has been mired by the circumstances surrounding the timing and location “chosen” by FIFA (and rightly so), we can still appreciate the fact that this is every footballer’s dream growing up as a young player, playing on the biggest stage wherein each new tournament produces new heroes and often propels many somewhat unknown footballers to global stardom as millions around the world tune in to see the greatest football competition there is and watch the best players on Earth battle to go down in history as World Champions.

With that in mind and with the recent release of Football Manager 2023 to our screens, it’s an ideal time to preview some potential World Cup future stars ahead of the opening fixtures - not so much the more well-known wonderkids whose names are familiar to most at this point (apologies to Musiala, Moukoko, Bellingham, Adeyemi, Gavi & Pedri etc) but more so on some of the lesser known youth prospects that might just surprise a few when the World Cup kicks off in just a few weeks time. Recognise any of these from your own FM saves?

1. Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Ghana)

 

“Arguably the best African prospect of his generation” (Maher Mezahi, The Guardian 2021). Praise indeed for the young Ghanaian who at the time was still plying his trade at Steadfast FC in Ghana having just been voted Player of the Tournament in the U20 African Cup of Nations. His performances earned him a call up to the Senior AFCON side and after being heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, it was Sporting CP that eventually landed his signature (while cleverly locking in a large release fee). Since then he has gone on to earn 8 caps for the national side and looks set to be a starter for Ghana in a tricky group that includes Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea.

In FM there are signs of quite a good player here - good physicals combined with decent passing, technique and dribbling attributes (for an 18-year-old) makes me think he would develop rapidly if managed well, and if he shines at the World Cup then we can definitely expect a bump in attributes and potential in the Winter data update.

 
 

2. Xavi Simons (Netherlands)

 
 

While fairly well known to us FM enthusiasts from his days in the PSG academy (as well as his tremendous haircut), Simons’ call-up to the Netherlands World Cup Squad was still somewhat of a surprise particularly looking at the omissions of Brian Brobbey and Ryan Gravenberch - however 8 goals and 4 assists for PSV in just 13 league games proves his seat on the plane is more than justified and with the notable absence of Gini Wijnaldum combined with Holland’s relatively straightforward group, it’s quite possible that Simons will be given minutes and a chance to shine in this year’s competion and even if not, no doubt there are plenty more ahead of him.

In FM he continues to get better each season, can play in a multitude of midfield roles and if his form continues so too will his in-game ability and potential - watch this space.

 
 

3. Garang Kuol (Australia)

 
 

Garang Kuol literally burst onto the A-League scene last season scoring 4 goals in 7 appearances which earned him instant plaudits and recognition that not only led to a call-up to the Australian squad but also led to him agreeing a move to high-flying Newcastle United who are gradually recruiting some of the top youth talent around in addition to bolstering their Senior side. Kuol is lightning quick, tenacious, instinctive and clearly has an eye for goal which is why he looks set to be a shining light for Australia as they look to navigate their way out of a group containing France, Denmark and Tunisia.

Still only 17 at the start of FM23, his speed and skill are somewhat reflected in-game with loads of room to improve and be developed upon arrival at Tyneside however as is often the case his progress might accelerate faster in real-life depending on how his World Cup performances go not to mention his pending move to Newcastle once he completes this season at Central Coast Mariners. Excited about this one 🤞.

 
 

4. Jewison Bennette (Costa Rica)

 
 

Sticking with the theme of speed and Tyneside - 18-year-old Jewison Bennette is another lightning quick young winger that looks set to feature for his national side in the upcoming World Cup having already earned 7 caps and 2 goals for Costa Rica in the build-up to the tournament, wherein he provided the assist for the goal that defeated New Zealand and gained them qualification to their third consecutive World Cup finals. This season saw him make a move to Sunderland in the Championship where he has been ever present so far in the league having scored a late equaliser in their second game away to Watford.

