Football Manager 2024 is about two months away and a critical factor affecting which team you choose to manage is the players you’ll have at your disposal. Whether you want a superstar wonderkid or a good solid pro that’ll help to mentor your youngsters to greatness, player movement during the summer transfer window can inspire a new FM save.
This summer has seen major transfers like Jude Bellingham joining Real Madrid, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai heading to Liverpool, Sandro Tonali joining the Saudi Geordies, half of Chelsea moving to actual Saudi teams, and Lionel Messi retiring to MLS with Inter Miami. But which former FM favourites have made under-the-radar moves this summer? And which transfers could inspire you to take on a save you hadn’t considered?
In chronological order, here are 73 summer transfers that could affect your FM24 experience:
Houssem Aouar – Lyon to Roma (Free): Aouar is a player that’s long been a favourite of FM players but arguably hasn’t reached the same levels in real life. Despite links with big PL clubs in the past, he’s finally moving on from Lyon and moved to Italy with Roma, where his attacking flair will no doubt be hindered by José’s dire defensive brand of football. But the idea of playing him in behind Tammy Abraham with Paolo Dybala sounds like a really exciting prospect from an FM point of view.
João Pedro – Watford to Brighton (£30m): Think of Brighton, and I imagine you picture pretty football and a lack of ability to put the ball in the net. But could that change with the club-record signing of a Brazilian striker paired with Evan Ferguson?
Sam Lammers – Atalanta to Rangers (£3m): This feels like a great deal for Rangers, who will be craving for a better manager than Michael Beale to wrestle the Scottish title back from Celtic. Morelos to Lammers, who certainly hasn’t delivered on his potential at Atalanta with just 2 goals in 17 games then 3 goals in 48 games in 3 loan deals away from the club, feels like a potential upgrade. But he certainly has a point to prove.
Dejan Kulusevski – Juventus to Spurs (£25.6m): This seems a bit of an obvious one but Spurs will certainly be a fun FM challenge. They missed out on Europe and undoubtedly have a strong squad, a big stadium and healthy finances to help you challenge England’s best in FM. Also, £25m for Kulusevski, if you use him properly (unlike Conte did), seems like an absolute bargain. Personally, I’d train Kulu as a central midfielder.
Evan N’Dicka – Frankfurt to Roma (Free): A strong defence is critical to any hopes of success in Serie A, and Roma have certainly strengthened at centre-back with the purchase of 23-year-old N’Dicka.
Christoph Baumgartner – Hoffenheim to Leipzig (£21m): Baumgartner was linked with several Premier League clubs before joining Leipzig to effectively replace Szoboszlai. Only 23, he got 7 goals and 7 assists last season, and could offer a decent attacking option if you really want to manage Leipzig (no thanks).
Justin Kluivert – Roma to Bournemouth (£9.6m): This has all the markings of a failed signing as, based on my FM experience with Kluivert, he is a very hit-and-miss player. That also rings true in real life, although he did score 6 in 26 on loan at Valencia last season. But, with Kluivert still only 24, this could be a good attacking option for you to start building something special at Bournemouth.
Toni Lato – Valencia to Mallorca (Free): Lato was a wonderkid back in the day on FM, but now 25 he’s failed to fulfil that potential given the presence of José Gaya at left-back. Mallorca finished in an impressive 9th in La Liga last season, so they could be a fun team to manage in FM24.
Timothy Weah – Lille to Juventus (£10.4m): The son of George Weah is another who’s always had plenty of potential on FM but hasn’t really impressed in real life, with just 6 goals in 89 at Lille. But that somehow earned him a move to old cheaty Juve, if you really fancy managing them (again, no thanks).
Cristian Volpato – Roma to Sassuolo (£6.5m): Sassuolo have long been an intriguing option in Italy, and this signing further adds to that intrigue. The Australian/Italian is only 19 and was sold to aid Roma’s financial issues, but that’s to your benefit if you fancy the challenge to bring greatness to Sassuolo.
Andy Diouf – Basel to Lens (£10.2m): Lens’ new record signing is a bit of a weird one, as Diouf only moved to Basel last season. He’s not rated particularly well on FM23, but he did become a decent player on my SAF Challenge with Forest, enjoying a 7.01 average rating over 555 Ligue 1 appearances.
Marcus Thuram – Gladbach to Inter (Free): Thuram was also linked with a Premier League move before agreeing a move to Inter. It’s definitely a more interesting option than Romelu Lukaku, and it could be fun to pair Thuram with Lautaro Martínez on FM to try and usurp champions Napoli. But again, managing Inter really isn’t for me.
