Games are won and lost in the midfield, and a few top sides are in dire need of reinforcements. Today, we’re going to dive deep into a few of the hottest names on the market, what teams are linked with them, and what kind of transfer fees it would take to secure their services using FIFA 23’s Transfer Analyst as a way to gauge the deal.
Enzo Fernandez
One of, if not the hottest name on the market this window, Enzo made a huge name for himself in this winter’s World Cup helping Argentina to win it all while also winning the Young Player of the Tournament. Enzo’s profile is all the rage right now. A deep lying playmaker capable of playing penetrating passes into the final third, Enzo can play in a midfield of three or a double-pivot.
Enzo Fernandez stats courtesy of PlayerProfiler.com
As a midfielder, the responsibility doesn’t solely reside on attack, you must be able to defend, whether that be high-energy pressing and/or interceptions (ball recoveries). This is another area Enzo excels in and is reflected in FIFA 23 with his “High Defensive” work rate.
Lastly when it comes to Enzo’s profile, he is excellent at holding onto possession, a trait that’s of great importance in high-octane leagues such as the Premier League where pace and power are at a premium. So if you’re counting, Enzo can read the game, intercept the pass, hold onto possession, and then play a key pass to transition the team from defense to attack
Now that you’re familiar with his profile, it’s no wonder why his club, Benfica, value Enzo so highly. A €120 million release clause that they want paid up front and not through installations is particularly steep, especially in the January window, but there are a few clubs out there that could use an upgrade to their midfield. In this case, Chelsea and Liverpool have both failed to address their injury-riddled and aging midfields.
Liverpool
We’ll start with Liverpool and their high-energy gegenpress, a staple of Jurgen Klopp throughout his time on Merseyside and in Germany with both Dortmund and Mainz. Currently deploying a midfield of Thiago, Fabinho, and Harvey Elliott, Enzo would slot in almost immediately given that Jordan Henderson’s legs are shot (65 acceleration/sprint speed), Thiago is both aging and injury prone, Fabinho’s form has been in decline for the past 18 months, and Harvey Eilliott is still developing as a player.
Chelsea
Another club in dire need of reinforcements in the midfield area. In fact, Chelsea has not made a purchase in the midfield area since Mateo Kovacic. With Ngolo Kante wearing down, Jorginho’s contract expiring, and Matteo Kovacic being all too injured, Chelsea flirted with the idea of acquiring Fernandez but were put off by Benfica not wanting to let the player go for anything less than his €120 million release clause. For a club spiraling down the table, Chelsea and their new ownership might be forced to splash the cash at the risk of losing a player to a more attractive club come summertime.
Enzo’s Value
So what exactly is Enzo’s real value? Well it certainly isn’t his $43 million valuation in FIFA 23, which is most certainly due to his paltry 80 OVR rating. With his World Cup play making him a hot commodity, we’ve seen his value explode from the €14 million he was acquired for last summer.
All Market Value charts courtesy of Transfermarkt.us
So with a true-to-life valuation varying greatly, Enzo is most likely a case where the market dictates his value. In other words, much like baseball cards and houses, they’re worth what you pay for them. Activating his release clause would make him the biggest transfer fee in Premier League history. Along with that price comes the expectation that he has to be great, and for a player who has made under 100 senior team appearances across his the Argentine and Portuguese top flights, that’s a lot to ask for someone who is just 21 and would be moving to his second country in less than six months.
Final Call On Enzo
If you’re looking for a midfield cog that can step in and play right away, he’s probably not your first choice for the $65 million it took me to acquire him. Even with training him up, it would take a few years for him to be able to step in and command a spot. Perhaps it’s worth it if you are running a Chelsea or Liverpool and can stretch a few more years out of the current crop. Blowing nearly your entire transfer budget as a mid-table club is probably unwise, even if you can indeed train him up and flip him for a profit.
Do you have the kind of funds to acquire him now and can you afford to overlook other areas which need strengthening? The answer to that is probably no, but if you can negotiate to get the price down in both FIFA 23 and real life, he’s someone worth trying for.
Moises Caicedo
Another player who raised eyebrows due to his performances with Brighton and then Ecuador in the World Cup, Moises Caicedo’s name has been floated around some pretty high circles. At just 21, Caicedo has already established himself at club, filling the void left by Yves Bissouma’s departure to Tottenham. A traditional defensive midfielder, Caicedo has been excellent so far this season in protecting his backline. A monster in the tackle along the lines of prime Ngolo Kante, Caicedo still has a ways to go when it comes to attacking but that’s to be expected with a 20-year-old player.
