Football Manager 2021: Scouting the most improved players in Europe

 

By now you are either deeply invested into your Football Manager 2021 save or plotting your next position. No matter what, the fun never stops on FM. New challenges are always around the corner and how you navigate through them is all part of the managerial process. You will either come out feeling like a managerial God or quickly forgotten about. 

 

Our last voyage into FM21 looked into some of the best bargain buys on the market. Not everyone takes over at a club with an enormous budget, so finding value on the transfer market can be the difference between a good season and a poor one. Based on top WhoScored rated players in Europe this season, we unearthed finds such as Nice’s Amine Gouiri and Brest’s Romain Faivre.

 

 

This time around, however, it is time to focus our attention on some of the most improved players in Europe’s top five leagues. In order to do this, we have compared this season’s ratings with their pre-lockdown equivalents at the end of last season to find those with the biggest rating increases across the two periods. It’s safe to say you should certainly send the scouts out on FM21 to keep a close eye on them!

 

Lucas Alario (Bayer Leverkusen) - +1.13 rating increase

 

Project Restart did not go to plan for Lucas Alario, as the Argentine managed just one goal in six Bundesliga appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, with a WhoScored rating of 6.30 in that time. Leverkusen missed out on Champions League football by two points to Gladbach, who are now in the knockout stage of this season’s competition.

 

Alario has certainly made up for lost time, however. The 28-year-old has remarkably hit eight goals in as many league games this season, one more than he managed across the entirety of last season in 24 appearances. Leverkusen are currently top of the Bundesliga and Alario is keeping new signing Patrik Schick out of the team. In fact, no player in Europe’s top five leagues has seen a bigger rating increase this season compared to the back end of 2019/20 than Alario.

 

Hirving Lozano (Napoli) - +0.84 rating increase / £19.75m FM21 Value

 

Last season was a huge disappointment as far as Napoli are concerned after finishing it in seventh place but they responded in tremendous fashion over the summer with some big name arrivals. Determined not to be forgotten about amid the new signings, Lozano has responded this season after closing out 2019/20 with only two goals in 10 appearances.

 

Lozano has made 10 appearances in Serie A so far this season and has already scored more goals (6) than he managed in 24 league games across the whole of 2019/20 (4). His WhoScored rating post-lockdown last season was just 6.66, but he currently sits just outside the top-10 in Serie A this term. He is certainly the all-action winger that will appeal to many on FM. An average of 2.1 shots pg, 1 key pass pg, 1.1 successful dribbles pg and 2.3 times fouled pg highlights just that, as is mirrored by FM21 with key attributes like Finishing (15/20), Dribbling (14), Technique (15), Flair (16) and Anticipation (15) all standing out.

 

Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) - +0.78 rating increase / £5m FM21 Value

 

While all the eyes were on Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund this season following his failed move to England, Giovanni Reyna has instead stepped up and become their man to watch. After being eased into life at Dortmund last season, Reyna has impressively played a direct hand in seven goals in 12 matches in 2020/21, four more than Sancho has managed.

 

With a base valuation of only £5M, Reyna is certainly someone you should be looking to snap up for your Football Manager save. Looking for a youngster capable of close control and with a high ceiling, look no further. Reyna has already developed a statistically calculated strength of ‘dribbling’ and ranks 15/20 for both Dribbling and First Touch attributes on FM21.

 

Leon Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen) - +0.77 rating increase / £27m FM21 Value

 

Last season saw Jadon Sancho and Kai Havertz overtake Leon Bailey as the hottest prospect in the Bundesliga but the latter has certainly battled back in 2020/21, along with Gio Reyna. Leverkusen could have done with more from Bailey post-lockdown last season, as the narrowly missed out on a top four finish and lost star man Havertz to Chelsea.  

 

Bailey, similarly to team-mate Alario, has made serious steps forward this season. The 23-year-old has played a direct hand in seven goals in 10 Bundesliga appearances this season, just one shy of his goal contribution tally from the whole of 2019/20. The thrills have certainly returned to Bailey’s game, with Leverkusen topping the Bundesliga. As clubs may do in the near future, if you are looking for a cheaper alternative to Sancho on FM21 then look no further than Bailey. He boasts attributes of 18/20 for Acceleration, 16/20 for Dribbling and 17/20 for Flair. You know what sort of player you will be getting…

 

Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma) - +0.76 rating increase / £19.75m FM21 Value

 

It wasn’t that Lorenzo Pellegrini performed poorly at the back end of last season, it was just that he didn’t stand out for Roma and the eventually missed out on Champions League qualification. He started eight of their last nine matches, managed one assist and scored only one goal. He created only 1.4 key passes pg and completed only 0.2 dribbles pg in that time.

 

This season, however, has scored one and provided three assists in 11 league appearances. Key passes pg are up to 2.4, as are successful dribbles pg (1.3). He has started the campaign like a man keen to showcase his qualities and he is doing just that. His FM21 base stats certainly point towards a hugely accomplished midfielder, with a particular skill-set from set-pieces. Pellegrini rates 16/20 for Crossing, Corners, Technique and Flair, while going one better and rating 17/20 for Vision. Make him the heartbeat of your midfield.

Cristian Romero (Atalanta) - +0.74 rating increase / £10.25m FM21 Value

 

Football Manager 2021: Scouting the most improved players in Europe

 

After it was made clear by Juventus there would not be ample first-team opportunities in Turin, Cristian Romero made the decision to join Atalanta this summer and it has certainly paid off. Romero didn’t even finish last season with Genoa poorly, but has just taken his game to a new level for Atalanta and that is before even considering his remarkable performances in the Champions League this season.

 

Romero ranks top for most interceptions pg (4.7) in Europe’s top five leagues this season, while also winning 82.5% of his contested aerial duels and 75% of his attempted tackles. The Argentine certainly adopts a proactive stance to defending, illustrated by FM21 attributes of 16/20 for Heading, Marking and Aggression. If you want a defender you can trust to get in there and do his defensive work, then look no further than Romero.

 

Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - +0.73 rating increase / £63m FM21 Value

 

This isn’t to suggest Erling Haaland was poor at the end of last season by any stretch but merely points to more frightening growth at such a young age. Haaland scored four goals in seven league appearances post-lockdown last season at an average of one every 137.8 minutes of playing time. He found the back of the net on average every 42 touches. Moreover, the Borussia Dortmund striker hit the target with more than half of his shots and scored with 26.7% of his attempts. This season, however, Haaland has scored 10 goals in eight games and has a conversion rate of 33.3%. Minutes-per-goal is down to one every hour and touches-per-goal has nearly havled (every 21.5).

 

Of course, as the recent Golden Boy winner, it comes as no surprise Haaland is valued so highly on FM21 but it is still worth pointing out how extraordinary he is at such a young age. Haaland is 20 at the start of FM21 and already rates 18/20 for Finishing. He’s contracted to stay in the Bundesliga, at least in the short-term, but if you have the budge to accommodate him you simply must pull off all the stops to sign him.

Football Manager 2021: Scouting the most improved players in Europe