Wonderkid Watch - Arnaud Kalimuendo

 
 

by @FridayNightFM

When it comes to the French, there’s one thing you can guarantee, potential wonderkids. They are stacked in all areas and the future looks sustainably bright for Les Bleus and that future includes this former PSG graduate who finds himself spearheading Rennes exciting young side in Ligue 1.

There were a number of clubs interested in signing Kalimuendo in the summer of 2022 including Leeds United, however he chose to join Stade Rennais for approximately £18m plus a future slice of the pie going to PSG should he be sold for a profit.

 
 

With his transfer to Rennes only happening last season he’s still finding his feet - he scored his first league goal for the club in October and has gone on to amass 6 goals and four assists in 19 games this season starting in 62% of the club’s games, playing 54% of the total minutes available which shows he’s still very much on the edge of full time first team football.

 
 

Stats-wise Kalimuendo is in the 90th percentiles for Pass Completion and Progressive Passes this season, and he has proven himself to be adept both at creating and scoring goals particularly during his time at Lens and now at Rennes this season since leaving PSG due to a lack of first team football in the French capital.

 

Career stats to date (Source: BeSoccer.com)

 

In Football Manager 2023 the 20 year old is quite clearly an Advanced Forward and at 5’9” he gives me strong Jermain Defoe vibes, short, powerful and a clinical finisher. His stand out attributes for his position are his Finishing (15), Composure (14), Determination (15), Off The Ball (15) & Acceleration (15) - for a 20 year old these are great attributes to start the game with and with the right training, development and game time Arnaud can become a problem in all the top European Leagues. 

 
 

At the start of the game he’s only just signed for Rennes so don’t expect to be signing him for a while, he’s contracted until 2027 but in two of my saves he’s left France for Italy after the first season for just over £20m. In both saves he’s been managed by the AI meaning I have no knowledge of how he’s been developed and it wasn’t until his return to France in my latest save that he’s been cropping up on the newsfeed… A LOT. 

Marseille brought him home in the 2025/26 season for just £12m after an unsuccessful time in Italy with Atalanta where, in fairness, he had only managed to play 13 games in 3 seasons. His return was as a backup striker where he made 8 starts in the league but came on 16 times and scored 7 goals. His second season at the Stade Velodrome saw him lead the attack, he started 45 games in total and returned 19 goals and 4 assists. Then things really clicked and the next season saw him net 19 in 33 games as he started his quest to become an elite Ligue 1 striker. Season 28/29 and he was on fire his 29 goals in 33 starts saw him win his first international cap for France, he won Ligue 1 Forward of the Season and finished as the European Golden Shoe winner. 

 
 

At the end of the 2029/30 season, my current season, he’s gone one step further; 52 goals in 51 games (35 goals in 32 Ligue 1 games) and he’s undoubtedly up there as an elite European marksman. 

 
 

Development

As you can see from the screenshots, he starts the game with no player traits and has added Likes to Try To Beat Offside Trap & Knocks Ball Past Opponent which clearly take advantage of his Acceleration, Decisions and Off The Ball attributes but will of course mean you’ll be seeing plenty of Offside decisions in your games.

 
 
 
 

Injuries 

Something that surprised me from such an explosive player is that his injury record is actually very good, over the course of this save his longest spell on the sidelines was 4 weeks. I would normally be looking to take advantage of resting my sprinters during the season but he’s just played 50+ games this season with only a couple of knocks.

 
 

Summary

This report was written before the Winter Update dropped so one can only hope that Arnaud as a player has stayed the same as a minimum, you never know he might have even had a small upgrade to mirror his real life emergence.

Having not managed him personally it seems strange to write a report on a player that I’ve had no personal attachment to but the fact that he’s caught my eye in two different saves he has certainly piqued my interest and I’ll certainly be doing my best to pick him up on a future save.

If you’ve had the pleasure of managing him, please let me know, I’d love to know what he’d be like if he realised his full potential.

5 Players You Need to Rescue in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

Igor Akinfeev. Matt Le Tissier. Alan Shearer. Players who were repeatedly linked with big money moves throughout their careers but for one reason or another ended up staying at their respective clubs and ultimately concluded their careers having never played at an “elite” club or brought home a major trophy (and that’s coming from a Newcastle fan). 

Is that type of loyalty no longer of value in the modern game? Footballers are often criticised for their perceived lack of loyalty whenever they are approached by or pushing for a move to a bigger club, and perhaps rightly so at times given the treatment and platform provided by their current club at the time; that said, the lifespan of a player’s career is relatively short on the grand scheme of things and opportunities to move to that elite-tier level can often be few and far between. Is it not understandable that some players are keen to capitalise on these opportunities knowing that they may never get a second chance at a similar move? The same can be said for the selling club in question - it’s not every day an elite club comes knocking at the door willing to handover an exorbitant amount of cash for one of your best assets; do you risk keeping that door closed when it’s possible the same offer may never come your way again?

Here are 5 players who despite being repeatedly linked with a big money move somehow still remain at their clubs and as such are very much due the big move they deserve before it’s too late and the opportunity passes them forever. How are these guys still there?

