Gaming The SM RedCafe League

BenitoSTARR · Dec 7, 2025

Dom Gill said:
Szoboszlai +1!!!!!

No chance of that I’m afraid.

Varun · Dec 7, 2025

BenitoSTARR said:
Season 35 Division 1 Squad Analysis and Preview (A WORK IN PROGRESS)

Season 35 is mere days away and we’re still in the midst of an unprecedented early top 5 leagues mini review. That means transfers, risers, fallers and desperation as managers look to gain every advantage ahead of the new season.
So once again we bring back a brief pre-season preview of the big boys and newly promoted sides that find themselves in the top flight.

Manchester United (Division 1 Champions)

Oblak 93
Trent 94 Kounde 92 VVD 95 Alaba 91
Rice 94 Pedri 94
Frimpong 92 Bellingham 95 N.Williams 92
Mbappe 96 ️

13 points clear last season and a +1 to Rice means you’ll struggle to match this quality anytime soon.

If I had to pick a flaw it would absolutely be the wingers and centre back as Williams has committed to Bilbao, Frimpong hasn’t had the best starts at Liverpool and Van Dijk probably needs to drop to 94 now.

The midfield trio is arguably the best in the world (maybe only Vitinha arguably here?) and Mbappe is of course the best forward in the game so it’ll take a Herculean effort for anyone to beat them anytime soon.

Predicted finish: Champions

Middlesbrough (Runners Up)

Neuer 93
Molina 91 Rüdiger 94 Pacho 92 Dimarco 92
Barella 94 Ruiz 92
Palmer 93 De Brunye 94 Gakpo 92
Salah 96 ️

Immense depth, incredible youth coming through at all ages, this is the only side in the league capable of challenging United now and in the future. They took my advice and invested in quality and it shows in the spine so much more.

The flaw for me is CF still. They had the chance to get Isak, but didn’t quite meet the expectations, and while Salah is a huge signing it’s obviously a short term gain and I don’t see anyone in the squad capable of hitting 95+ at CF when he inevitably drops.

I think they probably have the best youth mix (19-23 year olds) of the game world across positions so I can’t see a significant issue in the squad longer term (even despite the transfer ban) so for me it’s a case of when, not if, Middlesbrough win the league.

Predicted Finish: 2nd (title challengers)

Southend United (3rd)

Donnaruma 92
Timber 91 Upamecano 92 Bastoni 94 Robinson 90
Valverde 94 Bentacur 91
Dembele 95 ️ Havertz 92 Davies 92*
Nuñez 91

A terrific season finish but I’m officially worried about Southend’s attack. Dembele is world class but Nuñez is a dropper and it’ll be some time before their wingers mature into 90+ unless Quenda can displace the Chelsea options (unlikely in my view).

They of course have excellent talents (Greenie is a superb spotter) but it feels like Middlesbrough have been the more aggressive recruiter and I think have taken the mantle of best youth.

Defensively though they are the masters. Top talent at good ages will help them stay high up.

Predicted Finish: 3rd

Aston Villa (4th)

Ter Stegen 93
Livramento 89 Maguire 90 Torres 91 Hernandez 91
Gavi 91 Parejo 91
Yamal 94 Foden 93 Wirtz 94
Kane 96 ️

A really solid season from Aston Villa which I put down to them acquiring Ter Stegen.

The attacking talent is comfortably the best in the GW for me and so it’s only still defence and midfield where they are lacking. Yamal is capable of very high ratings (97) as is Kane (97) and Wirtz (96?). Id also back Foden to be able to get 94 again in the future. So here there aren’t issues. If anything too much depth might cause concerns with Rashford, Greenwood (scum) and others probably not getting a look in.

I definitely think they could sacrifice one of these for a midfielder or CB of better quality and then they’d have a serious chance at competing.

But until that midfield and defence is improved it’ll be top 4 challengers and nothing more.

