14 OP Hidden Gems for Football Manager 2024

Discover 15 over-powered hidden gems in Football Manager 2024 you can snap up on a shoestring and turn into world-beaters.

Bargain wonderkids you can still afford – grab these FM24 stars before your rivals do

A quick story to set the scene

Picture this: I’d just taken over Lincoln City on a shoestring budget. First board meeting – £1 million to overhaul the squad and a remit to “play attacking football”. Cheers, lads. Scouting meeting that afternoon, I told my chief scout: “We’re not chasing Endrick or Güler – we need lads the algorithms haven’t caught yet.” Three seasons later, we’d punched our ticket to the Championship on the back of names most Premier League chairmen couldn’t pronounce. That save taught me something priceless: FM24 is still riddled with cheap, over-powered nuggets if you know where to dig.

Below are the 14 players who kept popping up in my scouting reports, community threads and save files – the boys who played like £40 million signings but cost less than a month of Harry Kane’s wages. I’ll talk to you directly, because that’s how mates share shortcuts. I’ll flag how to use each player, sprinkle a tip or two, and warn you where things can go wrong.

Ready? Grab your notepad. Let’s break the game.

1. Matheus Saldanha – ST, Partizan (£375k–£1 m)

Saldanha is the classic Brazilian late bloomer who flew under the big clubs’ radar by moving to Serbia. In FM24 he arrives with 14 dribbling, 13 strength and enough anticipation to ghost into the box before defenders have blinked. Play him as an Advanced Forward or Complete Forward – he’ll hold the ball, spin his marker and finish with either foot.

Tip: In the first window you can often haggle Partizan down below £700k if you add a chunky sell-on clause. Do it – he’ll flip for eight figures by year three.

2. Alejandro Zendejas – RW/CM, Club América (as little as £50k)

Zendejas is versatility incarnate – a right-footer who can sit as a Mezzala, float as a wide Playmaker or cut in as an Inside Forward. You get 15 vision, 15 passing and lovely off-the-ball movement. At 25 he’s plug-and-play and cheap partly because Liga MX rep is low in-game.

Warning: He starts on a big domestic wage. Offset that with appearance bonuses and promise him continental football – he usually says yes.

3. Ulrik Saltnes – CM, Bodø/Glimt (about £1.8 m)

Need leadership without breaking the bank? Saltnes brings a Perfectionist personality, 16 teamwork and 16 off-the-ball. He’s the glue in a pressing 4-3-3, and he’ll still run 13 km at 33.

Tip: Retrain him as an Inverted Wing-Back on the left – the AI never sees it coming and he keeps recycling possession.

4. Juan Escobar – CB/RB, Cruz Azul (£100k release-style deal)

Escobar is a right-sided centre-back with 16 positioning and 14 concentration. Stick him in a back three as the covering Wide Centre-Back and watch your counter-press become waterproof.

Beware: He’s 27 so resale profit is limited. Buy him if you need instant solidity, not long-term ROI.

5. Ali Jassim – ST/RW, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (≈£200k)

Iraq’s wing tornado rolls with -8 potential and electric pace. Communities rave because he lands for pocket change then tears full-backs apart. He’ll start with raw technicals, but mentoring plus Double Intensity training sends him sky-high.

Tip: Insert a low wage-rise clause – he accepts peanuts if you add “important player” status.

READ ALSO: 30 Rebuild Clubs on FM24: From Bust to Champions

6. Suphanat Mueanta – ST/AMR, OH Leuven (£500k–£1 m)

Thailand’s poster boy is a merch monster and a pressing machine. 12 acceleration plus 14 finishing make him lethal on the shoulder of a high line. Perfect for gegenpress saves where you need legs up top.

7. Martin Vitík – CB, Sparta Prague (under £10 m)

Vitík is 6-foot-3, quick, brave and hits 14 heading. You rarely get that combo under eight figures. Drop him as a Ball-Playing Defender with a stopper beside him and he’ll ping diagonals like early-era Vertonghen.

8. Óscar Zambrano – DM/CM, LDU Quito (≈£2 m)

Ecuador’s metronome oozes composure and positions himself like a 10-year veteran. Sign him at 19, loan him to a second-tier Spanish side for a season, then unleash him as a Regista. Value skyrockets.

9. Óscar Perea – LW, Atlético Nacional (≈£1.2 m)

Perea starts with 15 flair and 14 dribbling – already dangerous – then develops frightening acceleration. He’s brilliant as a Wide Target Forward if you fancy a 4-4-2 with inverted wingers.

10. Giannis Konstantelias – AML/C, PAOK (£6 m buy-out)

The Greek creator sits on -8 potential and a sumptuous attribute spread: first touch, vision, decisions all 14+. He can carry a mid-table Premier League side by 2027.

Tip: His release clause is sneaky – trigger it early before European giants wake up.

READ ALSO: 9 Cheap FM24 Signings to Flip for Profit

11. Yerson Chacón – RW/LW, Deportivo Táchira (~£1 m)

A Venezuelan crowd-pleaser with 13 technique and 12 determination, Chacón is Premier-ready by 22 if you give him set-pieces. He trains hard and demands little.

12. Andrés Romero – CM/AMC, Monagas SC (≈£1 m)

Romero is the South American Dani Olmo: can drop deep to dictate or burst beyond the striker. He loves a through ball and has hidden consistency that stops him ghosting in big games.

13. Miguel Monsalve – AMC, Independiente Medellín (£2–2.5 m)

Give Monsalve a roaming playmaker role and he’ll weave between the lines with 13 agility and 13 passing. He’s slightly pricier, but the ceiling is Champions League-level.

Warning: Needs individual training on composure or he’ll blaze sitters.

14. Rubén Iranzo – CB/DM, Valencia B (<£500k)

A technical defender who reads the game like a seasoned regista. At 1.82 m he isn’t the tallest, so I tuck him into a back three or retrain him as a Half-Back. For half a million, it’s daylight robbery.

How to turn these bargains into world-beaters – a quick step-by-step

1. Scout smart – Set your assignments to reputation and CA filters. FM’s default packages miss Latin American bargains.
   
2. Move fast – Many of these lads sign new deals by January. Trigger clauses or unsettle them with trial offers.
   
3. Tailor training – Double Intensity is your friend, but always bolt individual focus onto the weakest green attribute.
   
4. Mentor early – Pair raw gems with a Model Citizen or Perfectionist to accelerate hidden attribute growth.
   
5. Flip or build – Decide on day one whether you’ll cash in or lock them down with incremental wage hikes. The board loves either plan when it works.
   

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Final whistle

You’ve now got 14 names that can break your next save wide open, plus a roadmap for squeezing every last drop of value out of them. Give them game time, the right role and a sensible release clause – then watch your trophy cabinet (or club bank balance) swell.

I’d love to hear how you get on: Which of these lads carried your side? Which one flopped? Drop your war stories in the comments and let’s swap scouting tales.

Good luck. Now go crash the transfer market.