In FM23 it’s fair to say he doesn’t boast a huge amount of skill or technical ability however his Pace (17), Acceleration (17) and Off the Ball (16) will likely cause problems in the match engine and he should definitely be on the radar for any mid to lower level saves out there. Costa Rica face an uphill struggle in a group containing giants Spain and Germany, however they found themselves in a similar boat just 8 years ago when Joel Campbell inspired them to beat Italy and draw with England to reach the Quarter Finals (only to eventually lose to Holland on penalties) - if Bennette can repeat these heroics alongside the aforementioned Joel Campbell again then he may be one to watch in FM23 later down the line.

 
 

5. António Silva (Portugal)

 
 

Calling it now - António Silva to be the best young Centre Half in FM23. In the bag. So powerful have his performances been for Benfica this season (which has seen them top not only the Primeira Liga but also a Champions League group containing both PSG and Juventus) that Silva was included in Portugal’s 26-man World Cup squad despite never being capped for the Senior side previously. This is relatively unheard of but is a testament to Silva’s performances at club level where he has been a rock in defence and shown excellent positioning, anticipation, distribution as well as being quick, comfortable with both feet and having an excellent read of the game for an 18-year-old. On first thought one might immediately assume that minutes will be few and far between for Silva but with Pepe now at the ripe old age of 39 and Danilo Pereira usually preferring a defensive midfield role rather than at Centre Half, deploying Silva alongside Ruben Dias (especially against some of the quicker forward players) might just prove to be a masterstroke if Fernando Santos has the b*lls to do it (sadly his track record suggest he doesn’t).

In FM23 - well, see for yourself. A Rolls Royce of a defender already in-game and he is only 18..what a player.

 
 

6. Nico Williams (Spain)

 
 

The second 5 Star Potential list that Nico Williams makes in recent weeks and with good reason. The 20-year-old has exploded onto the scene in Bilbao with 3 goals and 4 assists already in La Liga - lightning quick with the ability to play on either wing, Williams presents an interesting option for Luis Enrique in a Spain squad that you could argue is slightly lacking in natural width with the likes of Ferran Torres and Marco Asensio perhaps his main competition down that right hand side. It’s also interesting to note that his brother Iñaki will line out for Ghana in the World Cup also - narrative merchants are praying that these two meet in the knock-out rounds.

In FM his all-round attributes are quite reflective of the fact that he is one of only 24 players labelled as a “Wonderkid” under the FM Media Description, makes sense why he is already highly coveted by some of the top European teams at the beginning of FM23. If he gets and takes his chance in this World Cup, expect to see his name in bright lights come January.

 
 

There we have it - 6 players that might just surprise us if they get their moment to shine at this year’s World Cup. There are of course many others that are in contention to shine at this year’s tournament (keep a close eye on the American trio of Yunus Musah, Joe Scally and Giovanni Reyna as well as Morocco’s Bilal El Khannous if he gets game time) - one thing is for sure, from a footballing perspective we are in for one hell of a tournament. Let us know what you think in the comments below or of course on Twitter - have we missed anyone?

Thanks for reading.

Tune into the 5 Star Potential podcast every Monday for more of our latest and best Football Manager content, the longest running Football Manager podcast out there with a new episode released every week on iTunes, Spotify and most other podcast apps and platforms.

Top 10 Best Release Clauses in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

When Manchester City activated Erling Haaland’s €60m transfer release clause in 2021, it was widely agreed that this represented outstanding value for arguably the world’s most exciting striker however few could have predicted just how quickly he would take to Premier League life and immediately realise that value (and then some).

 
 

By November Haaland had scored 23 goals in just 17 appearances in all competitions, emphatically reminds us just how valuable and economically beneficial Minimum Fee Release Clauses can be in football and while many of us Football Manager aficionados are more than familiar with navigating these from both an inbound and outbound perspective, the increased amount of transfer revenue available combined with many clubs striving to avoid including these in player contracts (not to mention our frequent focus on scouting, attributes and newgens) means that Release Fees are sometimes overlooked or not as commonly prevalent when scouring the transfer market.


