da lvbet： So Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham revolution hasn’t exactly gotten off the best of starts.
da brdice： But thankfully you can prove that you could do much better in the virtual world by ousting the Argentine at the earliest opportunity and stamping your own authority on the north London outfit by taking charge of Spurs on Football Manager 2015.
It’s no easy feat, though, with a number of overpaid prima donnas (Emmanuel Adebayor), expensive flops (Roberto Soldado) and out of control mercenaries (Benoit Assou-Ekotto) all still on the pay-roll at White Hart Lane. Whether these three can have the opposite impact on the game to real life is down to how you use and manage them – but don’t hold your breath.
But Daniel Levy is fairly generous at the beginning of the game, handing his new boss a maximum of £27million for reinforcements, but only if you promise him a title challenge to back up the funds. The minimum he’ll be willing to hand you is £20m in return for a Europa League spot, while the promise of a top four finish will get you a respectable £24.5m.
So whichever promise you decide to give Levy, you’ll still have enough to bring in some pretty decent signings to replace the dead wood at White Hart Lane.
So here are SIX players you should definitely consider signing for your Spurs revolution…
[ffc-gallery]Click on White Hart Lane to reveal
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Ryan Shawcross – £11m
The Stoke City skipper is always a fairly safe purchase on any version of Football Manager, but he can be got at around £11million at the start of the game.
That might sound expensive, but it’s cheaper than past versions and he offers more pace then Spurs’ current crop of centre-halves. The best central defender in the team is obviously Jan Vertonghen, but his inconsistency, injury proneness and lack of pace means he can have you pulling your hair out on a number of occasions.
But the good news is that he can fetch around £30million in the first transfer window, and Shawcross will be a worthwhile replacement for the Belgian.
Memphis Depay – £12m
If you’re looking for goals then Memphis Depay is one of the few inside forwards on the game that almost guarantee them for fun.
If you can find a way of fitting Depay and Erik Lamella in to your side then you’ll have one hell of an attacking force to help your top four assault. The Dutchman offers pace and technique, and he has all the attributes about him to become one of the best players in the world.
And at £12million squid? No brainer.
Wilfried Bony – £16-20m
Before you get excited, remember this is just a list of players who you should sign on Football Manager. Spurs fans were hoping they’d be able to boast Bony as a Tottenham player in real life a few months ago, and now he’s recently signed a one year contract extension at the Swans.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t make the dream come true from the comfort of your own bedroom. The Ivorian will cost you around £16-20million, which could eat away at most of your transfer budge, but he’s the ideal target man or complete forward and is a far better option up top than Soldado and Adebayor.
Andriy Yarmolenko – £4.5m+
Another inside forward, the Ukraine international is guaranteed to get you goals – but you’ll have to act quickly to secure his signature as the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal are prone to snapping him up.
If you play it right, you can sign him for as little as £4.5m despite his contract having a £25.5million release clause. That said, he’s worth forking out around £15m if you have to.
And to top it off, he’s not that greedy. He normally demands around £55,000-a-week, which shouldn’t put too much of a dent in your wage budget.
Benedikt Howedes – £13m
If you don’t think Kyle Walker is up to the task then there are a number of worthwhile and affordable alternatives to consider from the off. One of those is World Cup winning German right-back Benedikt Howedes.
You can normally sign the 26-year-old for around £13million, but for that price you’re also getting a player who can play at centre-half if reqired, which can come in handy during hectic fixture schedules and when you want to rotate your squad in the Europa League.
He’s better than Walker but also a utility defender, which makes his price tag a pretty decent bargain to be had.
Gino Peruzzi – £3m
Alternatively, if you decide to stick with Kyle Walker but want a decent understudy, Catania’s 22-year-old right-back Gino Peruzzi is the man you should be looking at.
The Argentine international is a little bit green around the edges, but he can become a Key Player for any team willing to give him the guidance and game time needed to ensure he fulfils his full potential.
And he’s cheap. If you’re a shrewd operator, you can get the youngster for as little as £3m. With that in mind, he should almost be regarded as a Definite Purchase.