- Football Manager 2024 is the latest edition of the hit football management simulator, and was released on November 6, 2023 on PC and Console.
- Cardiff City have had a great start to the EFL Championship season, but can you do better than new manager Erol Bulut?
- Players like Rubin Colwill, Aaron Ramsey and Ollie Tanner are all fan-favourites who will go a long way to helping you reach the play-offs with the Bluebirds in FM24.
Football Manager 2024 has finally been released, and Cardiff City fans from Margam to Malaysia have been booting up their PC’s to take over the role as Bluebirds boss.
While new manager Erol Bulut has taken Cardiff by storm, challenging for the play-offs in a season that many saw the Bluebirds destined for relegation, following a narrow charge to safety at the end of last season.
With the return of Aaron Ramsey to the Cardiff City Stadium, this season is one of the best chances for fans to guide their side to a first-season promotion, with a number of players key to their potential success.
In this article, we’ve pinpointed five players who you can build you side upon to challenge for the play off places. Let us know what you think about these players, and which players you think are even more important to Erol Bulut’s side of promotion chasers.
1. Rubin Colwill
The number one player you need to build your team around in Football Manager 2024 is young attacking midfielder Rubin Colwill.
The 21-year-old Wales International has bags of potential on the game, and with the right coach could become a world-class midfielder. With consistent stats all across the board, he can be utilised both in central or attacking midfield, or even trained into a striker if needs be.
While is still struggling to nail down a place in the Cardiff City team in real-life, Rubin Colwill should be one of the first names on your team sheet for FM23 – but expect some big bids from the Premier League in a season or two.
2. aARON rAMSEY
While he may not be around for a long time, Aaron Ramsey is a player you simply cannot afford to lose in FM24.
The Caerphilly-born midfielder broke records for Cardiff City as a 16-year-old, becoming the youngest ever player in the clubs history in 2007. He even played in an FA Cup Final just one year later, in the harrowing 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth at Wembley Stadium.
Ramsey moved to Arsenal after that, before spending time with Juventus, Rangers and Nice before returning home to the Cardiff City Stadium this season. With fantastic technical skills, he more than makes up for his waning physical abilities.
He will need to be managed well, with his 8 Natural Fitness making him unable to play every game of the season, but Aaron Ramsey is by far one of the best players in the championship and a must-have for any fan of the Bluebirds.
3. Josh Bowler
While he is only on loan from Nottingham Forest for the first season, Josh Bowler is a key man you need to sign on a permanent transfer after the first season in FM24.
The English forward is the best winger at the club, with fantastic pace, dribbling and flair skills that make him a handful for Championship defenders.
With Cardiff having a gluttony of tall strikers willing crosses into the box, he can be sure to wrack up assists in your first season in the Championship, while his good potential means he’ll be a starter for the Bluebirds in the seasons to come.
Bowler’s contract with Nottingham Forest ends in 2026, so you will need to part with a decent transfer fee to make this transfer permanent.
4. Mark McGuinness
Young, versatile and experienced in any position in defence, Mark McGuinness was truly a coup when he was snapped up by Cardiff after his Arsenal contract expired.
The central defender has also played at either side of full back for the Bluebirds, become a stalwart in a very good Cardiff defence. With great positioning, tackling and teamwork being complimented with his passing skills, the 22-year-old can play both as a traditional centre half, or as a ball-playing defender (depending on your tactics).
Add all that to his 15 jumping reach and 15 heading, expect the young Irishman to net bags of goals in the Championship to help you in your promotion push.
5. Ollie Tanner
Any Cardiff City fan will hold a great affinity for Ollie Tanner. His winner in the South Wales derby this year handed Cardiff City their first win against Swansea in five attempts.
Due to the hype surrounding the Englishman following his signing for Cardiff (having rejected Tottenham Hotspur’s contract offer), the developers at Sport’s Interactive have given Ollie Tanner room to grow into a key player for the Bluebirds this year.
With good pace, passing, finishing and dribbling, Tanner is adept at playing all across the front three. Paired with a striker (Kieffer Moore on loan is the ideal target man to sign for Cardiff in FM24) and a trio of Colwill, Bowler and Ramsey, Cardiff City has some incredible creativity in the side to make Tanner one of the most productive players in the Championship.
He also has great potential, but will need mentoring from Ramsey in order to improve his mentals to truly become world class.
