Adam Webster, Teboho Mokoena, and Rui Araki are strong first checks among the best players to sign in Football Manager 27, depending on budget and timing.
The shortlist below covers every position, separating established players, development prospects, and premium targets. Start with the position you need to fill, then use the budget column to decide whose availability to investigate.
Coverage: launch-preview database. Clubs and ages refer to the beginning of a new save. Treat these tiers as transfer priorities, not a ranking of pure footballing ability.
How transfer targets are selected
The ranking balances four factors:
- Current quality: Can the player address a first-team need now? The established bargain selections meet a minimum in-game Current Ability of 130.
- Affordability: Consider the fee, salary, signing bonus, and agent costs together.
- Availability: A strong player at a club reluctant to sell can be a poor use of your recruitment time.
- Development and coverage: Young prospects and players covering several positions can justify investment beyond their immediate starting role.
Potential is a ceiling, not a promise. Young players still need suitable training, playing time, and a role that suits their attributes.
Football Manager's recruitment decisions combine the squad planning and resource management found in simulation games: the strongest individual player is not automatically the best purchase for your team.
How the tiers rank
- S: First enquiries for value, subject to contract demands and eligibility.
- A: Strong targets for a defined squad need or development plan.
- B: Situational purchases with a larger cost, longer development period, or another significant condition.
- C: Exceptional talents whose availability makes them low-priority transfer pursuits for most clubs.
Budget labels describe an enquiry strategy, not a guaranteed price. A low database valuation does not require the selling club to accept a matching offer.
| Tier | Player | Starting club | Position | Budget approach | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Adam Webster | Free agent | Centre-back | No transfer fee | Established defensive quality without paying a selling club. |
| S | Oleksandr Zinchenko | Free agent | Left-back, left wing-back | No transfer fee | A fee-free option for an established left-sided defender. |
| S | Raphaël Guerreiro | Free agent | Left-back, left wing-back, central midfield | No transfer fee | Covers defensive and midfield needs through one contract. |
| S | Teboho Mokoena | Mamelodi Sundowns | Defensive midfield, central midfield | Lower-cost enquiry | Low recorded value and current wages justify an early affordability check. |
| A | Israel Reyes | Club América | Centre-back, right-back | Lower-cost enquiry | Two-position defensive cover with a relatively modest recorded value. |
| A | Kosei Tani | Machida Zelvia | Goalkeeper | Lower-cost enquiry | An established goalkeeper with comparatively low current wages. |
| A | Arthur | Santos | Central midfield, defensive midfield | Lower-cost enquiry | His recorded value and current salary suit a cost-conscious search. |
| A | Rui Araki | Gamba Osaka | Goalkeeper | Youth fee check | A standout young goalkeeper for long-term potential. |
| A | Gilberto Mora | Tijuana | Attacking midfield | Youth fee check | High-potential creativity outside the biggest European leagues. |
| A | Jacob Ambæk | Brøndby | Striker | Substantial investment | Strong development potential, but a meaningful financial commitment. |
| A | Finn Jeltsch | Stuttgart | Centre-back, right-back, defensive midfield | Youth fee check | Broad positional coverage helps accommodate different systems. |
| A | Alexis Vega | Deportivo Toluca | Left wing, right wing | Paid first-team target | An established option for either attacking flank. |
| B | Dennis Seimen | Stuttgart | Goalkeeper | Larger youth budget | Can challenge for first-team minutes relatively quickly, but is unlikely to be cheap. |
| B | Ângelo | São Paulo | Right-back, right wing-back, wide attack | Budget scouting | A low initial valuation makes an enquiry worthwhile. |
| B | Mohanad El Shamy | Al Ahly | Left-back | Budget scouting | An alternative when leading European prospects exceed your spending power. |
| B | Nathan De Cat | Hoffenheim | Central midfield | Youth fee check | A teenage midfield investment with development still ahead. |
| B | Hugo Camberos | Guadalajara | Right wing | Budget scouting | A high-potential alternative to the most expensive right wingers. |
| B | Luis Fragozo | Emelec | Left wing | Youth fee check | A long-term attacking project with useful starting attributes. |
| B | Däulet Orynbasar | Kairat-Jastar | Striker | Youth fee check | Variable potential makes save-specific scouting essential. |
| B | Eli Junior Kroupi | Bournemouth | Striker | Larger youth budget | May be easier to approach than forwards at Europe's biggest clubs. |
| B | Jorrel Hato | Chelsea | Centre-back, left-back | Premium | Can contribute immediately, but Chelsea's price restricts the deal. |
| B | Marcel Sabitzer | Borussia Dortmund | Central midfield, defensive midfield | Wage-heavy enquiry | Current midfield quality comes with a demanding salary baseline. |
| C | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | Right wing | Watchlist | Elite ability, but a transfer is almost impossible for most clubs. |
| C | Pau Cubarsí | Barcelona | Centre-back | Watchlist | Ready for the highest level, but Barcelona are difficult to persuade. |
| C | Max Dowman | Arsenal | Attacking midfield | Watchlist | Exceptional potential does not remove Arsenal's major availability barrier. |
Best goalkeepers to sign
Araki starts at 18, while Seimen starts at 20. Decide how long your current goalkeeper can remain first choice before committing to a successor.
