Best Football Manager 23 Wonderkids & Young Players

Now that the FM23 Beta contains the entire FM database, everyone is now desperately searching for unknown wonderkids, players who can be picked up for next to nothing and developed into world superstars. So, if you’re looking for the best young players in Football Manager 23, look no further than our list of wonderkids.

Best Football Manager 23 Wonderkids & Young Players

If you’ve never heard of current and potential ability ratings, they’re on a scale of 1-200, with 200 being the best. The following is a general understanding of the 200-point scale:

  • 130: Midtable Premier League Player
  • 140: Good Premier League Player
  • 150: Top Premier League Player
  • 170: World Class Player

So, anyone with a PA above 150 is going to be of interest, and once you get to 170 and above, you’re going to want to pay attention and get your chequebook out.

Each player has a changing current ability rating, which reflects their current skill level, and a fixed potential ability, which represents their maximum current ability. However, each player’s potential ability is not guaranteed; rather, it is determined by a number of factors such as training, game time, injuries, and the Determination stat. So, just because a player has a high PA doesn’t mean they’ll meet it.

Attacking Midfielders

Name Club Age Position CA PA
Gavi Barcelona 17 CM/AM 148 181
Jamal Musiala Bayern Munich 19 AM/LW/CM 155 180
Alfie Devine Tottenham Hotspur 17 CM/AM 106 179
Pedri Barcelona 19 CM/AM 159 176
Arda Guler Fenerbahce 17 AM 105 173
Takuhiro Nakai Castilla 18 CM/AM 104 171
Harvey Elliot Liverpool 19 CM/RW/LW 140 170

Best Football Manager 23 Wonderkids 1Arda Guler and Takuhiro Nakai are likely to be your best options here, as convincing any of the other players to leave their clubs will be difficult. However, it does demonstrate that there are quite a few clubs from which to choose if you want to avoid the buying process entirely – though Barcelona is not some hidden gem of a save.

Defenders

Name Club Age Position CA PA
Wesley Fofana Chelsea 21 CB 151 180
Alphonso Davies Bayern Munich 21 LB/LWB 162 176
Destiny Udogie Udinese 19 LB/LWB/LM 142 175
William Saliba Arsenal 21 CB 145 175
Jurrien Timber Ajax 21 CB/RB/DM 149 175
Antonio Silva Benfica 18 CB 132 174
Josko Gvardiol RB Leipzig 20 CB/LB 139 171

There are some truly outstanding choices here, with all seven players having the potential to be world-class. Destiny Udogie and Jurrien Timber are particularly appealing because of their versatility and potentially lower price tag, but you should still expect to pay a reasonable sum if you want to pick them up.

DM & CM

Name Club Age Position CA PA
Eduardo Camavinga Real Madrid 19 DM/CM 147 180
Jude Bellingham Borussia Dortmund 18 CM 149 179
Romeo Lavia Southampton 18 DM/CM 124 176
Oliver Skipp Tottenham Hotspur 21 DM/CM 141 173
Archie Gray Leeds 16 CM 97 173
Unai Vencedor Athletic Club 21 DM/CM 145 172
Charlie Patino Blackpool (Arsenal) 18 DM/CM 117 169

With so many English players on this list, you might want to consider replacing Gareth Southgate in a few years to bring it home. Camavinga and Bellingham are both world-class players who will only get better, which is why they will cost a fortune to acquire – but you will be guaranteed quality. Regardless, there are a plethora of fantastic options for a defensive or possession-minded midfielder, and if you’re lucky, you might even be able to pry a couple away from their clubs.

Goalkeepers

Name Club Age Position CA PA
Andre Gomes Benfica 17 GK 95 168
Dennis Seiman Stuttgart 16 GK 100 163
Lucas Canizares Castilla 20 GK 105 161
Arnau Tenas Barcelona Atletic 21 GK 120 160

Goalkeeper is undoubtedly the most underserved position for wonderkids, as there aren’t many existing players in the game capable of reaching the highest levels. According to the classification, there is no goalkeeper under the age of 21 in the game right now who will reach world-class status, so you’ll have to rely on regens.

Strikers

Name Club Age Position CA PA
Erling Haaland Manchester City 21 ST 185 195
Jeremy Doku Rennes 20 LW/ST 129 180
Mohamed-Ali Cho Real Sociedad 18 LW/RW/ST 120 177
Youssoufa Moukoko Borussia Dortmund 17 ST 121 176
Endrick Palmeiras 15 ST/RW 102 176
Rodrigo Ribeiro Sporting 17 RW/ST 84 174
Emre Tezgel Stoke 16 ST 85 174

Outside of the obvious Erling Haaland, who has by far the highest PA on this list, you have several options.Best Football Manager 23 Wonderkids 2Endrick is finally in Football Manager after years of viral clips of his talents, and is a must-buy for any club that can afford him. If you can’t wait for Endrick to fully develop, there are many solid strikers with room to grow, and perennial superstar Youssoufa Moukoko is still as good a buy now as he has been in previous games. To be honest, it’s difficult to go wrong with any of these players.

Wingers

Name Club Age Position CA PA
Vinicius Junior Real Madrid 21 LW 174 184
Rayan Cherki Lyon 18 LW/RW/AM 118 179
Bukayo Saka Arsenal 20 LW/RW 160 177
Rodrygo Real Madrid 21 RW/LW/ST 152 175
Yeremie Pino Villarreal 19 LW/RW/AM/ST 142 175
Julien Duranville RSCA Futures 16 LW/RW 101 174
Gabriel Martinelli Arsenal 21 LW/RW/ST 148 174
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Napoli 21 LW 153 174

Aside from the obvious names, players like Cherki and Duranville, who will command a higher price but will be much more accessible than the other names on this list, could have very bright futures. Wingers, on the other hand, are some of the most visible names on your team sheet, so they may be worth the price.

Best Cheap Football Manager 23 Wonderkids

It’s all well and good knowing which players have the greatest potential in the game, but if you can’t actually buy the players, it’s a pointless exercise. However, if you want to know who the best cheap FM23 wonderkids are at the start of the game, we’ve got you covered.

Name Club Age Position CA PA Value
Elia Caprile Bari 20 GK 121 157 £2,500,000
Joao Fonseca Benfica 15 CB 80 168 £650,000
Silvano Vos Ajax 17 CB/DM/CM 97 169 £10,000,000
Sivert Mannsverk Molde 20 CM 125 165 £4,900,000
Arda Guler Fenerbahce 17 AM 105 173 £8,750,000
Julen Jon Guerrero Castilla 18 AM 101 168 £8,750,000
Luis Guilherme Palmeiras 16 AM/RW/ST 75 167 £4,300,000
Facundo Buonanotte Rosario Central 17 RM/RW 115 162 £4,500,000
Endrick Palmeiras 15 ST/RW 102 176 £16,500,000
Datro Fofana Molde 19 ST/RW 123 167 £6,250,000
Jhon Duran Chicago Fire 18 ST 108 166 £4,300,000

As you can see, there are some real bargains to be had here, with the majority of the players on the list above hovering either just above or just below the world-class expectation, and all for a few million pounds on average. While you may struggle to persuade some of these players to join your club if you aren’t the most well-known, you should be able to sign a few and develop them into superstars.

That brings us to the end of our best Football Manager 23 wonderkids list.