That said - they are still a very real part of modern-day football particularly with some leagues such as La Liga requiring all contracts to include a Minimum Fee Release Fee and while often these are somewhat over exorbitant (see €1bn release clauses for Pedri, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres for more info not to mention the majority of Athletic Club de Bilbao’s playing squad) - it’s important to note that there are still bargains to be found regardless of the club or level at which you are managing, and to prove this we bring you 10 Players to look out for who have good value Minimum Fee Release Clauses at the start of Football Manager 23.

1. Victor Osimhen

 
 

What more can be said about Victor Osimhen that @FMDoop hasn’t already said on the 5 Star Potential podcast. Having held wonderkid status through the last 4 or 5 versions of FM, his €75m move from Lille to Napoli in 2020 at just 21 years of age raised many eyebrows and though he has been slightly blighted by injury since arriving in Naples, this season has seen him storm to the top of the goalscorer charts in Serie A averaging close to a goal a game helping Napoli go top of the league early on.

In FM23 Osimhen is valued between £83 and £99 million, however if you can’t wait two seasons for his contract to expire and are managing at a club with the necessary financial resources available, he can be picked up for a relatively good-value £86m particularly when you look at his age, value and of course his attributes in game..look at those Physicals 😍.

 
 

2. Christopher Nkunku

 
 

Another at the higher end of the financial spectrum but great value at the start of FM23 nonetheless. Ex-PSG graduate Christopher Nkunku can and did play in a number of roles at RBL before shooting to world notoriety last season wherein he scored 35 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions after being deployed prominently as a number nine, and has already amassed 11 league goals in 13 games this season at the time of writing.

Although he signed a two year contract extension at Leipzig, it looks certain that his future lies elsewhere and with his release clause at the lower end of his value range in FM23 he is most certainly obtainable for any of the bigger clubs across the Top 5 Leagues in Europe - he can play in almost any attacking role in-game and at just 24 can be moulded into any position or role you might need within your tactical style and formation.

 
 

3. Ismael Bennacer

 
 

We love a DMC here at 5 Star Potential and Ismaël Bennacer certainly ranks up there as one of the best all-round versatile defensive midfielders in-game and in real life which is why Milan are so desperate to renew his contract particularly following the departure of Franck Kessié to Barcelona in the summer. The Algerian has been heavily linked with almost all the top European clubs this season (including former club Arsenal) particularly due to the fact that he has only one year remaining on his contract.

If you can’t wait that long however and have an excess of cash in your budget, £43m for a player with both the technical and defensive ability of Bennacer isn’t a bad deal at all considering he is valued between £40m and £60m in-game, especially if you don’t want to risk him renewing his deal with the current Champions of Italy…

 
 

4. Nico Williams

 
 

Not to be confused with either his brother and teammate Iñaki (who has played his way into Athletic Club history with a record 246 consecutive games played to date) or the similarly named Neco Williams of Nottingham Forest - last season saw 18-year-old Nico Williams burst on to the La Liga scene with Bilbao, and so impressive has his start to this season been that he was recently rewarded with a call-up and debut for the Spain national team (made even more interesting by the fact that his brother recently switched allegiance to play for the Ghana national side and there is a possibility the two could meet at some point in World Cup 2022).

One of only 24 players labelled as a “Wonderkid” under the FM23 Media Description - £43 million might seem excessive for the now 19-year-old winger however considering (1) his likelihood of renewing at the Basque-only club and (2) the fact that his value could well double following a move or contract renewal, it may prove to be a shrewd piece of business especially when we look at his combined speed and technical attributes which will only improve and excel within the FM23 match engine.

 
 

5. Pedro Porro

 
 

Another 5 Star Potential favourite. Pedro Porro has been wing-back of choice for much of us over the past few versions of FM, made slightly more difficult by a two-year loan deal which was made permanent this summer which might make contract negotiations slightly more difficult in FM23. That said - the former Man City academy player has become a mainstay for Sporting this season and while £39m might feel high considering his real-life price tag was a fraction of that, you’ll do well to find a player more suited to the Right-Wing Back role than Porro and at just 22 would expect to hold down that role for at least 10 seasons for any top club in-game.

