Looking to improve your squad's quality despite budget constraints? Look no further, we've got some of the best players available to sign for free.
Quality footballers are the most expensive commodity in the world, and you’re going to need some of them if you want to win games in Football Manager 2024.
The best way to get around this obstacle is scouring the free agent market, which can be a saving grace if your team is operating on a shoestring budget.
Free agents are players whose contracts have expired for various different reasons, they are often established players of advancing years at clubs that deem them surplus to requirements. There can also be other situations leading to free agency like disputes between agents and clubs or a player may have fallen out with the manager, resulting in a reluctance to renew contracts.
That’s where you can swoop in and grab a steal. It's worth noting that while you’re not giving another team a transfer fee when you pick up a free agent, you will still need money in the bank to get a free transfer over the line as you're adding to the club’s wage bill, and forking out on sign-on fees for both player and agent.
There is no shortage of talent available on free transfer. GOAL brings you some of the best options to sign in FM24 for all positions including strikers, goalkeepers, wingers, midfielders and defenders, meaning your budget shouldn't be left wide open.
-
Best free agent goalkeepers on FM24
| Name |
Age |
Position |
Nationality |
|
David De Gea
|
32
|
GK
|
Spain
|
|
Timo Horn
|
30
|
GK
|
Germany
|
|
Gonzalo Collao
|
25
|
GK
|
Chile
|
|
Sergio Asenjo
|
34
|
GK
|
Spain
|
|
Matt Macey
|
28
|
GK
|
England
|
|
Kiko Casilla
|
35
|
GK
|
Spain
|
|
Timo Horn
|
29
|
GK
|
Germany
|
|
Jed Steer
|
29
|
GK
|
England
|
|
Oscar Linner
|
25
|
GK
|
Sweden
|
Football is not only about scoring goals, it's also about stopping balls from getting into the back of the net and when it comes to free agent goalkeepers in Football Manager 2024, there are plenty of quality options.
If you have the coffers, David de Gea could prove vital to your team throughout the season after parting ways with Man United. Statistically the best free agent available, the reigning Premier League golden glove winners' reflexes and handling are elite. The downside is that the 32-year-old is not particularly suited to playing it out from the back and his attributes are only likely to get worse.
If you’re looking for an affordable sweeper keeper, Tim Horn and Oscar Linner could be an excellent picks, and are one of the younger options available to you with significant resale value. Both are quick off their line, decent one-v-one shot-stopper, and boast a vast range of passing to boot.
Advertisement
-
Best free agent defenders on FM24
| Name |
Age |
Position |
Nationality |
|
Jérôme Boateng
|
34
|
CB
|
Germany
|
|
Sulayman Marreh
|
27
|
CB/CDM
|
Gambia
|
|
Ryan Bertrand
|
33
|
LB/LWB
|
England
|
|
Emmanuel Attipoe
|
23
|
LB/RB
|
Ghana
|
|
Matt Lowton
|
34
|
RB
|
England
|
|
Todd Kane
|
29
|
LB/LWB
|
England
|
|
Almamy Toure
|
26
|
CB
|
Mali
|
|
Andre Almeida
|
31
|
CB
|
Portugal
|
|
Aleix Vidal
|
34
|
CB/RB
|
Spain
|
|
Joao Oliveira
|
23
|
DR
|
Portugal
|
Attackers win you games, but defenders win championships, as the adage goes. The important defensive attributes differ depending on whether you’re after a centre-back or a fullback, but at all times you should sign a player with good marking, tackling, and anticipation stats. Physical attributes are important, and here is where some older free agents tend to fall short, so keep a look out for those when scouring.
Jerome Boateng is a very experienced centre-back defender who can bring his top-level know-how to the team. With decent versatility, former Leicester City defender Ryan Bertrand and Aleix Vidal are the stand-out option when it comes to right-back.
-
Best free agent midfielders on FM24
| Name |
Age |
Position |
Nationality |
|
Xeka
|
28
|
CM
|
Portugal
|
|
Matty Longstaff
|
23
|
DM/CM
|
England
|
|
Peter Etebo
|
27
|
DM
|
Nigeria
|
|
Javier Pastore
|
34
|
AMC
|
Argentina
|
|
Vasco Walz
|
18
|
DM/CM
|
Germany
|
|
Lucas Biglia
|
37
|
DM
|
Argentina
|
|
Yann M'Vila
|
32
|
DM
|
France
|
|
Nikola Vukcevic
|
30
|
DM
|
Montenegro
|
|
Rajda Nainggolan
|
30
|
DM/AMC
|
Belgium
|
|
Rodrigo Lindoso
|
34
|
DM
|
Brazil
|
|
Jose Campana
|
29
|
DM/AMC
|
Spain
|
Whether you need someone to pull the strings from the centre of the park, a box-to-box midfielder, a pure defensive destroyer, a hard-hitting deep-lying playmaker, or a creative wizard mezzala, there are plenty of unattached midfielders to pick from in the game.
If you're looking for someone to rack up assists and occasionally contribute on the scoresheet, Xeka is a great player and at 28, has his best years ahead of him when selected in a playmaking role.
M'Vila has some excellent stats for a defensive midfielder, and his mental and physical attributes makes him a top signing for a manager. At 27, Peter Etebo offers nice resale value and so could be the smartest signing while you spend the first season searching for a long-term option.
23-year-old Matty Longstaff, meanwhile, scored a dream debut goal for boyhood club Newcastle against Manchester United back in 2019, but hasn’t hit anywhere near the heights expected of him since. He’d be a solid squad option or stop gap for plenty of mid-table European sides, or in the lower reaches of English football.
-
Best free agent forwards on FM24
| Name |
Age |
Position |
Nationality |
|
Fabio Quagliarella
|
40
|
STC
|
Italy
|
|
Alan
|
33
|
STC
|
China
|
|
Connor Wickham
|
30
|
STC
|
England
|
|
Ryan Babel
|
36
|
STC
|
Netherlands
|
|
DJ Campton-Sturridge
|
21
|
STC
|
England
|
|
Nemanja Jović
|
20
|
AML
|
Serbia
|
|
Karim Bellarabi
|
33
|
AMR
|
Germany
|
|
Jesse Lingard
|
30
|
AML/AMC
|
England
|
|
Tanguy Coulibaly
|
22
|
AML/AMR
|
France
|
|
Andre Ayew
|
33
|
AMR/STC
|
Ghana
|
|
Kebir Ali Canpolat
|
16
|
AMR/AML
|
Turkey
|
|
Felipe Caicedo
|
35
|
STC
|
Ecuador
|
Good strikers are a precious commodity and there are not many top-level goal-getters who are out of contract in Football Manager 2024. The options are fairly limited. Former Crystal Palace striker Connor Wickham is available for free in the game, as is journeyman veteran Ryan Babel, but you may find injury issues with both.
There are some very good quality wide-men, though, from whom you can get a decent output. Jesse Lingard's financial demands aren't as much on FM24, so he'll make a great addition to a mid-table Premier League side looking for goals, while Karim Bellarabi and Andre Ayew have all the basic tools needed to be an effective winger for any team, the latter can also do a job as a striker.
However, if you're a second-tier side looking to build a squad around young players, 20-year-old Serbian left-winger Nemanja Jović and 22-year-old French winger Tanguy Coulibaly could prove to be a great investment.
