Everyone loves getting a bargain, and it is no different on Football Manager 2023. Getting the best value for money is important, especially for teams with a smaller budget. Not every team can afford to sign the best wonderkids, and with the new features, squad depth is more important than ever.
Forwards are often the most expensive players in the game, and for good reason. A team without quality goalscorers will always struggle no matter what league they are in, but most teams don’t have huge transfer budgets to sign the best forwards. These budget FM 23 forwards are all great value for money and cover all budgets under £10 million.
Updated March 21, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Football Manager 2023 serves as another entry in this long-running management simulation series that is one of the most in-depth and complex titles out there for fans of the sport who want to live out the fantasy of running their own team and leading it to glory. While taking over a rich and successful team is pretty fun in its own right, many fans love taking on a team in the lower leagues and taking them all the way to the very top. Suffice it to say, limited budgets can be a huge issue here, so here are some great budget strikers that players can sign to give their team a much-needed attacking edge.
10 Datro Fofana
- Age: 18
- Position: MR, AMR, AML, ST
- Club: Molde, Eliteserien
- Nationality: Ivorian
- Price: ~ £2.5 million
David Datro Fofana is a young striker who has been snapped up by Chelsea in order to secure the squad's future. Thankfully, he's still at Molde when a game of FM23 starts, making him ripe for the picking in any squad that needs a quality striker or wants to build for the future.
With 17 Flair, 16 Acceleration, and 16 Pace, Datro Fofana already has a strong base to build upon, with his potential being massive. Players should play him regularly to help him develop as much as he can as a reliable attacking player.
9 Ezequiel Ponce
- Age: 24
- Position: ST
- Club: Spartak Moscow, Premier Liga
- Nationality: Argentinian
- Price: ~ £2.9 million
Ezequiel Ponce is a pretty great player and any team on a tight budget should snap up as soon as possible. He's a seasoned striker who can definitely make a name for himself in a more reputable league if he gets the chance to shine.
His Finishing, Aggression, and Acceleration stats are a solid 15, leading to him being a pretty decent well-rounded striker. He can serve as a great backup if need be, although relying on him as the main striker isn't the worst idea either.
8 Enner Valencia
- Age: 31
- Position: AMR, AML, ST
- Club: Fenerbahce, Super Lig
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Price: ~ £2 million
Enner Valencia may be getting pretty old, but that shouldn't take away from the work he puts in to being a valuable member of the squad. Despite having average striking traits, Enner Valencia's work rate more than makes up for his deficiencies.
With 16 Aggression, 16 Determination, 15 Work Rate, and 15 Agility, he's a strong-minded attacker aspiring managers can rely on as a backup option. Snapping him up right now means that players can get a few years of great performances out of him before age finally catches up.
7 Luis Suarez
- Age: 35
- Position: ST
- Club: Nacional, Uruguayan Primera Division
- Nationality: Uruguayan
- Price: ~ £550,000
Despite being 35 years old, Uruguayan legend Luis Suarez is the best striker on a low budget. With more than 460 goals, his career speaks for itself. Goals have come easy wherever he has played, from his incredible time with Liverpool to being the center of the best attack the world has ever seen at Barcelona with Messi and Neymar.
Suarez has won 22 major trophies and 47 individual awards, and at age 35, he still has that quality. Despite moving back to Uruguay to play for his boyhood club Nacional, he can be brought to any other team for just £550,000. 20 determination, 19 composure, and 18 finishing are just some of his incredible stats that will bring goals to any team.
6 Gabriel Strefezza
- Age: 25
- Position: AMR, AML
- Club: Leece, Serie A
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Price: ~ £5 million
Gabriel Strefezza is a Brazilian winger that is on the rise. He was a key part of Leece’s promotion season from the Serie B last season with 14 goals from the left wing. The 25-year-old has shown no sign of slowing down in Italy’s top division, with 5 goals in 8 appearances for Leece.
Strefezza is a great bargain and can play on either flank if required. At 5'6" and with 15 pace, 15 acceleration, and 15 technique, he is a small tricky winger that excels at beating a full back and scoring. In Football Manager 2023, he is willing to relocate and can be purchased for around £5 million.
5 Sebastian Driussi
- Age: 26
- Position: AML, AMC, ST
- Club: Austin FC, MLS
- Nationality: Argentine
- Price: ~ £6 million
Top scorer in the MLS in 2022 with 25 goals, Sebastian Druissi is an absolute bargain in Football Manager 2023. He is a versatile forward that has a real eye for goals and is hitting the peak of his career. The Argentine was a huge threat in the MLS last season as he carried Austin FC to second place in the western conference.
Druissi is being linked to big moves away from Austin FC, and he will be a great value signing for whoever gets him. For around £6 million, with 15 technique, 14 finishing, and 14 dribbling, Sebastian Druissi will get goals wherever he goes and is a no-brainer for most teams.
4 Joaquin Correa
- Age: 28
- Position: AMR, AML, AMC, ST
- Club: Inter Milan, Serie A
- Nationality: Argentine
- Price: ~ £7 million
Argentina international and Copa America winner Joaquin Correa is finding life hard at Inter Milan and is being pushed out the door in Football Manager 2023. This means he is an absolute bargain for around £7 million. He is a versatile forward that has had great success at Sevilla, Lazio, and Sampdoria.
Correa is an extraordinary dribbler with incredible pace that is looking for his next club. 17 pace, 17 dribbling, 17 technique, and 17 flair are just a few of his impressive stats that won’t be found anywhere else at this price.
3 Maximiliano Gomez
- Age: 25
- Position: ST
- Club: Trabzonspor, Super Lig
- Nationality: Urugyuan
- Price: ~ £8.5 million
Uruguayan powerhouse Maximiliano Gomez is a fantastic option for teams looking for a target man with strength to spare. After finding success with Celta de Vigo and Valencia by scoring 52 goals in La Liga, he recently moved to Turkey as one of Trabzonspor's big summer signings.
However, he can be lured away for around £8.5 million. The Uruguayan international is a monstrous striker with 18 heading, 17 strength, 16 bravery, and so much more. At just 25 years old, he can lead the line for many years to come.
2 Beto
- Age: 24
- Position: ST
- Club: Udinese, Serie A
- Nationality: Portuguese
- Price: ~ £9.5 million
Norberto Bercique Gomes Betuncal, better known as Beto, is a towering Portuguese striker playing for Udinese in the Italian first division. The 6'4" striker is hitting his stride in Italy after scoring goals aplenty in various clubs in Portugal. His performances are drawing attention from all over the world; he is a star in the making and will only get better.
Beto can be bought for around £9.5 million and will not disappoint. He has all the physical attributes a top striker needs: strength, speed, and an eye for finishing. 16 pace, 16 acceleration, 15 heading, and 15 finishing are just a few of his impressive attacking stats. Best to sign him now before he finds his stardom.
1 Brenner
- Age: 22
- Position: ST
- Club: FC Cincinnati, MLS
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Price: ~ £10 million
Brazilian prodigy Brenner emerged from São Paulo’s academy as one of the most exciting strikers coming out of Brazil in 2017 at just 17 years old. Now at 22, he is smashing in goals for fun at FC Cincinnati in the MLS. He scored 18 goals in 28 games during the 2022 campaign.
For just £10 million, teams can get a young 6' striker with 15 finishing, 15 agility, 15 acceleration and so much more. Brenner has so much potential and will continue to grow with the right training and can become one of the best in the game for many years to come.
Football Manager 2023 is available for Mobile, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5.