Predicted Finish: Top 4 contenders

Leyton Orient (5th)

Martinez 93
White 92 Tapsoba 91 Gvardiol 93 Robertson 92
Vitinha 94 ️ Llorente 91
Coman 91 Nkunku 91 Doku 90
Messi 94

A super season from the Orient and the addition of Lionel Messi proved to be a stroke of genius.

Defensively they have some of the best prospects around in Gvardiol, Yoro, Huijsen and Balde so already that’s a potentially world class back line that perhaps I’ve slept a little on.

Midfield has a very promising future with Vitinha and Pavlovic likely to be the main two for the future so the only area I’m not as confident in is the AM spot. Probably needs looking at so could some defensive players be used to secure a better talent here?

The attack is a worry in the long term. I think Doku should take over a wing position with ease as he’s looked superb recently but Bakayoko is being rotated with Nusa at Leipzig due to the explosion of Yan Diomande, so I think the hopes rest more on Kroupi and Fofana now.

Predicted Finish: Top 4 challengers

Nottingham Forest (6th)

Sommer 92
Porro 91 Marquinhos 94 Militão 93 Estupiñán 90
Caicedo 93 Camavinga 92
Sane 92 Álvarez 93 Adeyemi 90
Lewandowski 95 ️

A much better finish and season for Forest but drops to their attack might see them suffer soon. Sane and Chiesa dropped by 1 a piece meaning the wide attack is lacking potency and with Sane at Galatasary there is no hope of holding 92 long term.

Lewandowski has all but confirmed this to be his last season at Barcelona so they are going to have a headache in attack soon most likely it would be shift Uzun to CAM and Alvarez to ST long term.

Predicted Finish: Europa places

Everton (7th)

Alisson 95
Bellanova 90 Dias 94 Milenkovic 90 Olivera 90
Rodri 96 ️ Kimmich 94
Gordon 91 Silva 93 Diaz 92
Oyarzabal 92

Everton’s final position is no surprise after losing Messi. He’s irreplaceable.

That said the squad is in a better shape overall since we last reviewed so I don’t expect them to struggle this season in any way.

Long term my concern would still be the age of their midfielders and of course the future of Alisson who can’t keep his 95 any more and when he drops I expect a bigger fall down the table. It feels like their title challenger days are over.

Predicted finish: In Europe

Fulham (8th)

Costa 91
Wieffer 89 90 Pavlović 88 Hernández 92 Dalot 90
Ugarte 90 Koke 91
Neto 91 Musiala 94 ️ Akliouche 90
Pedro 90

Wow! What a season Fulham have had. I was (fairly I might add) critical of the starting XI last season but boy did they pull it out of the bag with a top 8 finish and it’s something they should be immensely proud of.

I still think defence is in an awful state so it does need fixing but Vinny has confidence in some of his options coming good so fingers crossed for him there. My main issue would be that it’s usually unsustainable to secure good finishes with a sub 90 defensive line and 3 players have to be played out of position currently (Wieffer and Dalot) for it to function so I’ll be pleasantly surprised if they do this a second year running.

Midfield is a weird one as there are a few players who maybe could hit 90 at some point but they’ve just not quite shown it in real life or they’ve made moves that harm their chances. Rovella and Kokcu should get there at some point.

Their strength however lies further up the field, Musiala, Neto and Pedro are excellent to good options for most sides and Akliouche hitting 90 has given them a solid front 4.

Predicted Finish: Bottom half but safe.

Hereford FC (9th)

Raya 92
Gomez 90 Kim 92 Cubarsi 90 Darmian 90
Thuram 90 Gallagher 90
Olise 93 Kulusevski 92 Sabitzer 90*
Haaland 96 ️

I think Hereford could do a bit more in the next year and have potential to develop into title challengers along with Middlesbrough and a handful of others.

Olise is world class and performing statistically above Yamal at the moment so 94 for me is a guarantee this season maybe more as I think he’s absolutely stunning. With this in mind I think the future is very bright for them. Olise 94/5, Haaland 96/7 and Cubarsi bound to rise 91/2 so the starting XI should get better. I also expect Madueke to hit 90 soon (I really rate him).

