EA SPORTS FIFA 15 | Future Stars Scouted | The Backpage

Just before we all got our hands on FIFA 15 back in September, EA SPORTS released a great list of young players with big potential in Career Mode. In case you missed it, you can check it out in full here.

Since then I’ve been busy scouting, signing and selecting 30 of those wonderkids so I can tell you what kind of players they are and how much they cost with the latest database update, which should help you quickly decide if they will fit with your teams and transfer budgets. This week we’ll look at the first ten, who all have a potential Overall between 86 and 88.

Let’s get started…

YOURI TIELEMANS
CM * Anderlecht * 17
STARTING OVR: 73
POTENTIAL OVR: 88
ASKING PRICE: £14.5m
ACTUAL COST: £10m
Creative midfielder Tielemans is expensive but you’re paying for potential – his Overall can climb by as much as 15. In season one he feels okay to use straight away for pretty much any club, thanks to good vision, passing ability and stamina. He’s also a decent dribbler and has a sprint speed in the low 70s, so you can get past markers with quick footwork when you need to. I’ve used him as a deep playmaker and in a more advanced CAM role, and he’s been effective in both positions.

AYMERIC LAPORTE
CB * Athletic Bilbao * 20
STARTING OVR: 81
POTENTIAL OVR: 88
ASKING PRICE: £29.5m
ACTUAL COST: £20m
Tall, strong and reasonably quick for a centre-back, Laporte is good enough at the start of the game to go straight into your team and stay there for the next ten seasons. The left-footed CB has excellent standing and sliding tackle ratings, a very high interceptions stat and he’s good in the air, which makes a big difference when attacking or defending set pieces. He’s very expensive so will most likely take a big chunk of your budget, but he’s worth it if you want a top CB that you won’t have to replace for a very long time.

MEMPHIS DEPAY
LW * PSV * 20
STARTING OVR: 78
POTENTIAL OVR: 88
ASKING PRICE: £33.5m
ACTUAL COST: £23m
Depay has been compared to Cristiano Ronaldo in real life and, when you use him in the game, it’s easy to see why. He has incredible acceleration and sprint speed, good close control, a dribbling ability in the mid 80s and can now do five-star skills. On top of all that he has a very powerful shot, is useful with direct free-kicks and could improve his Overall by as much as ten over time. If you’ve got the cash, go for Memphis.

MAXIMILIAN MEYER
CAM * Schalke * 18
STARTING OVR: 75
POTENTIAL OVR: 87
ASKING PRICE: £19.5m
ACTUAL COST: £12m
I used Meyer online in Seasons before I bought him in Career Mode and what stood out most then was his ability to burst past defenders, which made him very effective at escaping markers and creating space. His speed over longer distances doesn’t match his excellent acceleration, but he does have good balance, ball control and dribbling abilities so he’s perfect for beating defenders when there isn’t much room to work with. He’s right-footed but has a four-star weak foot, so is pretty comfortable on either side, and he has the flair trait, which is always a good thing for creative players. Make sure you negotiate with Schalke when you approach them so you can save a good chunk of cash.

DOMENICO BERARDI
RW * Sassuolo * 20
STARTING OVR: 76
POTENTIAL OVR: 87
ASKING PRICE: £9m
ACTUAL COST: £7m
You can’t sign winger Berardi in the first season because he’s on loan at Sassuolo from Juventus, so you’ll need to wait until the following summer to make an offer. Juve wouldn’t accept much less than his asking price when I was negotiating with them, but as soon as I used him for the first time I knew he was worth the money – he feels brilliant on the ball. Berardi is a quick left-footed right winger with great control and dribbling, so he’s at his best when darting in from the wing and running at the defence, which is something I try to do with him whenever I can. He’s also a good penalty taker.

SIMONE SCUFFET
GK * Udinese * 18
STARTING OVR: 71
POTENTIAL OVR: 87
ASKING PRICE: £8m
ACTUAL COST: £5.8m
Simone Scuffet was the first player I signed in FIFA 15’s Career Mode and has been my go-to keeper in all of my new saves ever since. He’s not cheap, but at 18 years old and with such high potential he’s a good investment – there are plenty of clubs willing to pay big money for him in my most recent game. His best attribute is his GK reflexes so he does seem to be good in one-on-one situations.

RICHAIRO ZIVKOVIC
ST * Ajax * 17
STARTING OVR: 69
POTENTIAL OVR: 86
ASKING PRICE: £6.5m
ACTUAL COST: £5m
Zivkovic is another player you won’t be able to sign instantly – Ajax bought him from Groningen at the start of last summer – but I was able to persuade his club to sell in the January window for a good price, so you shouldn’t have too long to wait. He has enough pace to get away from defenders, plus he’s good in the air and an excellent finisher with either foot so stick him straight in your team as soon as you can and start getting those stats up.

JULIAN BRANDT
LW * Bayer Leverkusen * 18
STARTING OVR: 70
POTENTIAL OVR: 86
ASKING PRICE: £9m
ACTUAL COST: £6.4m
One of the many good things about winger Brandt is that you can loan him from the start of a new game, so you can benefit from his speed and dribbling ability straight away even if you don’t have the cash for a permanent move. He’s a right-footed left winger so I use him in a similar way to Domenico Berardi by taking players on and heading inside to attack through the centre. In my most recent save I have Brandt and Berardi on either wing, so attacking is always good fun. Sign him up as soon as you do have the cash, because his value will only head upwards as time goes on.

ALEN HALILOVIC
CM * Barcelona B * 18
STARTING OVR: 70
POTENTIAL OVR: 86
ASKING PRICE: £9m
ACTUAL COST: £7m
FC Barcelona B won’t do business in the first window as Halilovic is another recent arrival. I eventually signed him in January for a couple of million under the asking price and put him straight into Premier League first-team action, which was no problem for the creative midfielder. He’s got excellent passing attributes and feels responsive in possession thanks to good ball control, dribbling, acceleration and agility, but he does have fairly low stamina so can run out of steam if you sprint too often with him. Halilovic is left-footed, can do four-star skill moves and has the finesse shot and flair traits.

MICHY BATSHUAYI
ST * Marseille * 20
STARTING OVR: 75
POTENTIAL OVR: 86
ASKING PRICE: £14m
ACTUAL COST: £9.5m
Marseille wonderkid Michy Batshuayi is a brilliant young striker who feels great to use as soon as you take control of him, but you’ll have to wait about a season until you can do that because he’s another player who moved clubs for real over the summer. He’s quick, strong and has excellent dribbling ability, so you can use him to get in behind a defence or take players on, but his best attribute for me is his finishing. It starts off in the low 80s and, combined with his other skills, makes him a fantastic goalscorer who you’ll want to keep in your team for a long time.

So that’s the first bunch of future stars covered in detail. Pop back next week when we’ll be looking at the prices and attributes of another ten players with high potential.

As always, thanks very much for reading and have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading,
Darren
@darren_cross