 
 

6. Kim Min-Jae

 
 

Our second Napoli (or should I say Parthenope 🙃) player who has also been a crucial part of their early ascent to the top of Serie A this season. The departure of Kalidou Koulibaly caused much concern for Napoli fans during the summer however Kim Min-Jae’s partnership with Juan has eradicated these worries instantly with Napoli only conceding 10 goals in 13 games so far in the league.

The South Korean has been a rock at the back and at 25 has the perfect age and attributes to play for almost any elite club in Europe. With two years left on his deal it will be surprising if Napoli don’t rush to extend further especially if he can show similar performances in the upcoming World Cup - you won’t find many defenders of his calibre available for £39 million and no doubt that release clause will surely increase if he extends his current contract in Naples.

 
 

7. Ricardo Horta

 
 

Pedro Gonçalves. Pedro Neto. Francisco Trincão. Pizzi. Xadas. It’s safe to say that Braga are a club renowned for their eye for talent and youth development, and where the likes of Benfica and Malaga failed to see a top talent in Ricardo Horta, Braga knew there was the makings of a top player in there and since his signing in 2017 he has been a pivotal component of their efforts to compete with the likes of Porto, Sporting and the aforementioned Benfica - so much so he was recalled to the Portuguese national side after an 8 year absence from his international debut.

Capable of playing anywhere across the Attacking Midfield strata, his speed and natural fitness combined with strong Flair, Off the Ball, Dribbling and Technical ability make him highly sought after at the start of FM23 and with a release fee of just £24 million (compared to his valuation) he is definitely a more affordable and attainable option in comparison to some of our earlier mentioned attacking players.

 
 

8. Giorgi Mamardashvili

 
 

About time we added a Goalkeeper to this list. We would have drawn your attention to Diogo Costa had he not recently signed a contract extension that included a bump to his release clause (remains to be seen if this gets included in full release), so in the spirit of realism we instead turn to highly rated (and former FM wonderkid) Georgian stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Tipped by UEFA as a top prospect in 2021 after impressing in the Europa League during a loan spell at Locomotive Tbilisi, he was snapped up by Valencia and has since gone on to secure the #1 position at the Mestalla and his performances last year led to him being named in La Liga's Discovery Team of the Season.

Looking at him in FM23 we can see the makings of a top class keeper, not only due to his 6’6” frame but his clear aerial control of his area, quick reflexes and good ball distribution. Valued between £21m and £32m at the start of the game, his release clause of £24.5m make him as good a keeper as you would get at that price range, and with recent improvements to goalkeeper animations in the FM23 match engine it will be a treat to watch him tower over the opposition and take “making himself big” to a whole new level of goalkeeping.

 
 

9. Paulo Dybala

 
 

THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Paulo f*cking Dybala. Football Manager royalty. The Argentinian needs no introduction following his exploits for both Argentina and Juventus in recent years, and not much can be said apart from the fact that only injuries have prevented him from going on to achieve even greater things in football. Having long been linked with a move to the Premier League throughout his career, it was José Mourinho and Roma that successfully lured him away from Turin when his contract at Juventus ended and since then he has bagged 7 goals in 11 appearances for i Giallorossi.

Needless to say Paulo Dybala is and always has been outstanding in Football Manager and FM23 is no different. What is surprising however is that he has a £17.25m release fee meaning his value is locked in between £14m and £21m - crazy when you think about it! The only drawback is that his recent move means he may be unlikely to enter negotiations having just joined Roma, however Paulo Dybala for just £17m in January would literally be a game-changer for most sides if things aren’t going peachy in Rome. While he may not light up the charts in the Pace, Fitness or Work Rate departments, his Technical and Mental attributes remain world class and if you can find the right role to unleash him.