Gomez and Darmian are weak spots but Kerkez is in the building and there are some decent younger prospects about too. Should be ok long term.

Where I think they are more desperate is central midfield but they have got some lovely prospects in Junyent and Froholdt who are capable of 90+ ratings so a bit of patience and in a year or two this could be a scarily good side.

Predicted Finish: Top 6

Newcastle United (10th)

Courtois 95
Carvajal 92 Konate 93 Christensen 90 Cucurella 91
Kovacic 92 Merino 92
Gnabry 91 Odegaard 93 Vini Jr 96 ️
Morata 91

A very disappointing season for Newcastle but it feels like a blip more than a downward trend.

Defensively Carvajal can’t go on much longer and Konate is having a stinker of a season at Liverpool (so much so Real Madrid are no longer interested in him on a free?!) but Cucurella has been superb for Chelsea. I really like Nathan Collins and think he’s underrated for his value on the ball to Brentford (statistically one of the best CBs in the PL last season). Kambwala and Tape are good option in their youth here.

Midfield Stiller is the stand out but lacks the physicality of the PL so I’d expect him to stay in Germany for a while longer. I think they’ll be ok for another year or two but it’s the area I’d want to improve most.

Right wing and CF are big issues, Cunha is a talented player but is really more of a 10, so maybe longer term Odegaard drops deeper to CM and Cunha takes the 10? But I don’t see a prospect in the team that can take over from Gnabry (who I think is going to decline sharply in the next 2 years) so wingers need to arrive.

Predicted Finish: Top 8

Barnsley (11th)

Atubolu 88
Szoboszlai 92 Guehi 91 Gimenez 91 Martinez 91
Goretzka 91 Grealish 91
Griezmann 94 ️ Simons 91 Martinelli 91
Benzema 91

West Ham United (12th)

Marmardashvili 91
Cambiaso 90 Tah 92 Laporte 91 Cardona 90
Tchouameni 93 Anguissa 91
Mbeumo 91 Eze 91 Torres 90
Watkins 92

Cardiff City (13th)

Chevalier 91
Pavard 91 Tomori 90 Zabarnyi 90 Mittelstadt 90
Modric 92 Reijnders 92
Kubo 91 Paqueta 90 Baena 91
Dovbyk 91

Sunderland (14th)

Meret 90
James 91 Skriniar 90 Costa 89 Grimaldo 92
Neves 91 Locatelli 91
Amad 89 Palacios 91 Olmo 92 ️
Lukaku 91

Rochdale (15th)
Maignan 92
Hakimi 94 ️ Giménez 91 Calafiori 90 Mendes 92
Hjulmand 90 Cardoso 90
Pino 90 Burkardt 90 Tsygankov 90
Guirassy 92

Southampton (16th)

Ramsdale 89
Mazraoui 90 Rrahmani 91 Ito 90 Gutiérrez 89
Onana 90 Rabiot 92
Terrier 90 Maddison 92 Kolo Muani 91
Gyökeres 92 ️

AFC Bournemouth (17th)
Onana 91
Kadioglu 90 Schär 90 Aguerd 90 Hincapié 91
Guimarães 92 Mac Allister 93
Raphinha 94 ️ Isco 91 Trossard 91
Moreno 90

Norwich City (Div 2 Champions)
Manchester City (Div 2 Runners Up)
Torquay United (Play Off Winners)

Thanks for doing this.

My big change last season was to go defensive, I've always played an attacking setup all these years, be it at Arse or Villa. Decided to support my weak def by playing defensively while relying on my attack to get the goals.

Eventually, didn't really go too differently overall from a results POV but when it comes to GD, was worse off - Same points as last season, ~10 goals less conceded, ~25 goals less scored. Just finished a bit higher because it was a tighter season and tbf, could have finished higher but decided to rotate a lot in attack towards the end when Damo pulled well clear. Almost finished outside top 4 as a result :lol:

Varun · Dec 7, 2025

Re transfers, agree with the suggestion and I've had Foden in the market for almost the entire last season for the same reason but didn't get an offer worth a deal.