1. Dominik Livaković (Dinamo)

We FM enthusiasts have of course known all about Livaković all along, particularly as he has been one of the best and most solid goalkeeping bargains for several renditions of Football Manager at this point. Fresh from his World Cup exploits (where he equalled the record for most penalties saved at World Cup finals tournaments) he was again linked with with a move to a host of European clubs including Bayern, Chelsea, Man Utd and (ahem) Nottingham Forest, however for one reason or another he finds himself still playing for Dinamo Zagreb in the Croatian league. At 27 he still has plenty of time as a goalkeeper, however as each season passes one could argue opportunities may become fewer and fewer as may his transfer fee and salary demands..if you need a keeper in FM23 you need look no further 🧤.

 
 

2. Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)

You will do well to find a more consistent attacker in Serie A over the last 4 or 5 seasons than Sassuolo’s Domenico Berardi. Between 2019 and 2022 he racked up 46 goals and 31 assists in 90 odd starts over 3 seasons in Serie A, which led to him becoming a mainstay in the Italian national side making 6 appearances for the Azzurri during their successful Euro 2020 victory - not bad considering his competition for a place included Federico’s Chiesa and Bernardeschi. The problem? He is still at Sassuolo, who having sold the likes of Gianluca Scamacca, Giacomo Raspadori and Jérémie Boga last summer now find themselves languishing in 14th place with the future looking somewhat bleak for Neroverdi fans. In FM23 he is still a master-technician and can do a job in almost any role across the attacking-midfield strata; at 27 he still has his best football in him, give him a way out won’t you? 🙏

 
 

3. José Gaya (Valencia)

Another player we can consider to be FM royalty. It might be me but I reckon Gaya is Football Manager’s most favoured of all left-backs, not once have I had a save over the past 6 or 7 versions where Gaya hasn’t been quickly snapped up by one of the elite European clubs and gone on to become one of the best Left-Backs in-game year-on-year (even in my own save he has persistently been ranked in the Top 50 players in the world following a move to Real Madrid). In the save that is real-life however, Gaya remains at the absolute chaos factory that is Valencia who at the time of writing sit in 19th place and are in an absolute shambles from the top down in South-East Spain - though he commands a substantial transfer fee in-game, he is worth it should you find yourself managing at a club where money isn’t an issue and you are noble enough to release him from the shackles of Valencia 🔓.

 
 

4. Ibrahim Sangaré (PSV)

At one point the PSV midfielder was linked with a move to pretty much every top club in Europe, so impressive was his breakout season in the Netherlands and the two seasons he has put in since then. Highly versatile with the unique ability to play as a 6, 8 or even a 10 at times, Sangaré was rumoured to be on the verge of a move to Liverpool last year while he was also heavily linked to Chelsea and Man Utd in the summer transfer window, however no bids seemed to ever truly materialise resulting in Sangaré extending his contract until 2027 at PSV who themselves are in somewhat of a transition following the departures of Cody Gakpo, Noni Madueke, Donyell Malen and Denzel Dumfries in the last two seasons and though the squad is promising with the likes of Xavi Simons and Fabio Silva shining in a youthful squad, Sangaré is arguably a cut above the rest in Eindhoven and looking at his quality in FM23, is more than deserving of a move to a bigger club or risk finding himself settled in the Dutch league for the best years of his career.

 
 

5. Ricardo Horta (Braga)

We’ve analysed Ricardo Horta previously here at 5 Star Potential, particularly referencing Braga’s excellent track record and pedigree in producing top tier talent as seen through the likes of Pedro Gonçalves, Pedro Neto, Pizzi, Xadas and Francisco Trincão. The one obvious issue here is that it is quite literally a conveyor belt at Braga meaning these players are brought through and sold on for profit - while the club does extremely well in their efforts to keep up with the “Big 3” of Porto, Sporting and Benfica, this is a thankless task with the annual exodus of their star players each year. The one exception to that is Ricardo Horta who has been ever-present for Braga since he arrived from Malaga in 2016 notching up 73 goals and 35 assists in 180 starts for the club (equally impressive considering he largely plays off the left or as a #10). Still only 27 years old, Horta remains Braga’s best player and in his 7th season has very much become settled at the club despite being linked with a move in each of the last three seasons (Newcastle and Benfica the most heavily rumoured suitors). A key contributor for Horta remaining at Braga is reported to be the fact that despite moving permanently to Braga from Malaga, the Spanish club still own 66% of his economic rights and therefore Braga have been holding out for a fee sufficient enough to line their own pockets as well as Malaga’s - whatever the case, Horta is clearly a class above at Braga and definitely deserves to be liberated from North Portugal - LOOK AT THOSE ATTRIBUTES 🔥.