Ilias Akhomach – Barcelona to Villarreal (Free): Akhomach has bags of potential in previous FM versions, so could be an astute signing for Villarreal – especially on a free transfer. Team him up with Yeremy Pino on the wings and begin your domination of La Liga.
Tiago Tomás – Sporting to Wolfsburg (£6.8m): If you’re looking for an interesting Bundesliga challenge then Tomás could be the striker to build one around at Wolfbsurg. He’s had decent potential on previous FM versions, spent 18 months on loan at Stuttgart and is still only 21, so should still have plenty to offer.
Arda Güler – Fenerbahce to Real Madrid (£17m): Admittedly a slightly obvious one, but the young talent being amassed at Real is really exciting. From next summer, Güler could be paired with Endrick, Bellingham, Viní Jr. and Rodrygo, which sounds like a really fun FM adventure. Although he will need a significant upgrade in FM terms, especially on his physicals.
Luka Romero – Lazio to Milan (Free): Romero is another who’s had plenty of potential on FM and is still only 18. It seems a baffling decision by Lazio, but a move to what was previously a pretty boring Milan side offers you a reason to go and manage them. I think Milan needs a massive rebuild in FM terms, and Romero is definitely one to build around.
Mitchel Bakker – Leverkusen to Atalanta (£8.5m): Why anyone who has any desire to improve as a footballer chooses to go to PSG is beyond me ($$$). And if you want proof of why, look at Mitchel Bakker. However, his move to Atalanta could be an interesting one and a reason to go and manage an Atalanta side that’s dipped off a little in the last couple of seasons.
Ricardo Pepi – Augsburg to PSV (£7.7m): Pepi performed well on loan at Groningen last season, which earned him a big move to PSV. So he could be an attacking tool to help you usurp new champions Feyenoord.
Lorenzo Lucca – Pisa to Udinese (Loan): I’m not optimistic about Lucca being any good on FM24, considering he doesn’t seem to be great in real life. But he was still a great striker on FM23, and whether he can deliver at Udinese remains to be seen.
Morgan Rogers – Man City to Middlesbrough (Undisclosed): If you’re looking for a Championship challenge then Middlesbrough could be a fun test. They just missed out in the playoffs last season and seem to be building a decent young squad, with 20-year-old Rogers being the latest recruit. And while they’ve started the season poorly, I think they’re an interesting FM prospect.
Enzo La Fée – Lorient to Rennes (£17m): This may be a new name to many, but 23-year-old La Fée was impressive for Lorient last season. He racked up seven assists and ranked 3rd in Ligue 1 for tackles per 90 minutes, earning a move to Rennes who are always an interesting club to manage in FM.
Fabiano Parisi – Empoli to Fiorentina (£8.6m): Parisi was excellent on my Giallorossi FM23 Beta save, securing a £53m move to Man UFC after one season with us. So this is an interesting signing by Fiorentina, who I think could be a good dark horse challenge to take on in FM24.
Ângelo – Santos to Chelsea (£12.9m): Ângelo was excellent in my Forest save on FM23 and has long been one of my favourite wonderkids. That said, I’m in no way advocating managing Chelsea in FM, and this is a horrible transfer for all lovers of Brazilian wonderkids, despite his subsequent loan to Strasbourg. But in a couple of years in-game you’ll get a cut-price deal after Chelsea fails to use him.
Moussa Diaby – Leverkusen to Villa (£51.9m): I’ve never managed Diaby on FM but, whenever I’ve looked at him, he appears to me like the archetypal winger who’s rapid but has zero end product. But can he avoid that label and deliver success at an exciting-looking Villa project?
Harvey Barnes – Leicester to Newcastle (£38m): Speaking of FM players with zero end product… maybe he’ll get a bit of a boost in light of his Newcastle move. If so, Barnes could the kind of player to build a team around at Newcastle. And personally, I’d have him in the team well ahead of Anthony Gordon.
Ismaila Sarr – Watford to Marseille (£11.2m): If you fancy a shot at taking down PSG then Marseille could be the team to start with. And the exciting but, yet again, pretty inconsistent Sarr certainly gives them an attacking threat to work with.
Calvin Stengs – Nice to Feyenoord (£6m): Stengs is one of my all-time FM favourites, but he was shocking at Nice with just 1 goal and 1 assist since joining in 2021. A move to the Dutch champions could be the spark he needs – although I suspect he’ll be downgraded further on FM24.