Sandyman · Dec 7, 2025

BenitoSTARR said:
Season 35 Division 1 Squad Analysis and Preview (A WORK IN PROGRESS)

Season 35 is mere days away and we’re still in the midst of an unprecedented early top 5 leagues mini review. That means transfers, risers, fallers and desperation as managers look to gain every advantage ahead of the new season.
So once again we bring back a brief pre-season preview of the big boys and newly promoted sides that find themselves in the top flight.

Manchester United (Division 1 Champions)

Oblak 93
Trent 94 Kounde 92 VVD 95 Alaba 91
Rice 94 Pedri 94
Frimpong 92 Bellingham 95 N.Williams 92
Mbappe 96 ️

13 points clear last season and a +1 to Rice means you’ll struggle to match this quality anytime soon.

If I had to pick a flaw it would absolutely be the wingers and centre back as Williams has committed to Bilbao, Frimpong hasn’t had the best starts at Liverpool and Van Dijk probably needs to drop to 94 now.

The midfield trio is arguably the best in the world (maybe only Vitinha arguably here?) and Mbappe is of course the best forward in the game so it’ll take a Herculean effort for anyone to beat them anytime soon.

Predicted finish: Champions

Middlesbrough (Runners Up)

Neuer 93
Molina 91 Rüdiger 94 Pacho 92 Dimarco 92
Barella 94 Ruiz 92
Palmer 93 De Brunye 94 Gakpo 92
Salah 96 ️

Immense depth, incredible youth coming through at all ages, this is the only side in the league capable of challenging United now and in the future. They took my advice and invested in quality and it shows in the spine so much more.

The flaw for me is CF still. They had the chance to get Isak, but didn’t quite meet the expectations, and while Salah is a huge signing it’s obviously a short term gain and I don’t see anyone in the squad capable of hitting 95+ at CF when he inevitably drops.

I think they probably have the best youth mix (19-23 year olds) of the game world across positions so I can’t see a significant issue in the squad longer term (even despite the transfer ban) so for me it’s a case of when, not if, Middlesbrough win the league.

Predicted Finish: 2nd (title challengers)

Southend United (3rd)

Donnaruma 92
Timber 91 Upamecano 92 Bastoni 94 Robinson 90
Valverde 94 Bentacur 91
Dembele 95 ️ Havertz 92 Davies 92*
Nuñez 91

A terrific season finish but I’m officially worried about Southend’s attack. Dembele is world class but Nuñez is a dropper and it’ll be some time before their wingers mature into 90+ unless Quenda can displace the Chelsea options (unlikely in my view).

They of course have excellent talents (Greenie is a superb spotter) but it feels like Middlesbrough have been the more aggressive recruiter and I think have taken the mantle of best youth.

Defensively though they are the masters. Top talent at good ages will help them stay high up.

Predicted Finish: 3rd

Aston Villa (4th)

Ter Stegen 93
Livramento 89 Maguire 90 Torres 91 Hernandez 91
Gavi 91 Parejo 91
Yamal 94 Foden 93 Wirtz 94
Kane 96 ️

A really solid season from Aston Villa which I put down to them acquiring Ter Stegen.

The attacking talent is comfortably the best in the GW for me and so it’s only still defence and midfield where they are lacking. Yamal is capable of very high ratings (97) as is Kane (97) and Wirtz (96?). Id also back Foden to be able to get 94 again in the future. So here there aren’t issues. If anything too much depth might cause concerns with Rashford, Greenwood (scum) and others probably not getting a look in.

I definitely think they could sacrifice one of these for a midfielder or CB of better quality and then they’d have a serious chance at competing.

But until that midfield and defence is improved it’ll be top 4 challengers and nothing more.

