FIFA 20 Career Mode: Best young central midfielders (CM) to sign – de Jong, Arthur, Ceballos & more

Playing as a central midfielder seems to be getting increasingly difficult. Traditionally, a centre mid is expected to be an all-rounder who can pass, tackle, dribble and shoot.

This is still the case, but modern football demands more from a midfield player than ever; centre mids require very high work rates and, crucially, the ability to read a game and adapt.

Good central midfielders are increasingly difficult to find. Luckily for you, here at RealSport we have made a list of the best young centre mids available on FIFA 20.

How to choose the best young central midfielders (CMs) on FIFA 20 Career Mode

Here we are looking at the best young central midfielders (CM) aged between 20 and 23 years old.

They will all start the 2019/20 season with a rating of at least 78, with the potential to improve to a rating of 82 or more.

Bear in mind, occasionally players can outgrow their potentials, providing they perform exceptionally well for a long period.

These high potential future stars don’t cost as much as the top central midfielders, but they will still set you back a fair bit of cash.

For a full list of all the best young central midfielders (CMs) on Career Mode, look at the table at the end of this page.

Frenkie de Jong (OVR 85 – POT 91)

Age: 22

Position(s): CM, CDM

Club: Barcelona

Country: Netherlands

Value: £46.8 million (Release Clause: £105.3 million)

Wage: £176,000 a week

De Jong scored 4 goals and made 4 assists in the 2018/19 season which Ajax performed incredibly in. The Dutch midfielder and his team won the Eredivisie, a Dutch domestic trophy and, of course, made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

His passing stats of 90 rated short passing and 86 long passing, coupled with his 86 vision, means he is a pass-master. Having signed for Barcelona this summer, you can either sign de Jong immediately for his whopping £105.3 million release clause, or wait until January 2020 and pay a slightly cheaper fee of £80 million. His wage bill of £176,000 is also substantial, but with a potential of 91, what did you expect?

Arthur (OVR 84 – POT 89)

Age: 22

Position(s): CM

Club: Barcelona

Country: Brazil

Value: £36.9 million (Release Clause: £78.4 million)

Wage: £162,000 a week

Having moved to Barcelona last season, Arthur made 44 appearances for the Spanish club, helping them win La Liga. However, he only achieved two assists the entire season, perhaps your club could yield a higher output from the Brazilian?

His 88 rated ball control and 86 dribbling suggests that he is a natural with the ball at his feet and will have no trouble creating space for himself. The Barcelona man will cost you a hefty £65 million to sign and you’ll have to fulfill his extensive £162,000 a week wage demands.

Fabian Ruiz (OVR 83 – POT 90)

Age: 23

Position(s): RCM, CDM, CAM

Club: Napoli

Country: Spain

Value: £32.4 million (Release Clause: £61.6 million)

Wage: £68,000 a week

Fabian had a strong 2018/19 season, with a decent output of seven goals and three assists for Napoli and his contribution to Spain’s under 21 European Championship victory.

The Spaniard will perform well as a link between your defence and attack with 85 rated ball control and 81 rated short and long passing. A £52 million transfer fee and £75,000 a week in wages will land you the midfielder.

Giovani Lo Celso (OVR 83 – POT 89)

Age: 23

Position(s): CM, CAM, CF

Club: Tottenham Hotspur (on loan from Real Betis)

Country: Argentina

Value: £31.5 million

Wage: £95,000 a week

Lo Celso played a huge part in PSG’s treble winning season of 2017/18, with six goals and seven assists in 48 appearances. But, the following season only played a measly one game for the French champions. Real Betis activated a buy back clause on the Argentinian this summer and sent him on loan to Spurs with an obligation to buy next season.

This means you will have to wait until summer 2020 to sign Lo Celso who will likely cost around £65 million, if he has improved, and will demand wages of £120,000 a week. For this price, you’ll be securing the Argentinian’s 85 ball control and 83 rated short and long passing.

Ruben Neves (OVR 82 – POT 87)

Age: 22

Position(s): CM, CAM

Club: Wolves

Country: Portugal

Value: £26.1 million (Release Clause: £51.5 million)

Wage: £80,000 a week

Neves’ five goals and three assists for Wolves last season do not tell the whole story, as the Portuguese midfileder played a vital role in Leicester achieving 7^thplace in the Premier League.

Neves possesses an incredible 86 rated long passing, 85 short passing and 85 vision. He could easily rack up plenty of assists at your club. The midfielder will cost you £40 million and his £80,000 a week wage bill.

Tanguy Ndombele (OVR 81 – POT 89)

Age: 22

Position(s): CM, CDM

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Country: France

Value: £23.4 million (Release Clause: £48 million)

Wage: £79,000 a week

Ndombele had a strong 2018/19 season with Lyon, scoring 3 goals and bagging 8 assists, earning himself a £54 million move to Tottenham this summer.

However, with a release clause of £48 million, you could steal him off the North London club, providing you cover his £79,000 a week wages. For that price, you will sign a capable midfielder with 88 rated dribbling, 86 ball control and 84 short passing.

