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
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.
AdvertisementBest free agent defenders on FM24
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
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
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.