Predicted Finish: Top 4 contenders

Leyton Orient (5th)

Martinez 93
White 92 Tapsoba 91 Gvardiol 93 Robertson 92
Vitinha 94 ️ Llorente 91
Coman 91 Nkunku 91 Doku 90
Messi 94

A super season from the Orient and the addition of Lionel Messi proved to be a stroke of genius.

Defensively they have some of the best prospects around in Gvardiol, Yoro, Huijsen and Balde so already that’s a potentially world class back line that perhaps I’ve slept a little on.

Midfield has a very promising future with Vitinha and Pavlovic likely to be the main two for the future so the only area I’m not as confident in is the AM spot. Probably needs looking at so could some defensive players be used to secure a better talent here?

The attack is a worry in the long term. I think Doku should take over a wing position with ease as he’s looked superb recently but Bakayoko is being rotated with Nusa at Leipzig due to the explosion of Yan Diomande, so I think the hopes rest more on Kroupi and Fofana now.

Predicted Finish: Top 4 challengers

Nottingham Forest (6th)

Sommer 92
Porro 91 Marquinhos 94 Militão 93 Estupiñán 90
Caicedo 93 Camavinga 92
Sane 92 Álvarez 93 Adeyemi 90
Lewandowski 95 ️

A much better finish and season for Forest but drops to their attack might see them suffer soon. Sane and Chiesa dropped by 1 a piece meaning the wide attack is lacking potency and with Sane at Galatasary there is no hope of holding 92 long term.

Lewandowski has all but confirmed this to be his last season at Barcelona so they are going to have a headache in attack soon most likely it would be shift Uzun to CAM and Alvarez to ST long term.

Predicted Finish: Europa places

Everton (7th)

Alisson 95
Bellanova 90 Dias 94 Milenkovic 90 Olivera 90
Rodri 96 ️ Kimmich 94
Gordon 91 Silva 93 Diaz 92
Oyarzabal 92

Everton’s final position is no surprise after losing Messi. He’s irreplaceable.

That said the squad is in a better shape overall since we last reviewed so I don’t expect them to struggle this season in any way.

Long term my concern would still be the age of their midfielders and of course the future of Alisson who can’t keep his 95 any more and when he drops I expect a bigger fall down the table. It feels like their title challenger days are over.

Predicted finish: In Europe

Fulham (8th)

Costa 91
Wieffer 89 90 Pavlović 88 Hernández 92 Dalot 90
Ugarte 90 Koke 91
Neto 91 Musiala 94 ️ Akliouche 90
Pedro 90

Wow! What a season Fulham have had. I was (fairly I might add) critical of the starting XI last season but boy did they pull it out of the bag with a top 8 finish and it’s something they should be immensely proud of.

I still think defence is in an awful state so it does need fixing but Vinny has confidence in some of his options coming good so fingers crossed for him there. My main issue would be that it’s usually unsustainable to secure good finishes with a sub 90 defensive line and 3 players have to be played out of position currently (Wieffer and Dalot) for it to function so I’ll be pleasantly surprised if they do this a second year running.

Midfield is a weird one as there are a few players who maybe could hit 90 at some point but they’ve just not quite shown it in real life or they’ve made moves that harm their chances. Rovella and Kokcu should get there at some point.

Their strength however lies further up the field, Musiala, Neto and Pedro are excellent to good options for most sides and Akliouche hitting 90 has given them a solid front 4.

Predicted Finish: Bottom half but safe.

Hereford FC (9th)

Raya 92
Gomez 90 Kim 92 Cubarsi 90 Darmian 90
Thuram 90 Gallagher 90
Olise 93 Kulusevski 92 Sabitzer 90*
Haaland 96 ️

I think Hereford could do a bit more in the next year and have potential to develop into title challengers along with Middlesbrough and a handful of others.

Olise is world class and performing statistically above Yamal at the moment so 94 for me is a guarantee this season maybe more as I think he’s absolutely stunning. With this in mind I think the future is very bright for them. Olise 94/5, Haaland 96/7 and Cubarsi bound to rise 91/2 so the starting XI should get better. I also expect Madueke to hit 90 soon (I really rate him).

