EA FC 26’s Career Mode is hard. On one hand, you’ve got limited funds. But on the other hand, your playmaking completely relies on your midfield. If you’re stuck in this dilemma (like hundreds of other players), this article is for you.
We’re here to tell you that sacrificing one for the other isn’t the only option. EA FC 26’s roster has numerous great midfielders you can get on a budget. Today, we’ll be listing the top 10 cheap midfielders you can find on the market, and how much you’ll need to sign them. So let’s get into it.
Best Cheap Midfielders In EA FC 26 Career Mode
Mikel Jauregizar Alboniga
- Price: $34.5M
- Release Clause: None
We’re going to start our list with one of Athletic Club de Bilbao’s favourites, Mikel Jauregizar Alboniga. Alboniga is a 21-year-old Spanish midfielder currently playing for Athletic Club de Bilbao. His initial OVR is 78, but it can go up to an impressive 88 by the end of training. If you go to the market, any midfielder over 85 OVR would cost you around 80M-100M.
You will need to train him a bit to get him up to that point, but overall, it will be worth it. He is right-footed and has 3 stars in Skill Moves and 4 stars in Weak Foot. Alboniga also has a solid stat spread, with greens across the board except for shooting and defending. His Pace, Pass, and Physicals are in the 72-74 range, while his Dribbling is at 79. Definitely a good pick-up for a budget midfielder.
Lucas Bergvall
- Price: $24.5M
- Release Clause: None
Next up, we’ve got Lucas Bergvall. Bergvall is a 19-year-old, right–footed midfielder. He currently plays for Tottenham Hotspur domestically and the Swedish National team internationally. That’s a lot to accomplish at just 19 years of age. Bergvall is quite similar to Alboniga in terms of growth. Both have +10 growth potential, meaning Bergvall can go from his original 77 to a max OVR of 87.
Looking at Skill Moves and Weak Foot, he has 3 stars in both. The stat spread is up by just a few points across the board compared to Alboniga. Pace, Pass, Dribbling, and Physicals are all around the ~75 range. His Defense and Shooting, however, are what he should work on. Still, once you get him to 87, he will become a beast on the field, and all his stats will get upgrades anyway.
Arthur Vermeeren
- Price: $25M
- Release Clause: None
At number 3, we placed Arthur Vermeeren. Vermeeren is on loan from RB Leipzig to Olympique de Marseille and has been shining. He’s currently 20 years old and worth $25M on the Career Mode market. He’s right-footed, has 3 stars in Skill Moves, and 4 stars in Weak Foot. Onto his OVR. Vermeeren has 77 OVR originally, but it can go up to 87 with training. At such a low price, he’s definitely someone to keep on your radar.
The drawback to signing him is having to play him initially. His stat spread isn’t that good, with most stats in the high 60s-70 range. His Dribbling is at 78, which is a plus, but 56 in Shooting brings him down. He’s a great pickup to fill your midfield, but if you’re counting on your midfield in the early game, perhaps skip over him.
Hugo Larsson
- Price: $34.5M
- Release Clause: None
Another great midfielder under 40M is Hugo Larsson, a 21-year-old Swedish national. Larsson currently plays as a midfielder for Eintracht Frankfurt and is valued at $34.5M in EA FC 26’s Career Mode. He’s got 3 stars in both Skill Moves and Weak Foot, an average stat check on the roster. Larsson’s initial OVR is 78, but with +9 growth potential, he can go up to 87 OVR just with a bit of training.
The benefit of signing him compared to other midfielders is his high stat spread, even in the early game. Pace, Dribbling, and Physicals are all in the high-70s, while Shooting, Pass, and Defending are at the borderline at 69. But with time, you’ll see a massive increase in all these stats. If your budget allows, we’d definitely recommend getting this player, as he will keep you stable throughout.
Tygo Land
- Price: $3.4M
- Release Clause: None
As we go down the list, we see a massive drop in prices. 19-year-old midfielder, Tygo Land, is 1/10th the cost of Hugo Larsson, even though their max potential OVRs are quite similar. Land is currently playing for FC Groningen, on loan from PSV. The reason behind his low market price is his initial OVR, 68. With 68, there’s little you can do with him in the early games.