 
 

10. Arsen Zakharyan

 
 

We talked about affordable and attainable, and in FM23 the highly rated Russian youngster Arsen Zakharyan is just that. What’s interesting about this one is that not only is his Release Clause applicable to Foreign Clubs only, but also that it expires in February 2024 meaning that if you don’t snap him up prior to this you run the risk of either (a) the clause vanishing for good or (b) his club Dinamo Moscow renewing his deal making him even less attainable for the seasons which follow.

In real-life Zakharyan has been compared to a young Kevin De Bruyne based on his versatility, creativity and passing range - so much so that it was reported that Chelsea had agreed a deal to sign him only for it to fall through in the summer. For obvious reasons he won’t feature in the World Cup this year but plenty of clubs are well aware of his ability both IRL and in-game. £13m looks to be quite a reasonable release clause looking at his value, versatility and potential and he could be a powerful signing for a mid-tier /top-half club should you have the funds to activate it.

 
 

That’s your lot. 10 players with very reasonable Minimum Fee Release Clauses compared to their valuation and ability/potential in-game and believe me there are plenty more to find if you are willing to roll up your sleeves and do the necessary detective work to unearth a few bargains even further down the financial spectrum. Football Manager has become so evolved and immersed in the real-life mechanics of contracts and negotiations that there are multiple different types of clauses present in-game, and these can be viewed and utilised through the player search filters and columns to help find the best deals right from the start of your first big save of the new game. Let us know if you find any others either in the comments below or @5StarPod on Twitter 👌.

A new cycle begins with FM23 out on Tuesday 8th November - WE MOVE.

FM23 CUSTOM VIEWS

 
 

SQUAD VIEW - CLASSIC

Your main squad overview page, it contains all the information you need for a quick snapshot of day-to-day life with your squad.

  • Overall Happiness - Pretty obvious and it stands out like a sore thumb if someone’s unhappy.

  • Training Rating: Reward those that train hard and penalise those that don’t.

  • Injury Risk: If you’re like me and select your squad from this page it gives me a quick look at the condition and injury risk.

  • Stats: The standard FM Appearance, Goals & Assists.

  • CA/PA: My scout’s opinion of the player’s current and potential ability.

  • Style: Your Assistant Manager’s opinion of this player’s player style.

  • Performance: Overall Training Performance

 
 

SQUAD VIEW - STATS

Another squad view overview page, but this time it’s all about statistics. I have used a separator tab for the purposes of the screenshot, but personally I’ll be removing it in my game.

I have separated the tabs into four sections; Fitness, Passing, Shots & Defending. You can remove and replace the chalkboard stats for once that you’re particularly looking for but this gives you a quick look at how your players are performing against each other.

 
 

SQUAD VIEW - PATHWAY

This view is designed to monitor player happiness and take into consideration the playing time pathway features added back in FM20.

  • Agreed Playing Time: Your agreement with the player.

  • Actual Playing Time: As it says on the tin, what the player’s current actual playing time is.

  • Playing Time Happiness: A very visual representation of your player’s mindset, they can be disappointed that they are out of the side but happy to be in your team.

  • Progress: Quick glimpse at how the player is progressing.

  • Promises: Have you ever been in a position where you’ve had an interaction with a player only for them to rub it in your face at the end of the season because you forgot all about it? Well this keeps a marker of the promises you’ve made and should remind you before it’s too late.

 
 

STAFF VIEWS

These are up there with my most used views and it really gives me a head start when I’m looking to build my backroom team.

The three views here are for the Coaching Team, Medical Team & the Recruitment Team, each view is designed to give you a quick snapshot of the key attributes required for each role.

 
 

STAFF SEARCH

Much like the Staff View above this filter is used in the Staff Search and shows the specific attributes for Coaches, Recruitment and Medical. I find these filters extremely pleasing on the eye and if you’re exporting the attributes for calculating the perfect staff member for your team, this screen makes it easy.