Gomez and Darmian are weak spots but Kerkez is in the building and there are some decent younger prospects about too. Should be ok long term.

Where I think they are more desperate is central midfield but they have got some lovely prospects in Junyent and Froholdt who are capable of 90+ ratings so a bit of patience and in a year or two this could be a scarily good side.

Predicted Finish: Top 6

Newcastle United (10th)

Courtois 95
Carvajal 92 Konate 93 Christensen 90 Cucurella 91
Kovacic 92 Merino 92
Gnabry 91 Odegaard 93 Vini Jr 96 ️
Morata 91

A very disappointing season for Newcastle but it feels like a blip more than a downward trend.

Defensively Carvajal can’t go on much longer and Konate is having a stinker of a season at Liverpool (so much so Real Madrid are no longer interested in him on a free?!) but Cucurella has been superb for Chelsea. I really like Nathan Collins and think he’s underrated for his value on the ball to Brentford (statistically one of the best CBs in the PL last season). Kambwala and Tape are good option in their youth here.

Midfield Stiller is the stand out but lacks the physicality of the PL so I’d expect him to stay in Germany for a while longer. I think they’ll be ok for another year or two but it’s the area I’d want to improve most.

Right wing and CF are big issues, Cunha is a talented player but is really more of a 10, so maybe longer term Odegaard drops deeper to CM and Cunha takes the 10? But I don’t see a prospect in the team that can take over from Gnabry (who I think is going to decline sharply in the next 2 years) so wingers need to arrive.

Predicted Finish: Top 8

Barnsley (11th)

Atubolu 88
Szoboszlai 92 Guehi 91 Gimenez 91 Martinez 91
Goretzka 91 Grealish 91
Griezmann 94 ️ Simons 91 Martinelli 91
Benzema 91

West Ham United (12th)

Marmardashvili 91
Cambiaso 90 Tah 92 Laporte 91 Cardona 90
Tchouameni 93 Anguissa 91
Mbeumo 91 Eze 91 Torres 90
Watkins 92

Cardiff City (13th)

Chevalier 91
Pavard 91 Tomori 90 Zabarnyi 90 Mittelstadt 90
Modric 92 Reijnders 92
Kubo 91 Paqueta 90 Baena 91
Dovbyk 91

Sunderland (14th)

Meret 90
James 91 Skriniar 90 Costa 89 Grimaldo 92
Neves 91 Locatelli 91
Amad 89 Palacios 91 Olmo 92 ️
Lukaku 91

Rochdale (15th)
Maignan 92
Hakimi 94 ️ Konsa 91 Calafiori 90 Mendes 92
Hjulmand 91 Cardoso 90
Pino 90 Burkardt 90 Tsygankov 90
Guirassy 92

Southampton (16th)

Ramsdale 89
Mazraoui 90 Rrahmani 91 Ito 90 Gutiérrez 89
Onana 90 Rabiot 92
Terrier 90 Maddison 92 Kolo Muani 91
Gyökeres 92 ️

AFC Bournemouth (17th)
Onana 91
Kadioglu 90 Schär 90 Aguerd 90 Hincapié 91
Guimarães 92 Mac Allister 93
Raphinha 94 ️ Isco 91 Trossard 91
Moreno 90

Norwich City (Div 2 Champions)
Manchester City (Div 2 Runners Up)
Torquay United (Play Off Winners)

Cheers Benito. Thanks for doing this again.

But I just sold 2 starters to reduce the wage bill so you may want to update that prediction :lol:

Unless I get some generous rises, I think I will struggle this season.

BenitoSTARR · Dec 7, 2025

Varun said:
Thanks for doing this.

My big change last season was to go defensive, I've always played an attacking setup all these years, be it at Arse or Villa. Decided to support my weak def by playing defensively while relying on my attack to get the goals.

