It’s always the same. You go into a new save looking forward to building the squad how you want it, and the transfer and wage budget you’ve been given is a pittance, not nearly enough to buy a player from another team. With the purse strings being tightened during COVID-19 times, there’s a desire more than ever to stick to a smaller budget.
If that has happened to the team that you picked, you may have to rely on free agents to fill in gaps in your squad.
Free agents are players whose contract has expired from their previous team and have not signed for another club, meaning that they are free to be approached by any club to be offered a trial or contract. They will not require a fee to any club to join you but will command a signing on fee, which will be taken from your transfer budget.
Their wage demands will depend on a number of factors, including their reputation, the amount of money the player’s agent pushes for, and how long they have been a free agent. The longer they are a free agent, the lower their demands are likely to be.
The good news for those needing free agents is that with the budget tightening this year, the number of quality players let go from their teams was slightly higher than usual, so there are plenty of worthwhile freebies that you can pick up.
Here are 10 of the best free agents in Football Manager 2021:
Fabio Borini
Position: Striker/Winger
Top stats:
- 17 Work Rate
- 16 Teamwork
- 15 Off The Ball
- 14 Pace and Stamina
John Bostock
Position: Central Midfielder
Top stats:
- 14 Passing, Vision and Technique
- 15 Flair
- 13 Pace and Stamina
Daryl Janmaat
Position: Right-back
Top stats:
- 15 Tackling
- 15 Stamina
- 14 Work Rate
- 14 Crossing and Dribbling
Renato Santos
Position: Winger
Top stats:
- 14 First Touch and Technique
- 14 Off The Ball and Anticipation
- 14 Pace and Acceleration
- 13 Dribbling and Finishing
Víctor Álverez
Position: Left-back
Top stats:
- 13 Crossing and Dribbling
- 13 Off The Ball and Anticipation
- 14 Acceleration and 13 Pace
Mehmet Ekici
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Top stats:
- 16 Passing and Vision
- 17 Free Kick Taking and 16 Corners
- 15 Technique
- 17 Composure
Ezequiel Garay
Position: Center-back
Top stats:
- 17 Positioning and 16 Marking
- 15 Tackling and Anticipation
- 15 Composure and Concentration
- 14 Decisions (Decision Making)
Jack Wilshere
Position: Central Midfielder
Top stats:
- 15 Passing and Vision
- 15 Decisions and Anticipation
- 16 First Touch and 15 Technique
- 15 Flair
Daniel Sturridge
Position: Striker
Top stats:
- 15 Finishing and 16 Composure
- 15 Off The Ball and Flair
- 16 Technique and 15 First Touch
Mario Mandzukic
Position: Striker
Top stats:
- 16 Composure, Concentration and Decisions
- 18 Work Rate
- 19 Teamwork
- 18 Balance and Strength
