Raw talent: The best wonder kids to sign on FM19
It’s arguably the most exciting aspect of playing Football Manager 2019.
Scooping out and nurturing the hottest talent in world football and incorporating them into your side, more often than not goes a long way to ensuring long-term success on the game.
Football Manager has built up a fine reputation over the years with its detailed analysis on every single player, including the lesser known youngsters who are typically referred to as wonder kids.
It’s been almost two months since the 2019 version came out and as the game continues to thrive, so does the number of unearthed gems that are readily available to snap up.
Here, we take a look at the best young players on the game for you to sign.
Goalkeepers
AC Milan goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma is the best wonder kid to sign in this position. The 19-year-old has been a permanent fixture in the Milan side since 2015 and has set many records in his short career so far. However, unless you manage the likes of Paris Saint-Germain or Manchester City, it’ll be near-damn impossible to capture the Italian international.
With a market value of £18.75m and a weekly wage of £190,000 per-week, it really does limit your chances of signing of Donnarumma but he would become a permanent fixture in your team for years to come.
Fiorentina ‘keeper Alban Lafont is a more realistic signing if you’re looking for a solid performer between the sticks. Lafont is also 19-years-old and has a market value of just £5m. However, it’s worth making a move in the first couple of seasons before his value sky rockets and it becomes much more costly to obtain his services.
Other notable goalkeepers worth signing include Berke Ozer (Fenerbache, £350,000 market value), Haviv Ohayon (Maccabi Tel Aviv, market value £200,000) and England-based duo Will Mannion and Pontus Dahlberg (Hull City, market value £210,000 – Watford, market value £1.8m)
Defenders
Leicester City centre-back Filip Benkovic should be a prime target to ensure defensive stability for years to come. The 20-year-old Croatian has a potential rating of 84, which puts him in the world class category and although he isn’t cheap, he is affordable for a majority of the bigger sides.
Marco Varnier is another wonder kid who should be shortlisted immediately. The 20-year-old Cittadella centre-halve has a market value of just £1.5m with a potential rating of 80, making him very affordable for a vast number of clubs.
Josh Tymon of Stoke City has the potential to become one of the best left-backs on the game. Aged 19 and with a potential rating of 82, the wonder kid has a market value of a paltry £750,000, which shouldn’t be ignored lightly.
There’s plenty of right-backs to scope out but none look more tempting than Alexis Saelemaekers of Anderlecht. The 18-year-old has the potential to turn into a world class full-back and starts off with a market value of £5.75m.
Midfielders and attacking midfielders
There’s a whole host of midfielders to identify to strengthen your chosen side. In terms of defensive and central midfielders, Sandro Tonali (Brescia, market value £1.2m) will act as the perfect shield to protect your back four and Ryan Gravenberch also develops into a world class talent. The latter is only 16-years-old and although a famed member of Ajax’s academy, do everything in your power to sign him straight away.
In terms of attacking midfielders and wingers, Joao Felix should be target No.1 with a potential rating of 87. The 18-year-old Benfica starlet can operate in any attacking berth and has a value starting at just £1.2m
Antonio Marin is another winger who would add some world class potential to your team. The Dinamo winger is valued at just £200,000 and has a potential rating of 81, putting him ahead of the likes of Justin Kluivert (79), Ryan Sessegnon (77) and Emile Smith-Rowe (78).
Lastly, Ferran Torres is well-worth considering to increase your attacking options down the right flank. The Spanish youngster ply’s his trade at Valencia and although the La Liga side will probably refuse to sell, a sizeable off will likely see you secure your man. Even with a market value of £1.2m, it’s worth paying whatever Valencia quote.
Strikers
Italian striker Pietro Pellegri should be your top priority when it comes to adding firepower to your ranks. The Monaco hitman has the potential to hit world class status within three/four seasons. Valued at £1.2m from the start, it might be worth trying to poach him as soon as you can.
Tottenham Hotspur hopeful Troy Parrott is another young prodigy worth identifying. The 16-year-old starts off with a market value of just £50k and has an 81 potential ability, making him a brilliant option if he can be pried away from Spurs.
Fiete Arp from Bundesliga side HSV is a bit more pricier than the Pellegri and Parrott, but the end result will be just as good. Arp commands a fairly sizeable wage from the start but nonetheless, he’ll be worth it in the long run.
Perhaps the real diamond in the rough amongst all the strikers is Porto youngster Fabio Silva. The 15-year-old is valued at just £10k but has the same potential ability as Pellegri, putting him the world class category when he comes of age. Essentially, Silva can turn into gold and you can try your hand at earning some real-life profit with a variety of new games, here: https://games.paddypower.com/c/daily-jackpots
