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Strategy

Budget Management: Building Balanced Squads

June 25, 2026 5 min read

With stars like Erling Haaland priced at £15.0M and Mohamed Salah at £12.5M, fitting premium assets into your £100.0M budget requires strategic compromise elsewhere. Here is how to find value in cheap enabler assets.

1. The £4.5M Defender Rotation

Rather than buying five premium £6.0M defenders, buy two premiums (like Gabriel or Gvardiol) and three starting £4.5M defenders from mid-table clubs with defensive managers (e.g. Everton, Crystal Palace). Rotate your cheap defenders based on who has the easier fixture.

2. Midfield Enablers under £5.5M

Midfield is the highest-scoring position because they earn 5 points per goal and 1 point for clean sheets. Look for cheap starting midfielders who play in advanced roles, take set-pieces, or are on penalty duty for lower-ranked teams.

3. The Cheap 3rd Forward

If you run a 3-5-2 formation, recruit a cheap £4.5M non-starting bench forward. This frees up £3.0M to upgrade a midfielder into a premium asset. Keep your cheap assets on the bench and only play your active point scorers.