 
 

There we have it. Five players who despite multiple rumours and reports linking them with some of the biggest clubs in Europe over the past few seasons still find themselves operating at clubs somewhat below their true ability and potential levels, and as a result are in need of rescuing in Football Manager 2023 such is the risk that they and their club may already have missed the boat in terms of capitalising on a big money move elsewhere. There are others of course - we could easily include the likes of Rúben Neves or James Ward-Prowse in here such is the loyalty vs ambition crossroads they each may soon find themselves at; regardless, these are players that are primed and ready for a big move and with the new Winter Data Update now officially out, there’s no better time to become the hero that they may not necessarily want, but the hero they need nonetheless.


Thanks for reading.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

Wonderkid Watch - Rasmus Højlund

 
 

by MaddFM.

A tall, blonde, left-footed powerhouse Striker from Scandinavia and his name isn’t Erling Braut Haaland..what is going on?


Rasmus Winther Højlund was born in February 2003 and as has been the case previously with strong technical forwards from Northern Europe, he has enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom since making his FC Copenhagen debut at just 17 in the 2020 Danish Superliga. One of three brothers (the other two being younger twins who are also on the books at Copenhagen), Rasmus became a first team regular the following season and after helping Copenhagen win their first Danish league title in 5 years as well as scoring twice in the Europa Conference League, he soon found himself the subject of a €1.8m move to Sturm Graz in Austria during the January 2022 transfer window, and it was from here that his career accelerated and has quite literally taken off to make him one of the most sought-after Strikers in European football.

 

The Højlund brothers

 

After scoring two goals on his debut for Sturm Graz, 18-year-old Højlund went on to score 6 goals in 13 games that season and despite having only just joined the club in January he was already heavily linked with another move in the Summer of 2022. He started the 2022/2023 season in Austria scoring 6 goals in 8 games and this was more than enough to convince Italian giants Atalanta to part with a reported €17m for his signature in August 2022 just 8 months after he arrived in Austria. As remarkable rises go, this is surely among the wildest and most impressive one might see at this level.

 
 

Although he scored 12 goals in just 21 games for Sturm Graz, one would expect that a player still only 19-years-old might need some time to adapt to the huge jump in level that is Serie A football, and on paper it appeared to be the case for Højlund as he managed just 1 goal and 1 assist in his first 11 appearances for La Dea. However, considering he only started 4 of these it’s clear that Gian Piero Gasperini had a plan for Rasmus Højlund, and while all eyes were on the World Cup in Qatar, Højlund was able to spend time on the training ground learning from the likes of Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel (both of whom missed out as Colombia failed to qualify) and since Serie A football returned to our screens, Højlund has started like a house on fire scoring 5 goals in 8 games and helping to propel Atalanta right back up the table to 6th at the time of writing. It’s little surprise that he is already linked with yet another move to an even bigger club, with the likes of Man Utd, Inter, Arsenal and Real Madrid all rumoured to be keeping tabs on his impressive progress in Bergamo.

 
 

At 6’3” and arguably still growing, Højlund initially appears to be ideally suited as a Target Man however he has also proven his athleticism, dribbling ability and speed with the ball (akin to Haaland) as illustrated by his running/dribbling stats - at times showing even more mobility and directness than Haaland this season with higher Progressive Carries (301 vs 271), Distance Carried (1663 vs 1270) and Carries into the Final Third (17 vs 6) which show what an asset he has become as part of that famous counter-attacking style which Atalanta are renowned for deploying. Equally he also is highly effective when it comes to his effectiveness in and around the box, scoring in the 99th percentile for Progressive Passes Received and in the 90th percentile for Touches in the Opposition Penalty Area in Serie A (stats via Fbref).

 
 
 

Career stats to date (Source: BeSoccer.com)

 

In Football Manager 2023, Højlund starts off as a 19-year-old versatile forward with excellent physical and mental attributes along with highly promising technical and finishing ability. 15 Pace combined with 15 Determination and 15 Finishing make for a hell of a striking prospect in this game not to mention his Height and Heading / Jumping Reach etc. He can be deployed in almost any Striker role and will surely thrive under your tutelage if given the right training and developmental support in-game.

 

While he is not easily attainable at the start of FM23 considering he has just arrived at Atalanta and is locked into a contract until 2027 in Bergamo, there is little doubt he is good enough for almost any elite tier team and his price tag of €17m-€20m makes him very much affordable for any bigger club in Europe and almost all Premier League sides. Despite starting slightly slower in my own save wherein he is still at Atalanta after five seasons, at 24 he is showing signs of quickly becoming an elite Striker in-game scoring 21 goals in 31 appearances last season and already bagging 9 goals in the opening 16 games of the 2027/2028 season.

 
 

6 years in..

 
 
 

With the FM23 Winter Data Update due any day now, it’s extremely likely Højlund will receive some form of upgrade or attributes boost if his recent form is anything to go by. Mark my words - there’s another Scandinavian goal-machine in town 🔥.

 
 

Thanks for reading.