Houssem Aouar (OVR 81 – POT 89)

Age: 21

Position(s): CM

Club: Lyon

Country: France

Value: £23.4 million (Release Clause: £49.1 million)

Wage: £53,000 a week

Aouar is a product of the Lyon youth system, making his first team debut at just 18 years of age. Since then he has accrued 16 goals and 19 assists across 102 appearances for the French club.

The Frenchman has a solid skill set with dribbling, short passing, ball control and vision all rated 84. Aouar will set you back £40 million and you’ll have to increase his wages to £80,000 a week.

Dani Ceballos (OVR 81 – POT 87)

Age: 22

Position(s): CM, LM, CDM

Club: Arsenal (on loan from Real Madrid)

Country: Spain

Value: £21.6 million

Wage: £74,000 a week

After featuring 23 times for Real Madrid in La Liga last season it seemed like Ceballos was on the verge of becoming a first team regular. However, Real Madrid’s competitive nature meant he was loaned out to Arsenal for the 2019/20 season, where he has already won the fans’ favour.

You’ll have to wait until summer 2020 until you can sign the Spaniard at which point he’ll cost around £45 million and £80,000 in wages. But, you’ll be signing a man with 85 rated dribbling, 85 ball control and 83 vision; stats suggestive of a bright future.

Nicolo Barella (OVR 80 – POT 88)

Age: 22

Position(s): CM, CAM

Club: Inter (on loan from Cagliari)

Country: Italy

Value: £19.4 million

Wage: £54,000 a week

Barella has signed for Inter on a season long loan. He has started well in Serie A with one goal and two assists in six appearances.

The Italian midfielder currently has 82 rated ball control, 82 short passing and 78 long passing; all of which may increase over his season with Inter. Once you can sign Barella in summer 2020, he will likely cost around the £40 million mark and you’ll have to increase his wages.

Youri Tielemans (OVR 80 – POT 87)

Age: 22

Position(s): CM, CDM

Club: Leicester

Country: Belgium

Value: £18.5 million (Release Clause: £38.7 million)

Wage: £69,000 a week

Tielemans joined Leicester on loan in January 2019 and achieved three goals and five assists in just 13 Premier League appearances. Therefore, Leicester decided to sign the Belgium midfielder on a permanent deal worth £40.5 million.

His stats of 85 rated curve and 82 crossing suggest he is capable of whipping a great ball in, whilst his 84 short passing proves he can efficiently move the ball around the park. You can undercut Leicester’s price by activating Tielemans’ £38.7 million release clause and paying his £69,000 a week wage.

All the Best Young Central Midfielders (CM) on FIFA 20

Player	Age	Pos	Club	Country	OVR	POT	Value	Wage
F. de Jong	22	CM CDM	Barcelona	Netherlands	85	91	£46.8m	£176k
Arthur	22	CM	Barcelona	Brazil	84	89	£36.9m	£162k
Fabián	23	CM CDM CAM	Napoli	Spain	83	90	£32.4m	£68k
G. Lo Celso	23	CM CAM CF	Spurs*	Argentina	83	89	£31.5m	£95k
Rúben Neves	22	CAM CM	Wolves	Portugal	82	87	£26.1m	£80k
T. Ndombele	22	CM CDM	Spurs	France	81	89	£23.4m	£79k
H. Aouar	21	CM	Lyon	France	81	89	£23.4m	£53k
Dani Ceballos	22	CM LM CDM	Arsenal*	Spain	81	87	£21.6m	£74k
N. Barella	22	CM CAM	Inter*	Italy	80	88	£19.4m	£54k
Y. Tielemans	22	CM CDM	Leicester	Belgium	80	87	£18.5m	£69k
H. Winks	23	CM CDM	Spurs	England	80	86	£18m	£73k
M. Eggestein	22	CM CAM CDM	Werder Bremen	Germany	80	85	£17.6m	£28k
R. Bentancur	22	CM	Piemonte	Uruguay	79	89	£18m	£77k
L. Pellegrini	23	CM CAM CDM	Roma	Italy	79	87	£16.7m	£36k
Merino	23	CM CDM LM	Real Sociedad	Spain	79	87	£16.7m	£26k
F. Kessié	22	CM	AC Milan	Ivory Coast	79	86	£15.8m	£34k
R. Loftus-Cheek	23	CM LM	Chelsea	England	79	85	£15.3m	£80k
F. Grillitsch	23	CM CDM	Hoffenheim	Austria	79	83	£14.4m	£32k
F. Neuhaus	22	CM	Borussia Mönchengladbach	Germany	78	87	£14m	£24k
D. Zakaria	22	CM CDM	Borussia Mönchengladbach	Switzerland	78	86	£13.5m	£24k
E. Bardhi	23	CM LM CAM	Levante	FYR Macedonia	78	84	£12.6m	£21k
M. Dahoud	23	CM CDM	Borussia Dortmund	Germany	78	84	£12.6m	£52k
M. Meyer	23	CM LM	Crystal Palace	Germany	78	82	£12.2m	£43k