But the reason he’s on this list is because of his growth potential. Land has one of the highest growth potentials, gaining 18 points with training. That would bring up to 86, on par with some of the top midfielders. This is one reason we highly recommend signing him on and working on him as soon as possible. The stat spread isn’t great initially, so we’ll skip that; however, he does have 4 stars in both Skill Moves and Weak Foot, something we haven’t seen so far.
Sverre Halseth Nypan
- Price: $3.3M
- Release Clause: None
We’ve got another in the 3M-4M range, and that is Sverre Halseth Nypan. Nypan sits at just 100K less than Land and plays for Rosenborg BK. Surprisingly, he’s also the youngest candidate on the list, being just 17 years old. Nypan is a right-footed midfielder with 4 stars in both Skill Moves and Weak Foot. His stat spread consists mostly of 50s and 60s, with exceptions at Pace (73) and Dribbling (72).
His low OVR is what devalues him in the market. Nypan sits at a meager 68 OVR originally, discouraging many players from investing in him. However, if you put in the time to train him, he can go up to 87 with +19 growth potential. While these players might be difficult to carry throughout the early game, we’d say they’re too precious to miss out on.
Christos Mouzakitis
- Price: $4.7M
- Release Clause: None
18-year-old Christos Mouzakitis is next on our list. This Greek national currently plays for Olympiacos as a CM and is valued at $4.7M. The reason he’s higher on the price list is that his starting OVR is 71 rather than sub-70. However, his potential OVR is the same as others at 86. That, plus he only has 3 stars on both Skill Moves and Weak Foot. While the offer is ludicrous, it’s better to just shortlist him for now.
Mouzakitis is left-footed and can be difficult to manage early on. Even for 71, his stat spread is not the best. The most concerning stat might be Physicals (since Shooting and Defense don’t count for a lot) at 61. Still, he’s a good pickup if you intend to work on him instantly. But we do believe there are better options available on the market.
Lewis Miley
- Price: $6M
- Release Clause: None
Coming near the end of our list, we have Lewis Miley, the 19-year-old midfielder for Newcastle United. While many of these midfielders play in niche leagues, Miley has had the honour of playing in one of the most competitive leagues out there. It is also why he is priced slightly higher than other midfielders around his stat range. Miley is right-footed with 3 stars on Skill Moves and 4 stars on Weak Foot.
Talking about his OVR, he will start at 72 and work his way up to 86. A +14 growth potential is still pretty good, since you won’t have to spend all your time on him, and he can pull his weight in the early game. For his stat spread, all his stats are in the 60s, except for his Dribbling at 72. We’d say this is a good player to sign on, especially if you don’t want to train those sub-70 players, as they will take much longer to reach max potential.
Alejandro Granados
- Price: $2.2M
- Release Clause: None
At number 9, we have Alejandro Granados. Granados currently plays for Club Brugge at just 19 years of age. He is left-footed and has 2 stars in Skill Moves but 4 stars in Weak foot, a rare occurrence. Granados’s initial OVR is 65, which might seem almost unplayable, but with the right investment, he can go up to 85, a whopping +20 growth potential. Now, this growth will be quite long and tedious, a major reason most people don’t opt for him.
As you can imagine, the stat spread is below average and not worth mentioning. However, opting for him is only a smart decision if the rest of your team is loaded. This will reduce the stress on this one player, and other teammates can cover his shortcomings. Do think before signing this player, especially if you’re just starting out.
Christian Comotto
- Price: $1.1M
- Release Clause: None
Our last entry is Christian Comotto, a 17-year-old Italian on loan from Milano FC and currently playing for Spezia. As you can see, Comotto is our cheapest midfielder in the list, and there’s a reason for that. Comotto’s initial OVR is 61, and even with a +22 growth potential, he will only go up to 83. While an 83 midfielder in $1.1M is a definite steal, it will be hard to train him as much as he requires.
Comotto is right-footed with 2 stars in Skill Moves and 3 stars in Weak Foot. Considering his stat spread, Comotto will be extremely difficult to pull off in-game, and should only be bought as a last-resort, budget choice. If you simply need someone to fill in a position, he will be quite useful since you’re spending next to nothing on him.