Let us know if you have any Wonderkids you would like us to cover or if you are interested in profiling any specific players for our Wonderkid Watch series, you can drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

 

Wonderkid Watch - Yerson Chacón

 
 

by @FM_Stag

While Venezuela has had its footballing icons over the years (think Juan Arango, Tomás Rincón or Salomón Rondón, the latter’s Everton experience notwithstanding), baseball is the primary sport of choice for most young athletes in the country, often diverting promising talent away from football. Yet it still feels like a surprising fact that Venezuela are the only CONMEBOL nation never to have qualified for a FIFA World Cup finals since the competition’s inception in 1930. 

That said, we all know South America is a permanent hotbed for exciting young talent, and Venezuela has its fair share indeed.

Wuilker Faríñez is a talented goalkeeper still in his mid 20’s who burst onto the radar of many top European clubs in real life before his 2020 move to RC Lens in France, where he has settled into looking like a more than capable stopper. Yeferson Soteldo is another mercurial talent who seemed destined for the very top, but returned to Santos in Brazil for a second spell in 2022 after moves to Toronto and Tigres failed to bear much fruit. 

Deportivo Táchira’s Yerson Chacón bears more than a passing footballing resemblance to Soteldo. At only five foot five inches tall, Chacón is a diminutive yet energetic creative attacker who loves to drive at defenders and take them on.

 
 

Making his club debut at just 16 and bagging two goals in only nine appearances, it’s fair to say that hype around Chacón has been growing for a while particularly after he bagged 6 goals and 6 assists in his first full season at the club as a 17-year-old.

 

Source: Transfermarkt.com

 

Now only 19, already capped for his country and rumoured to be attracting attention from various English Premier League clubs, the predominantly right-sided tricky winger seems destined for a bright future.

 
 

As happy as he is dribbling around and through players out on the touchline, Yerson Chacón is equally adept at cutting inside towards the traditional number 10 position, where his confidence on the ball and determined approach allows him to battle impressively against much bigger and more experienced defenders.

In Football Manager 2023, Chacón starts with the natural versatility to already be comfortable playing on either flank, either across the halfway line or more advanced in the AMR/AML slots. We see many South American talents with great dribbling and technique for a teenager, but Chacón’s raw skills are complemented by excellent starting Agility and Balance attributes of 15. 

Combined with his dimensions and decent speed, it’s fair to say Yerson Ronaldo Chacón (his actual middle name) has all the right elements to be a traditional flair player in a side who have the luxury to carry a usually enigmatic talent of this nature. Where this young Venezuelan stands out however, is how his Work Rate (13), Aggression (13) and Teamwork (15) speak to his full-blooded and committed approach to the game as the rest of his profile does to his natural flair and technical gifts. 

 
 

In my current Sampdoria save, I picked Yerson Chacón up in July 2024 for just £425k. I wish I had discovered him earlier, as I dare say he could’ve been an even bigger bargain for my side. He has the ability even at the very beginning of the game to immediately contribute effectively to a top tier side in Europe. I’m in 2027 now and the young Venezuelan has played 120 times for Sampdoria. Never once have I encountered any attitude challenges with his application or training performances, and he is a key part of my side.

Earlier in the cycle I wrote an article titled ‘What Does Good Look Like in FM23?’ which explored which metrics are actually impressive for players in each position. Numbers only really add value when they have context.

With that in mind, Yerson Chacón averaged 2.98 successful dribbles per 90 (on the very edge of High), 15.76 sprints per 90 (very High) and 0.21 expected assists per 90 (extremely High). If you haven’t checked out the article, the Low, Medium and High are benchmarks based on the performances of the elite players of European football, comparing statistical outputs to players in the top five European leagues – England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

 
 

His key attributes have developed nicely and at only 24, he still has scope for further improvement.

Yerson Chacón may not be the first South American prospect you think of in 2023, nestled away in Venezuela, but I believe at the very least he’ll match countryman Yeferson Soteldo’s status in global football and may even have the ceiling to go further. In FM23, you can make that happen.

What are you waiting for? Go and sign him up!

Thanks for reading.

FM Stag.

Check out FM Stag’s excellent Football Manager content over at FMStag.com where you can find all of his Football Manager save adventures (including his excellent FM23 save at Sampdoria), as well as a host of useful tips, guides and tools from one of the best in the business 👌.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info.

8 Players Who Deserve Upgrades in the FM23 Winter Update

 
 

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 ⏳.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

Wonderkid Watch - Gianluca Busio

 
 

by MaddFM.

When you hear the phrase “Italian-American”, it’s likely your mind drifts to The Godfather, The Sopranos or Fat Tony from The Simpsons and that’s perfectly reasonable...the last big-name Italian-American footballer on the scene was Giuseppe Rossi and though tipped for greatness when he joined Manchester United from the Parma Youth Academy in 2004, injuries and a lack of any consistent form saw him have a rollercoaster career with mixed success at the likes of Villareal and Fiorentina (not to mention 30 caps for Italy) before he eventually hung up his boots in 2022.

Enter Gianluca Cristiano Busio (yep that’s his middle name). Born in 2002 in North Carolina to an Italian father, Busio joined Sporting Kansas City at the age of 15 years old making him the youngest player to sign with an MLS club since Football Manager legend Freddy Adu joined DC United at the age of 14 in 2004. This in itself qualifies Busio for Wonderkid status right?