Eventually, didn't really go too differently overall from a results POV but when it comes to GD, was worse off - Same points as last season, ~10 goals less conceded, ~25 goals less scored. Just finished a bit higher because it was a tighter season and tbf, could have finished higher but decided to rotate a lot in attack towards the end when Damo pulled well clear. Almost finished outside top 4 as a result

It’s definitely worked a bit better results wise as it protects the back line.

I think it’s what you need to do to finish top 4 because if you shut up shop the chances you do get you have the ratings on your side to finish them.

Varun said:
Re transfers, agree with the suggestion and I've had Foden in the market for almost the entire last season for the same reason but didn't get an offer worth a deal.

I’ve made you an offer for Foden that I think solves both issues for you but I’m open to discussing in PMs here or SM too.

BenitoSTARR · Dec 7, 2025

Sandyman said:
Cheers Benito. Thanks for doing this again.

But I just sold 2 starters to reduce the wage bill so you may want to update that prediction

Unless I get some generous rises, I think I will struggle this season.

Yeah I saw that come through just after id done some updates I was like “oh ffs”.

I think you’ll be ok personally.

IRN-BRUno · Dec 9, 2025

BenitoSTARR said:
Season 35 Division 1 Squad Analysis and Preview (A WORK IN PROGRESS)

Season 35 is mere days away and we’re still in the midst of an unprecedented early top 5 leagues mini review. That means transfers, risers, fallers and desperation as managers look to gain every advantage ahead of the new season.
So once again we bring back a brief pre-season preview of the big boys and newly promoted sides that find themselves in the top flight.

Manchester United (Division 1 Champions)

Oblak 93
Trent 94 Kounde 92 VVD 95 Alaba 91
Rice 94 Pedri 94
Frimpong 92 Bellingham 95 N.Williams 92
Mbappe 96 ️

13 points clear last season and a +1 to Rice means you’ll struggle to match this quality anytime soon.

If I had to pick a flaw it would absolutely be the wingers and centre back as Williams has committed to Bilbao, Frimpong hasn’t had the best starts at Liverpool and Van Dijk probably needs to drop to 94 now.

The midfield trio is arguably the best in the world (maybe only Vitinha arguably here?) and Mbappe is of course the best forward in the game so it’ll take a Herculean effort for anyone to beat them anytime soon.

Predicted finish: Champions

Middlesbrough (Runners Up)

Neuer 93
Molina 91 Rüdiger 94 Pacho 92 Dimarco 92
Barella 94 Ruiz 92
Palmer 93 De Brunye 94 Gakpo 92
Salah 96 ️

Immense depth, incredible youth coming through at all ages, this is the only side in the league capable of challenging United now and in the future. They took my advice and invested in quality and it shows in the spine so much more.

The flaw for me is CF still. They had the chance to get Isak, but didn’t quite meet the expectations, and while Salah is a huge signing it’s obviously a short term gain and I don’t see anyone in the squad capable of hitting 95+ at CF when he inevitably drops.

I think they probably have the best youth mix (19-23 year olds) of the game world across positions so I can’t see a significant issue in the squad longer term (even despite the transfer ban) so for me it’s a case of when, not if, Middlesbrough win the league.

Predicted Finish: 2nd (title challengers)

Southend United (3rd)

Donnaruma 92
Timber 91 Upamecano 92 Bastoni 94 Robinson 90
Valverde 94 Bentacur 91
Dembele 95 ️ Havertz 92 Davies 92*
Nuñez 91

A terrific season finish but I’m officially worried about Southend’s attack. Dembele is world class but Nuñez is a dropper and it’ll be some time before their wingers mature into 90+ unless Quenda can displace the Chelsea options (unlikely in my view).

They of course have excellent talents (Greenie is a superb spotter) but it feels like Middlesbrough have been the more aggressive recruiter and I think have taken the mantle of best youth.

Defensively though they are the masters. Top talent at good ages will help them stay high up.