Mateo Retegui – Boca to Genoa (£12.8m): Argentina-born Retegui scored on his first 2 appearances for Italy, so a move to Genoa in his adopted homeland is possibly a bit of a surprise. But if you fancy an Italian underdog in FM24, then Genoa could be the one for you.
Wesley Moraes – Aston Villa to Stoke (Undisclosed): A bit of a random one, but Wesley had so much promise when he joined Villa for a record £22m in 2019. However, he struggled for goals and had a shocking 15-month injury layoff. Now 26, he’s signed a 1-year deal at Stoke and could prove an inspired signing. He joins fellow interesting signings like Enda Stevens, Mark Travers, Ben Pearson, Daniel Johnson, Ki-Jana Hoever and Wouter Burger.
Edinson Cavani – Valencia to Boca (Free): Fancy a season of fun in Argentina? Cavani could well deliver it as he joins Boca on a free after leaving Valencia.
Stephy Mavididi – Montpellier to Leicester (£7m): I remember having Mavididi in a random Charlton save years ago and he scored goals for fun in the Championship. Can he be your star attacker to spark an immediate return to the Premier League?
Diego Laínez – Real Betis to Tigres (£6m): Laínez was one of the great wonderkids of FMs gone by and, somehow, he’s still only 23! But he’s struggled to cut it in Europe and he’s heading back home with Tigres. So if managing in Mexico sounds good, then Tigres and Laínez could be the option for you.
Luke Matheson – Wolves to Bolton (Free): Last season, we included Conor Bradley on this list and that proved a great suggestion as he enjoyed a strong year in Bolton. Now he’s returned to Liverpool, he’s been replaced with a former FM wonderkid in Luke Matheson, who’s still only 20 and initially joins the club’s B team. So if you’re looking for a lower league to Premier League challenge, then Bolton could be a decent choice.
Mohamed Salisu – Southampton to Monaco (£12m): A very solid centre-back on FM, Salisu has moved to Ligue 1 after relegation with Saints. Could he be a defender to build your PSG challenge around?
James Rodríguez – Olympiacos to São Paulo (Free): On his day, James is one of my favourite players ever. Indeed, Rodríguez looked set for absolute greatness but it never really quite happened for him. He began his career with Colombian wonderkid factory Envigado and joined Real Madrid for £63m in 2014. But his recent Olympiacos departure saw him free-transferred for the 4th time in 4 seasons. He now heads back to South America with São Paulo, so if you fancy a little Brazilian challenge, then this could be a great place to start.
André Silva – Leipzig to Real Sociedad (Loan): Sociedad announced this signing by claiming “There’s a new killer in town,” so what reason more do you need to go and manage Sociedad?
Artem Dovbyk – Dnipro to Girona (£6m): Dovbyk has been bagging goals for fun the last two seasons, with 38 in 47 league games for Dnipro. So if you fancy a bit of a challenge in Spain, he could spearhead you thriving with Girona.
Gianluca Scamacca – West Ham to Atalanta (£21m): West Ham’s striker failure continues as Scamacca returns to Italy one year on from joining for £35m. This looks like a great deal if he can rediscover his form, and should be a great replacement for Hojlund.
Alejo Véliz – Rosario Central to Spurs (£12.9m): If you’re looking for a post-Kane Spurs rebuild, then Véliz could be someone to build a young team around. Only 19, he scored 17 in 53 games for Rosario, but whether FM24 reflects that promise remains to be seen.
Nnamdi Collins – Dortmund to Frankfurt (£850k): Collins has had potential on FM for a while, and he’s still only 19 so could be a real coup for Frankfurt. And he’s certainly a player to build a team around.
Nico Serrano – Athletic Bilbao to PEC Zwolle (Undisclosed): Serrano was one of the best wonderkids on (I think) FM21, but now 20 he’s yet to really break through at Bilbao. But a move to the Netherlands could be a big opportunity for him to prove that potential.
Alex Scott – Bristol City to Bournemouth (£25m): If you’ve never heard of Alex Scott, then I can only assume you’ve not played FM23. This kid becomes world-class with the right coaching and the step up to the Premier League is a big move for him. And, as mentioned previously, I think Bournemouth could be a really fun challenge to take on in FM24.
Emil Audero – Sampdoria to Inter (loan): 26-year-old Audero moves to Milan as a replacement for the outgoing Onana. I’ve only really included this move as he’s among my favourite go-to goalkeepers alongside fellow Italians Elia Caprile and Marco Carnessechi.
