Gaming

    FIFA 21: The Premier League players with the highest growth potential

    By Harry Edwards

    FIFA 21: The Premier League players with the highest growth potential

    Published: 18:26, 3 August 2021

    It won’t be too long before FIFA 22 is upon us, with EA Sports starting to drip feed fans with content update and deep dives. But that doesn’t mean FIFA 21 is done.

    There is still time for one last FIFA 21 Career Mode push, one final quest for glory before the game is inevitably pushed aside.

    While Ultimate Team allows you to build squads with the very best, Career Mode is more about thinking long-term, potentially nurturing players from a young age to be stars in your save.

    The Premier League is blessed with a number of highly-rated youngsters, but in FIFA 21 who has been tipped to grow the most of the 2020/21 teams? In other words, whose potential rating is that much higher than their initial overall?

    We’ve taken a look at the roster currently in the game (as of the most-recent update towards the end of the FIFA 21 cycle) and broken down the top 10 Premier League players with the highest growth potential in Career Mode, excluding those out on loan.

    10. Louie Barry (Aston Villa)

    Initial rating: 60
    Potential rating: 82
    Growth rate: +22

    Louie Barry made headlines when he left West Bromwich Albion for Barcelona in July 2019 (aged 16), becoming the first English player to join their fabled La Masia academy. However, six months later he was back in the Midlands, joining Aston Villa on a three-year contract. So far he has made one first team appearance for Aston Villa, in the FA Cup when he equalised against Liverpool in an eventual 4-1 defeat (as Villa rang the changes).

    9. Fabio Carvalho (Fulham)

    Initial rating: 60
    Potential rating: 82
    Growth rate: +22

    Over the years Fulham have been quietly creating a name for themselves as producers of gems, and one of the brightest of their current bunch is Fabio Carvalho. The 18-year-old has already made his first-team debut, coming off the bench in Fulham’s 2-0 win over Sheffield United in the League Cup, playing 12 minutes. He has also added eight minutes in the FA Cup and 12 in the Premier League at the start of May. But he shone brightest in the Premier League 2, with 11 goals in 13 games including a hat-trick against Crystal Palace at the start of December.

    8. Dennis Cirkin (Tottenham Hotspur)

    FIFA 21 Premier League highest potential growth: Dennis Cirkin

    Initial rating: 61
    Potential rating: 83
    Growth rate: +22

    Although Dennis Cirkin has not made his official first-team debut for Tottenham, the left-back featured quite heavily in their pre-season ahead of the 2020/21 campaign. He was also on the bench in the Premier League and FA Cup last season and the Europa League this campaign, though looks set to be a key member of the development squad. Translating his ability over to FIFA 21, the former England U17 international can rise to 83 in-game.

    7. Elliot Anderson (Newcastle)

    Initial rating: 61
    Potential rating: 83
    Growth rate: +22

    Eliott Anderson made his Premier League debut for Newcastle in their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in January, coming on for the final three minutes. It wasn’t the first time the 18-year-old had been on the bench for the Magpies, being an unused substitute four times in league and cup, while also making his first-team debut in the FA Cup against Arsenal.

    6. Joe White (Newcastle United)

    Initial rating: 59
    Potential rating: 82
    Growth rate: +23

    Another Newcastle midfielder tipped to grow (according to his FIFA 21 potential) is Joe White. The 18-year-old does not have too much recorded game time, having only recently move up to the U18s squad, but he did make his Premier League 2 debut in November, and could feature for the U23s more next season. One definitely for the future at St James’ Park.

    5. Hannibal Mejbri (Manchester United)

    Initial rating: 60
    Potential rating: 83
    Growth rate: +23

    Hannibal Mejbri has been a favourite for Football Manager fans in recent years and his potential growth carries over to FIFA 21. The 18-year-old central midfielder was a big part of Man Utd’s Premier League 2 side, scoring four goals and recording eight assists, though he ended the season on a low being sent off in the final game. But that shouldn’t dampen what has been an excellent season for Mejbri, who can grow to 83 in FIFA 21.

    4. Amadou Diallo (West Ham)

    Initial rating: 57
    Potential rating: 81
    Growth rate: +24

    One particularly exciting young player coming through the ranks at West Ham right now is left-winger Amadou Diallo, who joined the club as a 10-year-old. Four years later he made his U18 debut at the age of 14 years and six months, with only four players appearing in the competition at a younger age. In 2020 he signed his first professional contract and there are hopes of a place in the West Ham first-team for years to come.

    3. Shola Shoretire (Man Utd)

    Initial rating: 60
    Potential rating: 84
    Growth rate: +24

    Shola Shoretire made his Man Utd first-team debut in February 2021, coming on for two minutes against Newcastle before following it up with another 14 in the Europa League and eight on the final day of the Premier League season. As a result, the winger was added to FIFA 21 and given a pretty decent potential growth of 24 from his initial 60 rating.

    2. Nile John (Tottenham)

    Initial rating: 60
    Potential rating: 84
    Growth rate: +24

    Another player to make his first-team debut this season is Nile John at Tottenham Hotspur. The 18-year-old came off the bench in Tottenham’s Europa League last-32 round tie against Wolfsberger, playing the final nine minutes, replacing Moussa Sissoko. In FIFA 21 terms, John is 60 rated with the potential to grow to 84.

    1. Rico Richards (West Brom)

    Initial rating: 54
    Potential rating: 80
    Growth rate: +26

    Despite his young age, Rico Richards is already a frequent member of West Brom’s Premier League 2 squad, making his debut almost two years ago as a 16-year-old. Last season, the midfielder has played six times in Premier League 2 so far, and was on the bench recently in the FA Cup. His performances at youth level have already seen Richards linked with a move away to the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool.

    READ MORE: Latest video game deals on Amazon

    Football Manager 2021 (PC/DVD)– £23.85
    FIFA 21 Ultimate Edition (PS4) – £41.98
    FIFA 21 Ultimate Team 750 points (PS4) – £6.19
    FIFA 21 Ultimate Team 1600 points (Xbox) – £11.99

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