 
 

By 16 he had made his MLS debut and scored his first goal for the club in a 4-1 win away to Vancouver Whitecaps, before literally shooting to national recognition the following season scoring in 3 consecutive games and also shining at the U17 CONCACAF Tournament helping USA reach the final alongside another FM Wonderkid with European ties, Giovanni Reyna. By 19 Busio was called up for his first senior international cap and helped USMNT to win the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

 
 

Busio finished that season with the highest stats in the team in terms of minutes (1,152), chances created (20), tackles won (22), duels won (76) and recoveries (97), and it wasn’t long before European clubs were starting to get wind of Busio’s existence with the likes of Man Utd, Barcelona, Fiorentina and Bayern Munich all reported to have sent scouts to watch him. However for one reason or another a move never materialised, and in 2021 it was newly promoted (and highly fashionable) Venezia FC in Italy’s Serie A who successfully obtained his signature for a fee of €6 million, a deal which saw him become their most expensive ever transfer signing. 

 
 

Despite a relatively positive first season for him individually in which he made 29 appearances for I Leoni Ałati and scoring above average figures for Pass Completion, Successful Take Ons and finishing in the Top 10 in Serie A for most Successful Blocks made, it wasn’t enough to prevent them from being relegated back to Serie B however Busio has received widespread plaudits and interest largely based on his versatility and strength in midfield both defensively and in attacking phases for club and country, showing a clear and rare ability to play as a 6 or an 8 which is rare in a player of his age. 

 

Credit: @BrazilScout

 
 

Career stats to date (Source: BeSoccer.com)

 

It should also be said - the boy takes a mean free-kick…

 

 

In Football Manager 2023 Busio is a ready-made midfielder for pretty much any mid-tier club and has the potential to be developed for elite level if given the right support & development in the right role. Having just turned 20 at the start of the game and sitting in Serie B, he is both affordable & attainable and looking at those attributes he is highly desirable as a midfielder - good tackling and positioning combined with strong passing and technique mean that he can be deployed in several roles depending on your tactical needs, and at that age there is plenty of runway to train and develop him in a specialist role either in the Defensive Midfield or Central Midfield strata.

 
 

As usual what is key here is the influence of human managers in FM versus AI Managers - I have seen him at varying clubs and levels across other people’s saves including Juventus, Tottenham, Porto and even West Brom at one point 😄. In my own save in 2027 he is a starter for Ajax in midfield alongside World Cup winner Alexis McAllister, German sensation Karim Adeyemi and FM23 Wonderkid Julian Duranville so it’s safe to say that Busio is a solid bet and well worth your attention in this year’s game…I guess the same can be said of him in real-life too judging by the company he keeps..not a bad midfield that 👀

 
 

Go on, make him an offer he can’t refuse 👌.

Thanks for reading - let us know if you have any Wonderkids you would like us to cover or if you are interested in profiling any specific players for our Wonderkid Watch series, you can drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info.

8 Left-Sided Centre Backs to Sign in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

“There are many actions to build up — to make our play quicker, better — but we can’t do them. Not because the other players are not good but because he is the only left-footed central defender”. Pep Guardiola after signing Aymeric Laporte for Manchester City.

It has long been heralded that there is something special about Left-Sided footballers - often widely recognised that they can be more difficult to defend against, provide better balance within a team, offer a unique proposition on either side of the pitch and overall are often “easier on the eye” and more aesthetically appealing when you look at their passing, technique, skill and of course their shooting range/goal-scoring ability…who doesn’t have fond memories of Laurent Robert sh*tpingers, outrageous Robert Carlos free-kicks, Arjen Robben cutting inside from the right wing, David Silva’s beautifully arced through balls, Gareth Bale’s ball-striking ability and basically anything that Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi ever did with a football?

Traditionally the appeal of left-sided players leaned towards the more attacking side of the beautiful game, however modern-day football has somewhat switched this desire towards the more defensive aspects wherein the appeal and impact of having a left-sided defender has become more and more prevalent. M more and more clubs are willing to pay top dollar to bag themselves such a commodity as part of a two-man or three-man back line - deploying a left-sided ball-playing centre-half who is confident on the ball and can make a key pass has become a powerful trait as is has become evident through the likes of David Alaba, Pau Torres, Presnel Kimpembe & Alessando Bastoni who are all integral components of their teams’ tactical setup.

As usual Football Manager is no different (even Championship Manager respected the legend that was Taribo West), and with the recent evolution of the Wide Centre Back and Ball-Playing Centre Back roles, the concept of a Left-Sided Centre Half in your back three/back four can make for a powerful weapon in your in-game arsenal. While previous LCB wonderkids such as Joško Gvardiol, Nico Schlotterback, Benoit Badiashile and Sven Botman are all somewhat out of reach when we load up FM23 due to their recent big transfer moves, there are a number of top class options in this year’s game who all have the ability and/or potential to fulfil your left-sided centre-back needs. 

