Bargain signings: cheap now, good later
Players valued under £2m who still have eight or more rating points to gain. 50 of them, and most are playing outside the leagues anyone scouts.
Every number here is Gaffa’s own in-game rating, generated for gameplay balance from publicly available squad data. They are not scouting assessments of real footballers and are not sourced from any third-party ratings provider.
Most growth for the least money
Sorted by how far they can still climb, then by price. A cheap player who improves is worth more than an expensive one who does not, and this table is the intersection.
| Player | Age | Position | Club | League | Now | Potential | Room to grow | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G. Caraballo | 16 | Forward | Orlando City SC | MLS | 50 | 76 | +26 | £16k |
| A. Stokes | 17 | Goalkeeper | New York Red Bulls | MLS | 52 | 78 | +26 | £25k |
| A. Kalın | 17 | Forward | Gaziantep FK | Süper Lig | 53 | 79 | +26 | £31k |
| A. Saidi | 17 | Forward | San Diego FC | MLS | 48 | 73 | +25 | £13k |
| C. Cupps | 17 | Defender | Chicago Fire | MLS | 52 | 77 | +25 | £20k |
| M. Mikkelsen | 16 | Midfielder | Tromsø IL | Eliteserien | 54 | 79 | +25 | £27k |
| L. Wong | 17 | Midfielder | Melbourne City FC | A-League Men | 56 | 81 | +25 | £38k |
| I. Tyjon | 17 | Forward | Blackburn Rovers | Championship | 57 | 82 | +25 | £44k |
| A. Tatu | 17 | Midfielder | Adelaide United | A-League Men | 57 | 82 | +25 | £44k |
| N. Savonnier | 17 | Defender | FC Sion | Swiss Super League | 50 | 74 | +24 | £12k |
| J. Necovski | 17 | Defender | Melbourne City FC | A-League Men | 51 | 75 | +24 | £14k |
| D. Achitei | 16 | Goalkeeper | Grazer AK 1902 | Austrian Bundesliga | 52 | 76 | +24 | £19k |
| O. Graham-Roache | 17 | Forward | CF Montréal | MLS | 52 | 76 | +24 | £21k |
| Y. Hamdaoui | 17 | Midfielder | Royal Antwerp FC | Pro League | 55 | 79 | +24 | £33k |
| A. Ouahabi | 16 | Midfielder | KV Mechelen | Pro League | 55 | 79 | +24 | £33k |
| Z. Gozo | 18 | Forward | Real Salt Lake | MLS | 55 | 79 | +24 | £33k |
| A. Nunes | 18 | Midfielder | Newcastle Jets | A-League Men | 50 | 73 | +23 | £13k |
| D. Graskoski | 18 | Goalkeeper | Melbourne Victory | A-League Men | 52 | 75 | +23 | £19k |
| D. Chong-Qui | 17 | Defender | Atlanta United | MLS | 52 | 75 | +23 | £20k |
| T. Pearce | 17 | Midfielder | St. Louis CITY SC | MLS | 53 | 76 | +23 | £23k |
| R. Doherty | 16 | Midfielder | Stevenage | League One | 53 | 76 | +23 | £25k |
| R. Ramos Jr | 18 | Midfielder | LA Galaxy | MLS | 53 | 76 | +23 | £25k |
| H. Opsahl | 17 | Midfielder | Kristiansund BK | Eliteserien | 54 | 77 | +23 | £27k |
| D. Moody | 17 | Goalkeeper | Southampton | Championship | 55 | 78 | +23 | £29k |
| J. Hall | 17 | Midfielder | New York Red Bulls | MLS | 54 | 77 | +23 | £29k |
| O. Mengshoel | 16 | Forward | Hamarkameratene | Eliteserien | 55 | 78 | +23 | £33k |
| M. Lye | 17 | Midfielder | Bryne FK | Eliteserien | 55 | 78 | +23 | £33k |
| E. Yıldırım | 18 | Defender | Göztepe SK | Süper Lig | 56 | 79 | +23 | £35k |
| L. Brughmans | 17 | Goalkeeper | KRC Genk | Pro League | 59 | 82 | +23 | £52k |
| L. Karl | 17 | Midfielder | FC Bayern München | Bundesliga | 63 | 86 | +23 | £125k |
| I. Alastra | 17 | Forward | Talleres | Liga Profesional | 51 | 73 | +22 | £15k |
| J. Lacey | 18 | Midfielder | Sydney FC | A-League Men | 51 | 73 | +22 | £16k |
| M. Macallister | 18 | Forward | Sydney FC | A-League Men | 51 | 73 | +22 | £16k |
| M. Pessina | 17 | Goalkeeper | Bologna | Serie A | 52 | 74 | +22 | £19k |
| D. Garcia | 18 | Midfielder | FC Dallas | MLS | 53 | 75 | +22 | £25k |
| H. Duncan | 17 | Defender | Rotherham United | League One | 54 | 76 | +22 | £27k |
| N. Alfaro | 17 | Midfielder | Sydney FC | A-League Men | 54 | 76 | +22 | £27k |
| Ș. Chirilă | 18 | Forward | FC Cincinnati | MLS | 54 | 76 | +22 | £29k |
| Q. MacNicol | 17 | Midfielder | Brisbane Roar | A-League Men | 54 | 76 | +22 | £29k |
| H. Skretteberg | 17 | Defender | Sandefjord Fotball | Eliteserien | 55 | 77 | +22 | £31k |
| B. Salinardi | 18 | Forward | San Lorenzo de Almagro | Liga Profesional | 55 | 77 | +22 | £33k |
| H. Eames | 17 | Midfielder | Central Coast Mariners | A-League Men | 57 | 79 | +22 | £42k |
| N. Berchimas | 17 | Forward | Charlotte FC | MLS | 57 | 79 | +22 | £44k |
| M. Memeti | 18 | Forward | Melbourne City FC | A-League Men | 57 | 79 | +22 | £44k |
| F. Damkjer | 17 | Midfielder | Viborg FF | Superliga | 58 | 80 | +22 | £52k |
| L. Herrington | 17 | Defender | Brisbane Roar | A-League Men | 59 | 81 | +22 | £56k |
| A. Natali | 17 | Defender | AZ Alkmaar | Eredivisie | 60 | 82 | +22 | £60k |
| B. Manguelle | 17 | Defender | KRC Genk | Pro League | 60 | 82 | +22 | £60k |
| J. Kusi-Asare | 17 | Forward | Fulham FC | Premier League | 60 | 82 | +22 | £65k |
| L. Page | 16 | Midfielder | Leicester City | Championship | 61 | 83 | +22 | £83k |
Common questions
How is a bargain defined here?
A player valued at £2m or less whose potential is at least eight rating points above their current ability. Both conditions matter: cheap players who cannot improve are not bargains, and neither are good players who cost a fortune.
Why are so many of them in smaller leagues?
Because value tracks reputation as well as ability. A player at a lower-ranked club is priced by what their league is worth, which is exactly the gap you are trying to exploit.
Do these prices change during a save?
Yes. Value moves with form, age and contract length, so a bargain spotted early gets more expensive as they develop. The listed price is the starting point of a new game.
Go and sign them
Pick a club, open the transfer market and see how far the budget stretches. Free, in your browser, nothing to install.