FIFA 15 | Lower League Gems – Centre backs


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The Lower League Gems series is back once again, bringing you super cheap high potential players. If you liked the series on the best cheap players in FIFA 15 but felt they were too expensive, these are the articles for you – every player will cost you £1m or less!

NOTE: Prices seem to fluctuate a bit on FIFA 15, so you may find the prices listed in this article are slightly different on your game. As such, this article aims to be a guide only and hopes to highlight some of the cheaper options when it comes to high potential players.

If you’re not sure what these articles are all about, click the bold link below. Otherwise, let’s get straight in to the article.

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These articles aim to highlight young, high potential players that are priced at £1m or less. If a player is not available to buy straight away, their maximum price (in the ‘Cost’ column; see below) is £500,000. Most articles will showcase players with a minimum potential of 76 (although in some cases having a minimum potential of 77 brought back more than enough players).

This year I made a couple of exceptions to the price rules. I have included players whose clubs want £1.1m for them (as opposed to a maximum price of £1m) because you can negotiate this down to under £1m, and in some cases excluding these players meant to articles were lacking players you could actually buy straight away! For the same reason I have bumped the £500,000 rule up to just under £600,000 (e.g. £525,000, £575,000, etc).

The ‘Cost’ column refers to the price your scout will bring back after he’s looked at the player. The ‘They want’ column refers to the price you will be quoted by the team if you enquire about their player. These enquiry prices are negotiable, so don’t be afraid to bid below what they want.

The ‘Avai?’ column is short for ‘Available?’ and refers to whether the player is available to buy in the first transfer window. The first letter indicates this (Y for yes, they are available and N for no, they are not), whilst the number refers to the length of their contract. Y/1 means the player’s contract is about to expire, so you should be able to get them for a discount price.

Finally, because EA release update squads every week, this could mean that some of the players listed in the article below are slightly different on your game. Furthermore, players sometimes exceed their potential, while it has been noted that occasionally players don’t grow as hoped. Therefore these stats are a guide only.

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Here’s who I picked out for cheap, high potential centre backs.

Liam Moore: potential 77

FIFA 15 best cheap centre backs for under £1m

Liam Moore is an all-rounder who will be adept in any defensive situation

Liam Moore is a stunning bargain. It’s not often you find players rated as high as he is, with potential as high as his, for less than a million pounds. And it’s not even like he costs £975,000 – no, Leicester want just £650,000 for him. Add in a bit of negotiation and he’ll be yours for around £450,000 – £500,000, with wages of £7,000.

But it’s not just his price that makes him such an attractive prospect. He’s probably the most complete centre back you’re even likely to find for this kind of price. He’s strong but, unlike most centre backs, is pacey too, allowing him to chase down speedy forwards. His good jumping and heading will see him contribute goals at one end and deny opportunities at the other. Add to that his strong tackling and quick interceptions, and you’ve got yourself a defender who can do it all and will grow into a master practitioner.


Arlind Ajeti: potential 78

FIFA 15 best cheap centre backs for under £1m

Arlind Ajeti is more than just an amazing bargain, he’s a promising, powerful centre back in his own right

Though lacking the all-round technical prowess of Moore, Arlind Ajeti makes up for that with some mean physical stats. A superb combination of 77 sprint speed and 83 strength allow him to catch up with attackers and muscle them off the ball. You won’t have to worry about his technical stats for long, because his 78 potential will have them growing leaps and bounds, so within a season or two he’s going to be a very exciting player indeed.

And if you thought Liam Moore was a steal, wait til you see Arlind Ajeti. Send off an enquiry to FC Basel and they’ll get back to you with a price of just £100,000. That’s not a typo, not £1,000,000 – they actually only want £100,000 for Ajeti. Well, we’re not going to let an offer like that pass us by. But you won’t even have to pay £100,000, as a bid of around £70,000 – £80,000 should do the trick. His wages are £4,000.


Tyias Browning: potential 76

FIFA 15 best cheap centre backs for under £1m

Tyias Browning is available for free, which is incredible given his stats and potential

If money’s really tight, you’d do well to get a better player – certainly for a better price – than Tyias Browning. The Everton youngster starts with a lethal 80 sprint speed, and with that in his locker he stands a great chance against anyone in a footrace. He’s not just a one-trick pony either; his tackling is very good, and although his strength could be higher, he’s got plenty of growing to do. Once he nears his potential he’s going to be quick, powerful and strong in the tackle – pretty much the ideal centre back.

I know Ajeti was cheap, but even he’s put into the shade by Browning’s price. Send an enquiry to Everton and – for some unknown reason – they ask for £0 for him. Yep, nothing. So go on ahead and bid £0 (or £10 if you’re feeling particularly generous), pay his £4,000 wages and get a fantastic young player on your team.


See below for all the best cheap, high potential centre backs under £1m in FIFA 15:

[table id=156 /]

Thanks for reading! If you have any player recommendations of your own and have some ideas for the website, make sure you let me know in the comments below.

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