1. Arthur Theate (Rennes)

Belgium has a pretty good track record when it comes to Centre-Back pedigree right? Step forward Arthur Theate - arguably the future of the Belgian back line considering the average age of their recent starting pair at the World Cup was 34 years of age and look where that got them. Still only 22, Theate has had a rapid ascension in his short career, currently in his third full season of top tier football having signed for Rennes after a highly impressive season at Bologna following his breakout season at Oostende in the Belgian Pro League. Tall, strong, fond of surging runs forward with the ball and a confident ability to make long range passes and through balls forward - he has already exceeded his Ball Progression and Pass Completion numbers from last year with still half a season to go, while also looking comfortable in either a Back 3 or Back 4 system for club and country.

In FM23 Theate has only just signed for Rennes and though relatively unattainable at the beginning of a save, he regularly ends up with a move to an elite club (Real Madrid and Dortmund in my own save) and looking at his all round physical, mental and technical attributes (look at that Determination 😍) as well as his ability to play in almost any Centre-Back role, he is definitely a signing worth considering if you are looking for an LCB at an elite-tier club that isn’t short of a bit of cash. BEAST.

 
 

2. Jorge Cuenca (Villareal)

Another 22-year-old with a similar if not better profile at the start of FM23 takes us South to La Liga, where Jorge Cuenca is starting to attract attention as he creates some long awaited competition for Villareal’s regular partnership of Raul Albiol and the aforementioned Pau Torres. Like many ex-Barcelona graduates, Cuenca saw that first-team opportunities would be limited in Catalonia and made a smart move to Villareal knowing that he could rival the ageing Albiol for a place in the Yellow Submarine back line, and though the club have struggled slightly since the international break, Cuenca has looked more than at home whenever the opportunity has presented itself, so much so that Barcelona are already linked with a return move from him next summer as they look to add more depth and competition to their back line.

In FM23 Cuenca is highly valued but with his deal ending in 2025 it may be worth keeping an eye out for him in your second or third season - his combined strength, speed, positioning and tackling are as good as you may find for a defender his age and with the right partner could form one hell of a solid defensive line for any top tier club in-game.

 
 

3. Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen)

Ecuadorians are all the rage lately and with good reason. While it was the likes of Moises Caicedo, Pervis Estupiñán and Enner Valencia who stole most of the headlines at World Cup 2022, Hincapié gave a very good account of himself for Ecuador featuring in all three group games and showing an ability to play in both a back four and back three as Ecuador switched tactics throughout the group stages. Since joining Bayer Leverkusen from Talleres in the Argentinian Primera Division he has been a first team regular, helping them finish 3rd in the Bundesliga last season and regularly featuring in the 90th percentiles for Progressive Carries, Take-Ons and Passes Received, proving his confidence on the ball and contribution to both defensive and attacking play.

In FM23 he is a ready made elite-level Centre-Half who can also play as a left-back and fit into any defensive setup. Though he may cost you if you intend to sign him early on, there is little doubt that he will hit the ground running and at 20 still has huge room to rapidly develop and progress in-game.

 
 

4. Mika Mármol (FC Andorra)

An ex-Barcelona graduate currently enjoying a breakout season with Gerard Pique’s FC Andorra - what more could you want? This has FM narrative written all over it and we are here for it. 21-year-old Mika Mármol rose through the ranks at La Macia to make his full first team debut in 2022, before moving to FC Andorra in the Spanish Segunda Division on a free transfer at the start of the season (if you think Barcelona don’t have a buy-back clause then you are sorely mistaken). Since joining FC Andorra Mármol’s defensive and possession stats have been highly impressive - 2.1 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per 90 minutes while also averaging an 87% passing accuracy and 89 passes per 90.

In FM23, 20-year-old Mármol is contracted at Andorra until 2024 and is both ready and affordable if you are in the hunt for a progressive left-sided CB; at 5’11” he is shorter than most but with decent Heading and Jumping Reach this shouldn’t be an issue - it certainly isn’t for Lisandro Martinez who we should also mention is left-footed 😉.

 
 

5. Mikey Van De Ven (Wolfsburg)

The Dutch are somewhat blessed when it comes to left-sided centre-halves and Mikey Van De Ven is next off the conveyor belt following the likes of Daley Blind, Nathan Aké and of course the aforementioned Sven Botman. Plucked from Dutch Second Tier obscurity in 2021, he has quickly become a first team regular at Wolfsburg impressively has played every minute of their league campaign so far this season and narrowly missed out on a place in the Netherlands World Cup 2022 squad after being included in their preliminary draft prior to the competition.

In FM23 we see a 21-year-old 6’4” versatile defender with 17 Pace and 16 Determination, with strong all round attributes and bags of room to develop as you see fit. Contracted until 2025, he should be both affordable and attainable and would be a force to be reckoned with in any back line…think Dan Burn meets Usain Bolt, yep I went there.

