Best FM 2014 Russia Premier League Players

Hello fellow FMers and welcome to my first post on FMS. You may have seen me around on the forum, I am currently writing a Pentagon Challenge Story as well as one with Elfsborg and my name is Jackson.

When you think of the top leagues not only in Europe, but the world, the usual La Liga, Barclays Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A. However, why does the Russian Premier League never come to mind? It obviously has considerable appeal, which has allowed stars such as Samuel Eto’o, Axel Witsel, Hulk and Yann M’Vila to play for domestic clubs over there. In Football Manager, it is ranked in the top ten of European leagues; perhaps not elite but very respectable none the less.In my opinion it is one of the best leagues to manage in, not only because of the vast money you get with some of the superpowers, but the excellent players. In this guide I shall highlight some of the best players to sign in FM 2014 from this league.

Bibras Natkho

To start off we have Bibras Natkho, rated two stars by the scouts of Arsenal. Whilst his strength and finishing leave a lot to be desired, very good mental attributes coupled with decent technicals would make him a great fit for a mid-table Premier League team, or as back-up for a top team. You may be wondering what is special enough about the Israeli to warrant him being on this list, and it is quite simply that his contract is running down, meaning he will be very easy to sign on a free transfer. You can expect to pay him around £11K a week.

Keisuke Honda

It is widely known for FM fans that, like Natkho, Honda’s contract is expiring and he can become available to sign on a pre-contract. For me he is basically a better Natkho, but that means you can expect to pay around £30K a week to him. Also remember that other clubs will go in for him, so you will have to give him what he wants; if you don’t someone else will. But I assure you he is worth it as he has been given some amazing stats by SI.

Vitinho

A wonderkid in FM 2014, Brazilian Vitinho has some very solid stats, and he is enhanced by his great pace. He wasn’t actually interested in joining Arsenal, but his contract runs down after a year and is available on a free. With great potential, surely Vitinho is worth signing on a free?

Romulo

Another Brazilian in Russia with the potential to be a world beater is Romulo. With good passing, creativity and flair he is far more than just an anchor-man, and I would probably be tempted to play him as a deep-lying playmaker in the defensive-midfield position. The fact he can dominate tricky attacking midfielders from the off makes his £20 million odd asking price more than justified.

Lacina Traore

At 2 meters high and boasting 16 strength, Lacina Traore is perhaps the perfect example of a target man. Surprisingly however, he has a first touch most players would be proud of and available at around £13 million this Ivorian should be on your transfer target list no matter who you are managing. I however would wait a season or two, as I suspect his asking fee could go down even further as Anzhi struggle after their fire-sale in the summer.

Salvatore Bochetti

I was unsure on whether Bocchetti, commanding a transfer fee of just under £20 million, a contract of around £75K a week and with a relatively poor scout report deserved to be on this list.  At best he is an expensive luxury, and at worst he is overrated. But borderline world-class stats and with other centre-backs of similar ability costing about the same, I decided to give him a mention.

Salomon Rondon

With the arrival of FM2014 comes the end of Seydou Doumbia’s reign as the best striker in the Russian Premier League. Rondon, whilst not world-class, could form a great partnership with Traore for any team in a 4-4-2. More astounding still is his asking price, which comes in at roughly £15 million. His wages however are a negative, you could be looking at paying him between £63K-£89K a week according to the scout at Arsenal.

Jano

Little has been said of Jano on this edition of the game, but I can tell you that he is as good as ever. Spartak didn’t want to sell so it is hard to fathom his most accurate asking price, although he would ask for wages of around £10K if he were to move to the Emirates. He really can become world-class if developed well, so he is one of my biggest recommendations from this list.

Gokhan Tore

You may be wondering why I am showing you a player in the Turkish league, but in fact Gokhan Tore is contracted to Russians Rubin Kazan. Of course, this means you can’t sign him in the first season, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about him. Tore has great potential, rated at three stars for Arsenal, and if you could sign him straight away would cost you around £8.5 million. His wages also come in at under £50K a week. The tricky winger can be an alternative transfer if you’re looking for a utility player, so keep an eye on him.

Yann M’Vila

Rubin Kazan got something of a coup when they beat QPR, Fulham and long-term admirers Arsenal and Spurs to French international Yann M’Vila. His scout report says Rubin Kazan didn’t want to sell him, but he shouldn’t cost more than the early £20 millions. His wages are quite steep though, at between £71K and £95K according to the report, but he is another option if you can’t get Romulo.

They are my top ten players to sign on FM 2014 from the Russian Premier League, there were quite a few players from my shortlist to have missed out (Witsel, Danny, Doumbia, Jucilei, Boussoufa, Akinfeev, Roman Eremenko and Wakaso) due to either price or not bettering the players shown. Hopefully I have shown you that the Russian Premier League has lots of quality and you will look into signing some of these players. Feel free to provide feedback in the comments section.