Compare goalkeeper candidates on handling, reflexes, aerial reach, and command of the area. For a high defensive line, examine the speed needed to cover space behind your defenders and the distribution required by your buildup.
Use this decision order:
- Assess Tani against your current starter when filling an immediate vacancy.
- Compare Araki with your existing youth goalkeeper before adding another development project.
- Check Seimen's acquisition cost against established alternatives before paying extra for youth.
Assess Araki's goalkeeper profile
Best defenders to sign
Centre-backs and right-backs
Match a centre-back to the defender already beside him. Compare positioning, anticipation, pace, and aerial ability before deciding whether the partnership can defend your chosen line.
Webster, Reyes, and Jeltsch give you different ways to address squad depth. Use your formation to decide whether the signing needs to occupy one specialist slot or cover several positions during rotation.
For right-back recruitment, distinguish an overlapping role from a deeper defensive assignment. Check crossing and stamina for the former, and positioning and tackling for the latter. Ângelo's ability to operate farther forward does not replace that attribute check.
Left-backs and left wing-backs
Check preferred foot, tackling, work rate, and crossing against the job your left-sided defender performs. A player supporting an inside forward needs to complement different movement from one playing behind a touchline winger.
Zinchenko and Guerreiro provide alternatives to spending a transfer fee on this position. Compare their contract terms before deciding whether to reserve your transfer allowance for another area.
El Shamy starts at 17, while Hato starts at 20. Decide whether the vacancy can accommodate development or requires a player ready to contribute immediately.
Best midfielders to sign
Defensive and central midfield
Sabitzer starts at 32, while De Cat starts at 17. Choose between addressing the next campaign and building a longer-term midfield before comparing their potential usefulness.
For defensive midfield, inspect positioning, anticipation, tackling, and decisions. Add passing and composure when the player must also direct possession from deep.
For central midfield, identify the missing responsibility first: winning the ball, carrying the workload, or circulating possession. Compare Mokoena and Arthur against that responsibility instead of buying whichever player has the more attractive valuation.
Attacking midfield
Mora starts at 17 and Dowman at 16. Your recruitment plan needs to account for their development period, not simply the position appearing on their profiles.
Check vision, technique, first touch, and decisions for a creator between the lines. If your number 10 must enter the box and finish moves, assess movement and finishing too.
Choose the surrounding structure before making an offer. An attacking midfielder's role should account for who supplies width and who protects possession behind him.
Best forwards to sign
Left and right wingers
Vega starts at 28, Camberos at 19, and Fragozo at 16. Compare their expected place in your squad before treating them as substitutes for the same transfer vacancy.
Fragozo begins with 14 Dribbling, 14 Flair, 14 Off the Ball, and 16 Work Rate. Scout him for an inside-forward development plan, then check his preferred foot and physical attributes against your intended role.
For a winger supplying crosses, inspect crossing alongside acceleration and dribbling. For inward runs towards goal, place more weight on movement and the support available from the full-back.
Inspect Fragozo's key attributes
Strikers
Ambæk starts at 18, Orynbasar at 17, and Kroupi at 20. Establish whether your new striker must lead the line immediately or compete for minutes behind an existing starter.
Compare finishing, composure, and movement against the chances your team creates. A runner also needs suitable pace and acceleration; a target forward needs the aerial and physical qualities to contest deliveries.
Avoid paying for a striker whose strengths require a different supply line. Choose your intended role before pursuing the player with the highest development ceiling.
Best options for smaller budgets
Start enquiries with the S-tier candidates, then use Reyes, Tani, and Arthur to investigate the remaining defensive, goalkeeper, and midfield gaps. Keep development purchases separate from the money needed to fill starting vacancies.
Use this spending order:
- Price the contract first when no transfer fee applies. A free agent can still require a substantial salary, signing bonus, and agent payment.
- Compare the full cost of paid targets. Current wages are comparison points, not promises of the salary a player will accept.
- Fund youth after urgent squad needs. A prospect who needs several seasons should not consume the allowance reserved for an immediate starter.
A higher fee can still suit your budget better than a lower fee attached to an expensive contract. Judge the complete commitment before choosing between enquiries.
Check scouting information before making an offer
Turn the shortlist into a transfer decision with these checks:
- Open the player's profile and compare the attributes required by your intended position and role.
- Scout the player in your save before committing to a development plan or first-team responsibility.
- Establish the selling club's actual asking price and check the player's contract or loan situation.
- Review instalments, future clauses, bonuses, and agent costs alongside the initial fee.
- Confirm that the agreement leaves enough transfer and wage room for your other planned signings.
Make the offer only when the player's role, availability, and complete cost match the vacancy you need to fill.