 
 

6. Anders Børset (Molde)

According to our friend Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout on Twitter), 16-year-old Anders Børset is “one of the leaders of a very interesting generation of Norwegian players born in 2006” and considering he has already made two senior appearances at the time of writing, it’s easy to see why. Quick, tenacious, confident moving forward and showing early signs of strong technical ability and positional intelligence, Børset is yet another reason for Norwegian fans to feel very hopeful for the future and if he continues on this upward trajectory it certainly won’t be long before some of the bigger clubs in Europe come calling.

In FM23 he is certainly one for the future however at just 16 we are looking at a player with 16 Determination, a Perfectionist personality type and already possessing the “Brings Ball Out of Defence” player trait. With his contract up for renewal in June 2023 - seriously, what are you waiting for.

 
 

7. Mattea Viti (OGC Nice)

An Italian Centre-Half tearing up Ligue 1, that’s the dream right? At 18 Mattea Viti quickly emerged as a first choice centre-back for Empoli in Serie A attracting national interest as one of Italy’s most promising defenders, after being linked with several moves it was OGC Nice who eventually won the race for his signature for a reported €13 million. At the time of writing he is still working on displacing the likes of Dante and Jean-Claire Todibo at Nice however with the former now 39 years of age, one has to expect that Viti is being primed as a ready-made replacement when the time comes especially looking at his high-scoring Pass Completion (90%+ for short/medium passes), Successful Take-Ons (97th percentile) and interceptions made (1.6 per 90).

In FM23 we have a 20-year-old 6’3” Ball-Playing Defender who is pricey but equally will be an asset to almost any club in the Top 5 Leagues - regularly compared to Alessandro Bastoni and with the Italian national back line very much going through a transition at present, Viti should be well within the reckoning if you can develop him accordingly (we know @FridayNightFM is already a fan so there’s your seal of approval).

 
 

8. Luke Mbete (Manchester City)

Probably should look to include an English player in this list right? Levi Colwill is probably one of the more obvious choices however we (and @FMDoop in particular) are big fans of Man City’s 18-year-old defender Luke Mbete who at the time of writing is an established England U21 international and has just joined Bolton on loan for the rest of the season. Starting his career in the Brentford academy before a decision was made to close it (Joe likes this), he joined Man City in 2016 and it’s safe to say he has been on a pretty good development path and has already shown an excellent read of the game as well as a strong passing range from deep.

In FM23 he has excellent Strength, Passing and Tackling for an 18-year-old - also don’t let that Pace/Acceleration fool you, we have seen these numbers rapidly increase in all of our saves once you progress a couple of years into a save and as we all know, a bit of Quickness training never does any harm 😉.

 
 

There we have it. Eight Left-Sided Centre-Halves of varying profiles and levels which will hopefully inspire you to refresh or rethink your defensive strategy as well as how much impact your back-line are having when it comes to transition, possession and offensive play. Deploying the right player in the right role can often give you that extra bit of edge and quality on the ball particularly in a world where getting dispossessed easily and giving the ball away can be more common than we would often like in-game. One thing is for sure - if it’s good enough for Pep, it should be good enough for us right?


Thanks for reading - feel free to share your thoughts, comments and alternative suggestions in the comments below or @5StarPod on Twitter 👌.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

5 Winter Signings We Are Excited About in FM23

 
 

by MaddFM.

“The trouble with the transfer window is it creates a window where transfers have to be done.”

Wise words indeed from Gary Neville. I guess he has a point though. Love them or hate them, Transfer Windows are the arguably the most essential and impactful periods in the football calendar given their ability to shape a club’s future and in some cases even a league outcome, and if history has taught us anything - one cannot underestimate the importance of planning ahead, spending wisely and smart recruitment. While many clubs thrive in this area, thankfully many also don’t and the power and influence of the January Transfer Window coupled with the panic and drama of Deadline Day are what makes this time of year so exhilarating and entertaining for football fans all over the world.

 
 

As usual, Football Manager is no different but that largely depends on what kind of Manager you are when it comes to making deals and adding depth and quality to your squad. Some of you may be more strategic and methodical - always looking ahead, building scouting & succession plans and utilising features such as the Squad Planner and Recruitment Focus to ensure you are making the right deals at the right prices for your club. Others (you know who you are) might be a bit less strategic, acting slightly more impulsively or adventurously when it comes to the January Transfer Window (no doubt enjoying the Deadline Day feature in-game), making deals based on player availability, spontaneous opportunities and as always the pursuit of an absolute bargain signing that will tear things up immediately and make you look like the most shrewd of Football Managers out there.

 
 

Whatever your style - it’s a glorious time of year, most importantly because the next data update will arrive with all of the latest transfers updated once all of the various transfer windows have closed (usually around March each year). To get you in the mood, here are 5 January Signings that we are most excited about ahead of the FM23 Winter Update who might just inspire you for your next big Football Manager save adventure.

