Dirt-cheap wonderkids for FM26 – the ones who haven’t moved… yet

It’s been so long since Football Manager 2024 dropped that an absolutely wild amount has happened. Oasis have announced a reunion and started it. Taylor Swift has made a billion on her reunion tour. Leicester City have only gone and got themselves promoted and relegated again in the same timeframe. And, of course, loads of wonderkids have made big-money moves too.

Which makes sense. Back when FM24 released, some of these players were barely known in the real world. Fast forward to now, and clubs have spotted the talent and snapped them up. But here’s the big question: which wonderkids are still at relatively small clubs and might still be cheap in FM26? Before I found unknown wonderkids… now I’ve done the digging and picked out a few from each position who should still be gettable (and I’ve made sure they’re not about to move or heavily rumoured to be leaving, so hopefully they’re still around by the time FM26 finally arrives).

However, if you want to find your own wonderkids, and don’t want to rely on my findings, I’ve also got you covered and can help you in finding your own naturally.

Goalkeeper

• Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduru – highest potential goalkeeper in the game – still plays for AZ – recently signed a contract extension until 2030
• Guillaume Restes – one of the highest potential goalkeepers in the game – still plays for Toulouse – hasn’t been linked with a big club in a while
• Dennis Seimen – one of the highest potential goalkeepers in the game – still plays for VFB Stuttgart – signed a long time goalkeeper deal so isn’t going anywhere – has just been signed on loan but should be available the season after

Centre back

• Goalkeepers was fairly easy. A lot more of the best centre backs have moved since Football Manager 2024 got released.
• Ethan Butera – one of the highest potential centre backs in the game – still plays for Ajax
• Samson Baidoo – one of the highest potential centre backs in the game – has moved from FC RB Salzburg to Lens in real life, but should still be affordable
• Amidou Doumbouya – one of the highest potential centre backs in the game – still plays for Nice

Left back

• Ayoub Amraoui – one of the highest potential left backs in the game – still plays for Nice
• Alex Valle – one of the highest potential left backs in the game – has moved from Levante to Como but should still be affordable
• Andrei Borza – one of the highest potential left backs in the game – still plays for FC Rapid Bucuresti

Right back

• Filippo Missori – one one the highest potential right backs in the game – still plays for Sassuolo
• Noa Mikic – one of the highest potential right backs in the game – still plays for Dinamo Zagreb
• Ivan Fresneda – one of the highest potential left backs in the game – still plays for Sporting and so will still be semi-affordable (although Portuguese based players are still expensive irl)

Defensive midfielders

• Giacomo Faticanti – one of the highest potential defensive midfielders in the game – still plays for Lecce (Salento in the game)
• Elio Rufener – one of the highest potential defensive midfielders in the game – still plays for Young Boys
• Lucas Gourna-Douath – one of the highest potential defensive midfielders in the game – still plays for Red Bull Salzburg

Central midfielders

• Assan Ouedraogo – one of the highest potential central midfielders in the game – has moved from Schalke to RB Leipzig but still should be relatively affordable
• Tygo Land – one of the highest potential central midfielders in the game – still plays for PSV
• Aaron Ciammaglichella – one of the highest potential central midfielders in the game – still plays for Torino

Left wing

• Sergei Pinyayev – one of the highest potential left wingers in the game – still plays for Lokomotiv Moscow
• Keny Arroyo – one of the highest potential left wingers in the game – has moved from Independiente del Valle to Beskitas but still should be affordable
• Heriberto Juradeo – one of the highest potential left wingers in the game – has moved from Necaxa to Cercle Brugge but still should be affordable

Right wing

• Lorran – one of the highest potential right wingers in the game – still plays for Flamengo
• Mathis Lambourde – one of the highest potential right wingers in the game – has moved from Rennes to Hellas Verona but should still be affordable
• Ilias Akhomach – one of the highest potential right wingers in the game – still plays for Villarreal

Attacking Midfielders

• Eliesse Ben Seghir – one of the highest potential attacking midfielders in the game – still plays for Monaco
• Simone Pafundi – one of the highest potential attacking midfielders in the game – still plays for Udinese
• Abdoul Ouattara – one of the highest potential attacking midfielders in the game – still plays for Strasbourg

Strikers

• Shaqueel van Persie – one of the highest potential strikers in the game – still plays for Feyenoord
• Enzo Sternal – one of the highest potential strikers in the game – has moved from Marseille to Anderlecht but should still be affordable
• Skye Vink – one of the highest potential strikers in the game – still plays for Ajax

Final Thoughts

Sure, a lot of the very highest potential wonderkids have already made the leap to bigger clubs—no surprise there. But there’s still a ton of hidden gems if you’re willing to look beyond the obvious names. And let’s be honest, the delay means we’re probably in for a stacked new batch of wonderkids in FM26.

Did I miss any obvious ones still stuck at smaller clubs? Which player do you think will be the breakout wonderkid in FM26? Drop your thoughts in the comments!