Moises Caicedo Stat breakdown courtesy of whoscored.com
Looking at his statistical profile, he’s a player similar to Liverpool’s Fabinho, albeit with more physical abilities. Fabinho, despite his decline, was at one point a world-class defensive midfielder on par with the likes of Casemiro and Manchester City’s Rodri. More mobile than all of those names, Caicedo is more of a Kante-type (recognizing the differences in what they’re both asked to do by their respective managers).
Caicedo’s Value
Financially speaking, Caicedo is similar to Enzo in that he was recently acquired for a small fee and has seen his market value climb exponentially.
This is another tricky case because EA doesn’t update career mode values midseason, so it makes the valuation determination difficult. His real-life profile, the fact that he plays in the Premier League (carries a plus-up in same-league transfers), and his World Cup performances have made his value much higher than in FIFA where he’s still a lowly 73 OVR. He should realistically be in the 77-80 OVR range with a potential in the high 80s if we’re going off the last six months.
With all that said, Moises is a player who has been linked with both Chelsea and Liverpool for reasons similar to why Enzo would fit. Caicedo can be had for the cheap in FIFA, but to be honest, he’s not worth acquiring in FIFA 23 unless you are a training merchant and dump hours of training into him. In real life, if you can grab him in the €30-40 million range, you should snap him up. More solid performances put in by him this year will only see his value rise, and with the low wages Brighton players are on his head could most certainly be turned with the promise of an improved salary.
Jude Bellingham
Of all the players mentioned thus far, Bellingham has by far the biggest profile and name, and is therefore most likely to stay this winter before making a move this summer. The most complete midfielder of this lot, and one of the best already at the tender age of 19, Bellingham is a nailed-on starter for both Dortmund and the English national team. Profile-wise, Jude excels in a midfield of two or three, capable of playing as box-to-box, near the box in a more advanced role, or as a deep lying defensive midfielder.
Gifted on the ball and with a work rate that was on full display at the World Cup, there are few if any sides that Jude wouldn’t walk into, including the giants of the Premier League and Spain.
Defensive Actions
Dribbling
Jude’s Value
This one is tricky as Jude doesn’t have a release clause, so his value is going to be determined by the clubs chasing him and there will be a lot of them (and some have limitless funds). Following a recent trend of talented English youngsters moving to Germany to further their development, Bellingham was bought for what seemed like a lot at the time, $25 million from Birmingham City. Fast forward a few years later and the 19-year-old rising star is going to go for upwards of €100 million
Using FIFA 23 as a backdrop, this is the rare case where it can be used as a solid gauge, and Dortmund is certain to cash in this summer. A winter transfer just isn’t likely as Dortmund, even with their excellent scouting department, would find it hard to identify and secure a replacement this soon.
Taking a look at the numbers here and realistically speaking, they’re close but likely about $20-30 million off the real life fee that would be required to pull him away from Dortmund. Wage speaking, 100K a week is laughably low due to his small 44K/week Dortmund wage. While there might be a handful of teams that can afford the transfer fee, what Jude’s going to command in wages is only payable by a select few (Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Bayern Munich, and maybe Juventus).
Getting him to agree to 100K was almost criminal considering the other lofty wages on the books at Chelsea (looking at you Koulibaly and your 300K/week). Of all the potential moves here, this one is a no-brainer in both real life and FIFA 23. Bellingham is that dynamic and the only worry is that you’d potentially lose him to a PSG/Real Madrid/Barcelona, but even in that scenario you’re going to be flush with cash.
Bottom Line
For players with an established reputation like Bellingham, the real-life numbers aren’t too far off from FIFA’s valuation, apart from the wages. Caicedo and Enzo’s FIFA finances are skewed because EA doesn’t update contract values midseason despite revisiting ratings. Perhaps it’s too much to code, but it really is something that EA should look at long before EA Sports FC releases. I imagine it’s hard to keep up with what seems like ridiculously escalating transfer fees, but if you’re striving for realism there are easy fixes here EA — but that discussion will be saved for another article.
Related: Best Dribblers in FIFA 23 on Attack of the Fanboy
Published: Jan 16, 2023 12:00 pm