Mohamed Daramy – Ajax to Reims (£10.4m): A former FM wonderkid, Daramy only managed 12 league games in two years at Ajax. But he’s still only 21 so could be a talent to build a team around if you fancy a really tough French challenge.
Lucas Beltrán – River Plate to Fiorentina (£17.3m): Beltrán’s move to Fiorentina offers obvious comparisons to another Argentinian who was absolutely world-class at Fiorentina. The striker hadn’t pulled up any trees at River until last season, when he scored 12 in 25. In reality, he’s nothing like Batistuta, standing at 5ft 9in and with no beautiful mane of long hair. But there’s plenty of hype about this 22-year-old attacker known brilliantly as “El Vikingo.”
Robin Gosens – Inter to Union Berlin (£12.9m): Last season’s Bundesliga surprise package could have pulled off a bit of a coup in signing left-back Gosens. He was excellent at Atalanta and was solid enough at Inter, but revealed this move “fulfilled a lifelong dream” to play in the Bundesliga for the first time. And he could do you a good job for a few seasons if you choose to continue the Union revolution.
Matteo Cancellieri – Lazio to Empoli (Loan): Empoli apparently have an £8m buyout clause on Cancellieri, who’s got a big opportunity to impress after struggling for game time at Lazio. Still only 21, he’s certainly a player with plenty of potential if you fancy a tough Italian challenge alongside fellow exciting talent Tommaso Baldanzi.
Nicoló Rovella – Juventus to Lazio (Loan): A mini-Juventus clearout has benefited Lazio, who picked up promising midfielder Rovella, as well as left-back Luca Pellegrini, on a two-year loan with an obligation to buy. The highly-rated youngster has only ever played three league games for Juve and spent last season on loan at Monza. But if you can help him meet his potential, then Lazio could be a great FM24 challenge.
Charles De Ketelaere – Milan to Atalanta (Loan): De Ketelaere was magnificent in my Sempre Samp save, but struggled to deliver on his potential at Milan. But a move to Atalanta, with a £26m purchase option, could give him a chance to set things straight.
Wilfried Singo – Torino to Monaco (£8.5m): Another player highly-rated on FM, Singo made 98 league appearances for Torino before moving to France for a relatively low fee.
Kevin Volland – Monaco to Union Berlin (£3.4m): If the Union revolution appeals then they have a former FM wonderkid for you to work with. How good 31-year-old Volland will be on FM24 remains to be seen, but what a legendary name of FMs gone by.
Nicoló Zaniolo – Galatasaray to Aston Villa (Loan): Zaniolo was ridiculously highly rated at Roma before a big injury and a bizarre move to Turkey after – quelle surprise – falling out with Mourinho. But he now has a huge chance to deliver on his potential as he comes in to replace the injured Emi Buendia at Villa.
Arsen Zakharyan – Dinamo Moscow to Real Sociedad (£11.1m): Surely every Football Manager player knows about the potential that Zakharyan had on FM23. And if he can deliver a snip of that in real life, then Sociedad have a real bargain on their hands. From experience in an offline save last month, challenging the big three with Sociedad is a lot of fun, and you can use David Silva to shape Zakharyan’s development for at least one season.
Elye Wahi – Montpellier to Lens (£25.7m): Wahi was relatively decent on FM23, but this big move could attract a potential boost for FM24. It feels like a lot of money for Lens but he has scored 29 goals over the last 2 seasons and he’s still only 20 years old, so this could be a player to build a team around at Lens.
Maxi Gómez – Trabzonspor to Cádiz (Loan): It’s only a loan deal, but we had to include Gómez here. How good he’ll be on FM24 remains to be seen, but he’s only 27 and his physical prowess and, on FM23 at least, impressive finishing, heading and off the ball are a real asset on the game.
Jesper Karlsson – AZ Alkmaar to Bologna (£8.5m): If you’re looking for a different Italian challenge, then Bologna’s signing of Karlsson could be an interesting option. Karlsson was lethal for AZ, scoring 46 goals in 123 games from the wing. And the 25-year-old could be an asset to build around, if FM24 doesn’t do him dirty.
Angelo Stiller – Hoffenheim to Stuttgart (£4.3m): The Bayern youth product becomes a solid midfielder on FM23, so this could be a shrewd signing for Stuttgart. He’s only 22, so he’s definitely a player to build a Bundesliga-challenging squad around.
Giacomo Faticanti – Roma to Lecce (£850k): Faticanti became a world-class holding midfielder on my FM23 beta save with Roma. So if that potential carries through to FM24 then Lecce have an absolute bargain on their hands.