 
 

TRANSFER VIEW

If you spend time ignoring your scouts and scouring the transfer list for bargains then this view will probably be right up your street.

  • Info: Unhappy, Transfer Listed, Listed For Loan, Injured or a number of other pieces of info will be shown here.

  • Agreed Playing Time: A new addition to my transfer view, but here you’ll see if a player is surplus to requirements which could lead to a cut-price deal.

  • RC Injury: This is really important for me as sometimes you’ll only skim through a scout report but here it’s very obvious if a player has a recurring injury.

  • Media Description: Looking for an explosive winger or a Wonderkid? The media description will reveal all.

  • Attributes: These attributes match my squad view, if you have attributes you’re keen on, replace them here.

  • Minimum Release Clause: There are a number of different release clauses in the game, but I keep the basic one on this view. If you purchase a lot of talent from Brazil, add the minimum fee release clause for foreign clubs.

 
 

FIXTURE VIEW

This view is used to quickly see if there’s a formation you’re struggling against or see where a tactical change may have inspired a turnaround in performance.

 
 

INSTALLATION

These files should be placed in Documents > Sports Interactive > Football Manager 2023 > Views (if you don’t have a Views folder, create one).

6 Teams We Are Excited to Manage During Early Access

 
 

Death, taxes and the struggle of choosing your first save when a new version of Football Manager is released. Three certainties in life and this time of year brings about the annual mental dilemma where us FM enthusiasts ponder the all important decision of which team to manage upon the full release of the latest installment from Sports Interactive.

But fear not - all it takes is a little inspiration and we’ve got you covered here at 5 Star Potential; here are 6 teams that we are excited to manage during the Football Manager 2023 Beta.

Ajax 

It’s arguably been one of the busiest transfer windows of all time for Ajax and with six of their starting eleven from last year leaving the club there is no time like the present to integrate the new recruits into your squad. Stars like Jurien Timber, Dusan Tadic & Steven Berghuis have been joined by some exciting new signings such as Steven Bergwijn, Owen Wijndal, Francisco Conceicao and FM22 favourite Lorenzo Lucca on loan from Pisa, giving this squad some real fire power as you look to secure the Eredivise title and try to go one step further by winning them their first Champions League trophy since 1995 when an 18-year-old Patrick Kluivert bagged an 85th minute winner against AC Milan. .

 
 

Los Angeles FC 

Gareth Bale, Giorgio Chiellini and a Football Manager Wonderkid by the name of Carlos Vela should be enough to whet your appetite to take the hot seat at Los Angeles FC. If you have never managed in the MLS now is a great time to start - the league is split into two conferences, Eastern & Western, with the highest points total from either league awarded the Supporters’ Shield. Fourteen teams then compete in the MLS Cup Playoffs in a knockout format to determine the MLS Cup Champions. What’s not to love?!

In the 2021 MLS season LAFC only managed a 9th placed finish and didn’t qualify for the playoffs. Do you have what it takes to The Black and Gold to MLS glory?


 
 

Atalanta 

If you fancy dipping your toes into the Italian water then look no further than Atalanta. Last season they entertained the world when they played in the UEFA Champions League and latterly, the Europa League but the congestion of European football played its part and saw them finish just outside the European Qualification spots finishing in 8th place. 

Atalanta are renowned for their recruitment strategy and during the off-season they’ve recruited several new players, including Ademola Lookman and Jeremie Boga. 

Can you return them to European football and hear that iconic UEFA Champions League anthem?

 
 

Stade Rennais 

Mathys Tel may have left for Bayern Munich but Stade Rennais always have their Squad Planner at the ready and the signing of Amine Gouri excited the fans around the world, still just 22 he has the world at his feet if he can find his scoring form in Northwest France which will hopefully materialise quickly with the likes of Kamaldeen Sulemana and Jeremy Doku around him not to mention wonderkid Désiré Doué who recently broke into the first team.

In Ligue 1 Uber Eats you have the might of PSG to overcome but the first season is all about UEFA Europa League glory, how far can you take this promising club?

