Taking over a recently relegated club on Football Manager is a popular challenge. Returning a large, heavily backed side to their former glories is a dream for any Football Manager player. Aston Villa – as you can see in our Villans to Heroes feature – are a decent option this year, as they have a decent transfer budget in the first campaign to back up their reputation – which enables you to attract a greater quality of player from the off.
The Villans’ squad was overhauled somewhat this summer, with the addition of several expensive, Championship standard players. Jonathan Kodija had the biggest wave of gossip around him when he moved, signing for the club for a rather vulgar transfer fee. Elsewhere in the Villa squad, there is quality aplenty, but utilising it all is far more challenging than one may expect.
In a league where the Villains arguably aren’t in the top three strongest squads, reinforcements are a must from the start of a Football Manager save. Newcastle are going to run away with the Championship, so it’s your task to hold as tightly onto their coattails as possible.
Here are FIVE additions to make that task a little easier…
Phil Bardsley
Full-back is a relative area of weakness for Aston Villa, so the chance to purchase Phil Bardsley for as low as £875k is hard to resist.
Despite his age, Bardsley is a sound signing. He can play on both flanks of the defence and, with promotion a must, is a very good addition in the Championship.
Virgil Misidjan
Few players opt to leave the promises of Eredivisie football for the Bulgarian top flight, but Misidjan did just that.
Limited technically, sure, Misidjan is a handy squad option and a player that can still play a role even once you have won promotion. Those acceleration and agility numbers light up his profile, don’t they?
Andre Onana
You will find two relatively decent Championship goalkeepers at the club when you begin your save, which seems like a pretty good set up.
It is, of course, for your first campaign, but you will hope to have a better stop once you have earned that massive promotion. Onana is a gamble, but a cheap one.
Nacer Barazite
For those Football Manager players who like a bit of a tactical tinkering, Barazite is a very handy squad member.
In fact, even if you’re more Sean Dyche than Pep Guardiola, Barazite’s versatility makes him a good man to have around, as he’s capable of playing in an array of roles. Utrecht might just let him go for a pittance, too.
Cole Skuse
Don’t let Cole Skuse’s unspectacular technical numbers fool you, his balanced mental ratings make him a very useful player to have, particularly during the hectic stress of a promotion push.
As far as cheap, low-wage cover in midfield goes, Skuse is a good option during your first campaign at the helm.