1 . Oscar Gloukh (Maccabi Tel Aviv to Red Bull Salzburg)

 
 

An Israeli Wonderkid who has already played twice and scored once for his country by the age of 18. What more could we want? Since making his debut for Maccabi Tel Aviv at just 17 years old and going on to bag 7 goals and 4 assists in just 25 games for the club, Oscar Gloukh has been highly coveted by a host of clubs across Europe particularly due to his speed, his 1v1 ability and impressively his two-footedness wherein he is excellent at shifting the ball from one side to another, changing direction quickly and using his low centre of gravity to take on players and retain the ball effectively. It’s no wonder that RB Salzburg were happy to pay €7m to lock in his signature such is their belief in their ability to nurture his talent and help him flourish on a bigger stage.

In FM23, 18-year-old Gloukh is primed and ready as a #10 however can equally be deployed on either flank or in a deeper role if you don’t tend to deploy an AMC as part of your tactical style. His all round attributes are strong for his age, and with a likely bump due in the data update one can easily see him following in the footsteps of previous RB Salzburg Wonderkids to secure a big move if he can prove himself early on in Austria. Safe to say his new club are quite excited by his arrival…

 
 

2. Ilya Zabarnyi (Dinamo Kiev to Bournemouth)

 

How can a man have 22 international caps by the age of 19? Enter Ilya Zabarnyi who remarkably signed for Bournemouth on Deadline Day for a reported €22m after being heavily linked with Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa in recent months. Tall, strong, good in the air while equally confident on the ball and distributing passes from defence, it’s easy to understand why his services commanded such high interest and of course such a high transfer fee - basically a right-footed Sven Botman in this writer’s opinion and it will be interesting to see how quickly he takes to life in the Premier League and how big a part he might play in Bournemouth’s survival hopes.

In FM he is a ready made Centre Half for most Top 5 league clubs, can be deployed in any CB role and at just 19 has all of his best years ahead of him (unlikely they will all be at Bournemouth but who knows!). This is a man you can build a team upon - I smell a new save brewing already, as do his new club by the looks of things 👀.

 
 

3. Andreas Schjelderup (FC Nordsjaelland to Benfica)

“Siri - find me a quick and versatile Scandinavian Wonderkid with excellent technical and mental attributes please”. Needless to say, our search returns Andreas Schjelderup, one of the most talented players to emerge from Denmark in years so much so that Portuguese giants Benfica were happy to fork over €9 million for his signature relatively early in the window before things went wild as is usually the case in January. Since making his Nordsjaelland debut as a 17-year-old he has gone from strength to strength, already doubling his goal tally from last season scoring 10 in 17 games and it’s no wonder Benfica snapped at the chance to bring him into their already hugely impressive youth setup.

In FM23 Schjelderup is one of the top Wonderkids in-game as most of you will have seen in your own saves or across multiple content creator series; bringing him into the Benfics Senior setup usually means only one thing if the paths of Joao Felix, Darwin Nunez and now Enzo Fernandez are anything to go by - do you keep him and build a team around him, or look to sell him on for a potential world record fee? Decisions, decisions, decisions..

 
 

4. Dion Drena Beljo (Osijek to Augsburg)

If you haven’t come across Dion Drena Beljo in FM23 yet then you are doing it wrong. As attainable and affordable Strikers go, the 20-year-old Croatian is a ready made goal machine with excellent Technique, Flair, Finishing and Off the Ball skills and it’s interesting to see that his real-life ability and potential have already been recognised by a progressive club like Augsburg who can give him a platform to test himself against some of the top clubs in Europe. 8 goals in 16 games this season were enough to convince the German club to part with €3m to sign him, made better by him bagging an assist on his debut and fitting in quickly alongside fellow new Croatian David Colina. If you fancy a new save in Germany and want to avoid one of the larger clubs, a trip to Augsburg might be just what the doctor ordered.

 
 

5. Julian Duranville (Anderlecht to Dortmund)

We couldn’t not mention him right? Along with Endrick (who technically signed for Real Madrid before the January Transfer Window), Duranville is arguably one of the best Wonderkids in FM23 and with good reason; explosive from either wing, good technical ability and a direct run-at-opponent mentality, Duranville rapidly proved 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 Leuvenat. Enter Borussia Dortmund. The “Wonderkid Factory” as FridayNightFM calls it and with good reason - Dortmund have an incredible track record and pedigree in nurturing and developing talent and it’s likely that Duranville will be the next big player to shine in front of the Yellow Wall in Germany.

In FM23, Duranville is the proverbial Wonderkid and has already risen to stardom in thousands of saves prior to his IRL move to Dortmund - the only way is up for the young Belgian, the question is will Dortmund rise with him and finally ascend themselves to compete with Bayern? If not, it’s likely history will continue to repeat itself with their best assets annually moving on to bigger & better things..make it stop, please.

 
 

There we have it! 5 Wonderkids who have made big moves in the recent Winter Transfer Window that we look forward to seeing in action for their new clubs in the near future - no Wonderkid is safe anymore and they are getting snapped up earlier and earlier each year, but as we all know..we knew about them first 😉.

 
 

Thanks for reading - see you for more transfer madness next Summer 👋.

Interested in becoming a Guest Writer on 5StarPotential.com? Drop us a DM on Twitter or reach out to MaddFM for more info 👌.

 
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