 
 

Derby County

Excellent training facilities, excellent youth facilities and a transfer embargo that looms over the club as the administrators look for a new owner. There is no doubt that managing Derby County will be tough but where better to cut your teeth than to take charge of The Rams as they battle to stay in the league. 

With your hands tied in the transfer market you are going to have to get the best out of your young players (fortunately the likes of Jason Knight and Louis Sibley have stuck around despite relegation) - the good news is that the infrastructure at Derby is excellent so there’s a great chance you’ll unearth a gem or two in your youth intake and hopefully be seeing 5 stars at Pride Park before long.

 
 

FC Copenhagen 


If it’s UEFA Champions League football you are after but fancy a bit of a challenge then look no further than the reigning 3F Superliga Champions - Football Club Copenhagen. 

The Danish side have won the most titles domestically winning the Championship 14 times but when it comes to European competition they have only managed to reach the last 16 in the UEFA Champions League once and the Quarter-Finals of the UEFA Europa League once - can you take them one-step further in their first season? Sidenote - probably worth mentioning this side contains not one but two FM wonderkids in the form of Roony Bardghji and Isak Bergmann Johannesson 🔥🔥.

 
 

Six teams with six unique challenges and objectives ahead of them - FM23 is out from Tuesday 8th November with the Early Access Beta expected a couple of weeks before this, choose wisely ☝️.


Let us know your thoughts on Twitter (@5StarPod) or Instagram (@5StarPod) and be sure to listen to the 5 Star Potential podcast, the longest running Football Manager podcast with a new episode released every Monday.

The New Class - 5 Wonderkids Making Their Debut in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

In January 2021 the FM Community went into overload when it was confirmed that one Youssoufa Moukoko would finally be making his first appearance in Football Manager with the release of the first FM21 data update, arguably the most exciting in-game Wonderkid to emerge for many years and instantly lauded for his attributes and undoubted potential in the FM universe.

 
 

In general, only players who turn 16 in the year the game is released make it into the database itself, and with football (and in particular youth football) more and more accessible and visible in the public domain than ever before, the hype continues to grow around youth players and in this light FM is no different. Each new version of the game brings much anticipation and excitement as a new impending batch of Wonderkids take to our screens with players born in 2006 now available to be placed in-game, so today we will take a look at 5 Youth Players to Watch who we expect to make their Football Manager debuts in FM23 and in turn represent some of the most exciting wonderkids in this latest FM game cycle.

1. Endrick Felipe

 
 

Mainly known as “Endrick”, our first FM23 debutant has been lighting up the Brazilian Youth Leagues for Palmeiras scoring 165 goals in 169 games and featuring regularly for the U20 side despite being 5 years below the age level. Endrick’s strongest role is as a Centre Foward but can equally be deployed on the left or right flank - his pace and flair are matched by his technique and finishing ability and as a result he has already been heavily linked with PSG, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Liverpool despite only recently turning 16. These clubs look set to be disappointed however, as it appears Barcelona are Endrick’s preferred choice which is little wonder considering he has drawn frequent comparisons to a young Romario and Ronaldo both of whom went on to become legends at the Camp Nou.

From a Football Manager perspective - it remains to be seen how his attributes and potential are portrayed in-game, not to mention his availability considering he is contracted at Palmeiras until 2025 (let’s not even think about work-permit issues), however one thing that appears guaranteed is that he will end up at the elite end of one of Europe’s Top 5 leagues in real life, whatever about your first FM23 save.

 
 

2. Warren Zaïre-Emery

 
 

We recently had Joe Donnohue from Scouted Football on the 5 Star Potential podcast, during which he referred to Warren Zaïre-Emery as “one of the best I’ve seen at that level”. High praise indeed for the 16-year-old PSG midfielder who has been so dominant at underage level that he has already made his debut for the Ligue 1 side becoming the youngest player ever to do so at 16 years and 151 days old. Zaïre-Emery is very much an all-round midfielder - he is highly effectively defensively as a 6 however has the transitional play and passing ability to play as as a DLP or a Box-to-Box midfilder - continuing to evolve as he grows in strength, pysique and maturity not to mention getting minutes alongside the likes of Messi, Veratti and Renato Sanches.

