FM Scouting Report

So, we're six days into the transfer window and already there are reports that we're going to sign one or two players. I thought I'd have a look to see who those players are, and investigate whether they're any good according to the Football Manager game.

It's a little-known fact that Sports Interactive, the publisher that makes the Football Manager series of games, has more worldwide scouts (1,300) than the entire PFSA (750), and they cover around 2,200 clubs in 51 countries. In short, Sports Interactive has the largest scouting network in the world by some considerable distance.

Now, they don't always get it right (Freddy Adu, Maxim Tsigalko etc.) but they are incredibly thorough and, usually, they're able to identify quite a few megastars in each season's youth intake before the likes of we have ever heard of them.

As such, here's a bit of insight into a few players that we've either signed or been linked with, starting with our Australian wonderkid Garang Kuol:

Now, don't be too disheartened by the stats... the youngsters in this game don't tend to show their true numbers until they've developed a bit. These scores out of 20 represent his attributes at only 17 years old. As you can see, his pace, acceleration and agility are thought to be in the highest order - and his 10+ scores in crossing, first touch, flair, determination and anticipation suggest that he is quite a mature player for his age, not to mention exciting to watch and equally proficient either as an out-and-out striker or as a traditional right-footed right winger. The highlighted attributes are what the game deems important for the latter... his composure, finishing, and heading scores seem to suggest he could be developed further in either position, to good effect.

What the game doesn't tell you, is how much it thinks the player will develop in each individual attribute. However, a quick look at the squad comparison will show what Newcastle's current crop of scouts (all of whom are investigated in a similar way so that their scouting ability is as realistic is possible) think of his position in the squad hierarchy.

At present, he is apparently the ninth-best right winger on our books... but that's not the whole story. His potential shows three gold stars and one black, meaning the scouts reckon he'll definitely be at least a three-star player compared to the rest of our squad but maybe even a four-star, putting him ahead of Saint-Maximin. He has a similar rating as a striker, with potential to be ahead of Chris Wood and Joelinton in that position, potentially Wilson too, with only a fully-developed Alexander Isak ahead of him in the pecking order. What's quite interesting is that Dylan Stephenson and Elliot Anderson both have excellent potential according to the game too, at right wing, and the former plus Santiago Muñoz are regarded just as highly as strikers.

Finally, here's what the scouts have to say about his strengths and weaknesses:

In short, the green outweighs the red, which is good... he looks like a great prospect. Anyway... we've already got him! What about the players we're apparently looking at? The one with the most media reporting is Spanish right back Iván Fresneda. Another 17-year-old, he's thought to be one for the future but has certain attributes that bode well for inclusion sooner rather than later, at least in cup games, for example.

In particular, having 10+ on first touch, marking, and tackling put him in good stead to become a very competent defender - his main strengths, though, are in teamwork, work rate, and stamina, as well as his decision-making ability. Again, these are all very high compared to others in the game for a player of his age and, at first glance, his attributes remind me of one Steve Watson who, as we all know, was mature enough at a very young age to break his way into the first team when he was even younger than this guy.

Fresneda only plays at right-back and, while his pace and his crossing attributes aren't terrible, his dribbling ability suggests he's probably not going to contribute too much, creatively. I would expect him to be more of an out-and-out defender than a wing-back style player.

The squad comparison suggests he's another one for the future but with a potential rating of 3.5 stars will likely be able to go into competition for a first-team place before long. As players get towards the end of their career, their potential remains as high as they've ever reached but their ability wanes. The fact that a world-class player like Kieran Trippier is at four stars should provide some perspective as to just how much potential the likes of Kuol, Muñoz, Isak and Anderson are thought to have.

The scouts have this to say about his strengths and weaknesses:

The third potential signing (though it seems, now, that he's going to Roma) is Houssem Aouar who, at 24, is already a first-team player at Olympique Lyonnais and has been there since the age of 16. He's been capped 17 times for France U21 and once for the national team, and for Lyon has scored 29 goals in 162 appearances since his debut in the 2016/17 season.

Aouar's attributes are more indicative of a senior player with several stats "in the red" (which, on my game, I've set to 16+). His first touch, dribbling, passing, technique, flair and vision in particular, suggest he's a dynamic and creative playmaking midfielder, cut from a similar cloth to our own Bruno Guimarães (and, of course, is used to playing alongside him). Like Bruno, he can play at the back or the front of midfield, though his marking and tackling attributes suggest he's more of an advanced player than a ball winner.

His star rating puts him in the middle of the holding midfield hierarchy but what's interesting about this guy is his rating as an attacking midfielder. According to the list below, he'd be first-choice at the AM(C) position, particularly given that the other two we have who are competent in that role are preferred elsewhere on the pitch.

The scouts seem to like him but, like Fresneda, are uncertain about his ability to fit into the squad.

That's all the ones I've heard about so far - I'll try and do similar reports on other transfer rumours as they come in and, as I've mentioned many times before, the one I'm really hoping for is this guy...