Mohammed Kudus – Ajax to West Ham (£38m): West Ham looks like an intriguing FM24 project, with Kudus potentially being the creative spark you need to get them firing in the Premier League. You just need to buy a good striker (in FM terms) and, with Kudus, Alvarez, Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Zouma and co, do you have the potential for a title challenge on FM?
Beto – Udinese to Everton (£25m): We couldn’t do this list without adding Beto, who was an absolute monster on FM23. And if any Premier League team needs a rebuild around a big goal machine, it’s Everton. Plus, the prospect of Beto and Calbert-Lewin up front together on FM is pretty devastating.
Jesper Lindstrøm – Frankfurt to Napoli (Loan): Speaking of players who were very good in FM23 brings us to Lindstrøm. He has a £20m purchase fee next summer, which looks like a really good deal for the new Italian champions.
Karamoko Dembélé – Brest to Blackpool (Loan): Remember him? Dembélé was heralded as a potential wonderkid when he came through at Celtic. Still only 20, he surely still has plenty of potential and has promised to bring entertainment to Blackpool fans in League 1.
Reinier – Real Madrid to Frosinone (Loan): The Serie A new boys have a potential star on their hands in the Brazilian, who signed for Real from Santos €30m in 2020. That said, he’s struggled in previous loans to Dortmund and Girona so he really needs to deliver in Italy. Interestingly, Frosinone also loaned in another former Santos striker Kaio Jorge, Atalanta’s Caleb Okoli and Bayern youngster Arijon Ibrahimovic.
Marko Pjaca – Juventus to Rijeka (Undisclosed): If you’re looking for a different challenge outside the big European leagues, then taking charge of a Pjaca-led Rijeka could be it. Pjaca signed for Juve for €30m in 2016 but multiple cruciate ligament injuries curtailed his potential to just 14 Serie A appearances for the club. But he’s only 28 so should have plenty to offer back in Croatia.
Ansu Fati – Barcelona to Brighton (Loan): A bit of an obvious one, but this could be a really fun proposition on FM24. However, the lack of a purchase fee means keeping hold of Fati beyond the loan deal seems pretty unlikely.
Emanuel Vignato – Bologna to Pisa (Undisclosed): A player with massive potential on previous FM versions, Vignato has never really delivered in real life. But now, still only aged 24, he has a big opportunity down in Serie B with Pisa.
Duván Zapata – Atalanta to Torino (Loan): Zapata can be deadly on FM, for example, he scored 16 goals in the first season of my recent offline save (not for my team). And I think he could be crucial to leading Torino to challenge the big boys in Italy on FM24.
Nicolás Domínguez – Bologna to Nottingham Forest (£8.5m): Forest signed so many players on deadline day that we had to include at least one of them. And in FM terms, Domínguez is the only one of them that I’ve used and he was excellent. I think Forest have a squad that will allow you to excel on FM24, probably after you’ve had a massive clearout in the summer of 2024.
Luka Jovic – Fiorentina to Milan (Loan): This one feels a little bit leftfield, but Jovic enjoyed a decent season at Fiorentina. Whether the former wonderkid is still any good in the game remains to be seen, but I usually find Milan are a striker short on FM.
Hirving Lozano – Napoli to PSV Eindhoven (£12.8m): Lozano offers everything you want from an FM talent: pace, good dribbling and decent enough finishing for a winger. And he could prove a superb signing if you fancy your chances of usurping champions Feyenoord with PSV.
Ryan Gravenberch – Bayern to Liverpool (£34.2m): Gravenberch had massive potential on previous FMs, but whenever I’ve signed him I’ve been underwhelmed. Whether he has what it takes to succeed at Liverpool remains to be seen, but the Liverpool midfield gives you plenty of talent to work with to usurp Man City.
Jaden Philogene – Aston Villa to Hull (£5m): I was a little surprised to see this deal go through as Philogene impressed in pre-season and was being touted for a first-team role. However, he now has a huge opportunity at Hull, who’ve compiled an interesting squad that gives you a shot at promotion.
Luis Sinisterra – Leeds to Bournemouth (Loan): Sinisterra is a bit hit-and-miss but I really like him and I think he adds another bow to Bournemouth’s exciting-looking attack.
Andrew Omobamidele – Norwich to Forest (£11m): So many signings. But this one is another good one in FM terms, as Omobamidele can become a really top defender. And he would usually cost you a lot more than £11m.
What do you make of these summer signings? And have any inspired you to want to take on a new challenge on FM24?
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