Similar to Endrick above - availability may be the key challenge with Zaïre-Emery having just signed his first professional contract until June 2025, however if the Researchers at SI get his physical and technical attributes on point, we are looking at potentially one of the best wonderkid midfielders to emerge in the game in many renditions of FM gone by.

 
 

3. Archie Gray

 
 

Is it just me or have we not had an English Wonderkid for a while? Step forward Archie Gray - son of former Leeds Striker Andy Gray (90s football knows), Grandson of Leeds legend Frank Gray and nephew of former Leeds Manager Eddie Gray - it’s safe to say football is in the blood of the 16-year-old who has impressed so much in his time in the Leeds academy that he was called up to the Leeds first team by Marcelo Bielsa and more recently has been dubbed as “first team ready” by current manager Jesse Marsch. A talented midfielder with excellent passing, movement and an eye for goal, Archie Gray has already been tipped as a future England midfielder by Jamie Redknapp and with a spot vacated and big boots to fill following the departure of Kalvin Phillips, there is certainly a pathway to the first team and it will be an interesting prospect to see how he progresses both in real life and in-game as we see him in Football Manager for the first time.

 
 

4. Julian Duranville

 
 

Anderlecht and Wonderkids, name a better duo. Not only is 16-year-old Julien Duranville slowly breaking into an Anderlecht side that already contains such wonderkids as Fabio Silva and Sebastiano Esposito, there are already whispers of a Belgium call-up for the World Cup as well as rumours circulating of a €15m bid from Bayern Munich for the young Belgian’s signature. Explosive from either wing, good technical ability and a direct run-at-opponent mentality, Duranville is already proving to be a handful for opposition defenders in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League and recently bagged his first goal for the club just 6 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 2-2 draw against Oud-Heverlee Leuven.

While it is early days to compare him with a young Romelu Lukaku or even the more recent Jeremy Doku - the latter’s injury history combined with the aging Thorgan Hazard and Dries Mertens may indeed mean a pathway towards the Belgian national side - hopefully his very recent upward spike and evolution is reflected in FM23 and if so, he may prove to be a bargain after a season or two as has traditionally been the case with Anderlecht players in-game.

 
 

5. Paul Wanner

 
 

Speaking of Bayern - our final debutant for FM23 arrives in the form of German U17 attacking midfielder Paul Wanner, a left-sided player who operates mostly in a central role but can play on either wing also. Although he was actually born in December 2005, he didn’t make the cut for FM22 and thus features in Football Manager for the first time and not a moment too soon ; after becoming Bayern’s youngest ever player and the second youngest in the Bundesliga behind the aforementioned Moukoko, he went on to have an impressive U17 Euros campaign for Germany scoring two goals and attracting much plaudits for his dribbling ability, pace and creativity in the middle of the park. Widely tipped as a long-term successor to Thomas Muller and judging how Bayern have put faith in their academy players in recent times (see Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala) - Wanner looks to have a big future at Bayern as illustrated by the long-term contract awarded this year, however if FM-Bayern are inclined to spend rather than develop than Wanner could evolve into a top prospect within a couple of seasons of FM23.

 
 

There we have it - five brand new FM prospects and potential wonderkids for Football Manager 2023, none of whom featured in FM22 and all of whom we hope will go on to do big things for both club and country in real life as well as in FM23. Will each go on to fulfil their (fingers crossed) 5 Star Potential in-game, or will they join a long infamous list of failed Football Manager wonderkids in years to come? Only time will tell - roll on FM23.

Let us know your thoughts on Twitter (@5StarPod) or Instagram (@5StarPod) and be sure to listen to the 5 Star Potential podcast, the longest running Football Manager podcast with a new episode released every Monday.

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