Predicted Finish: 3rd

Aston Villa (4th)

Ter Stegen 93
Livramento 89 Maguire 90 Torres 91 Hernandez 91
Gavi 91 Parejo 91
Yamal 94 Foden 93 Wirtz 94
Kane 96 ️

A really solid season from Aston Villa which I put down to them acquiring Ter Stegen.

The attacking talent is comfortably the best in the GW for me and so it’s only still defence and midfield where they are lacking. Yamal is capable of very high ratings (97) as is Kane (97) and Wirtz (96?). Id also back Foden to be able to get 94 again in the future. So here there aren’t issues. If anything too much depth might cause concerns with Rashford, Greenwood (scum) and others probably not getting a look in.

I definitely think they could sacrifice one of these for a midfielder or CB of better quality and then they’d have a serious chance at competing.

But until that midfield and defence is improved it’ll be top 4 challengers and nothing more.

Predicted Finish: Top 4 contenders

Leyton Orient (5th)

Martinez 93
White 92 Tapsoba 91 Gvardiol 93 Robertson 92
Vitinha 94 ️ Llorente 91
Coman 91 Nkunku 91 Doku 90
Messi 94

A super season from the Orient and the addition of Lionel Messi proved to be a stroke of genius.

Defensively they have some of the best prospects around in Gvardiol, Yoro, Huijsen and Balde so already that’s a potentially world class back line that perhaps I’ve slept a little on.

Midfield has a very promising future with Vitinha and Pavlovic likely to be the main two for the future so the only area I’m not as confident in is the AM spot. Probably needs looking at so could some defensive players be used to secure a better talent here?

The attack is a worry in the long term. I think Doku should take over a wing position with ease as he’s looked superb recently but Bakayoko is being rotated with Nusa at Leipzig due to the explosion of Yan Diomande, so I think the hopes rest more on Kroupi and Fofana now.

Predicted Finish: Top 4 challengers

Nottingham Forest (6th)

Sommer 92
Porro 91 Marquinhos 94 Militão 93 Estupiñán 90
Caicedo 93 Camavinga 92
Sane 92 Álvarez 93 Adeyemi 90
Lewandowski 95 ️

A much better finish and season for Forest but drops to their attack might see them suffer soon. Sane and Chiesa dropped by 1 a piece meaning the wide attack is lacking potency and with Sane at Galatasary there is no hope of holding 92 long term.

Lewandowski has all but confirmed this to be his last season at Barcelona so they are going to have a headache in attack soon most likely it would be shift Uzun to CAM and Alvarez to ST long term.

Predicted Finish: Europa places

Everton (7th)

Alisson 95
Bellanova 90 Dias 94 Milenkovic 90 Olivera 90
Rodri 96 ️ Kimmich 94
Gordon 91 Silva 93 Diaz 92
Oyarzabal 92

Everton’s final position is no surprise after losing Messi. He’s irreplaceable.

That said the squad is in a better shape overall since we last reviewed so I don’t expect them to struggle this season in any way.

Long term my concern would still be the age of their midfielders and of course the future of Alisson who can’t keep his 95 any more and when he drops I expect a bigger fall down the table. It feels like their title challenger days are over.

Predicted finish: In Europe

Fulham (8th)

Costa 91
Wieffer 89 90 Pavlović 88 Hernández 92 Dalot 90
Ugarte 90 Koke 91
Neto 91 Musiala 94 ️ Akliouche 90
Pedro 90

Wow! What a season Fulham have had. I was (fairly I might add) critical of the starting XI last season but boy did they pull it out of the bag with a top 8 finish and it’s something they should be immensely proud of.

I still think defence is in an awful state so it does need fixing but Vinny has confidence in some of his options coming good so fingers crossed for him there. My main issue would be that it’s usually unsustainable to secure good finishes with a sub 90 defensive line and 3 players have to be played out of position currently (Wieffer and Dalot) for it to function so I’ll be pleasantly surprised if they do this a second year running.

Midfield is a weird one as there are a few players who maybe could hit 90 at some point but they’ve just not quite shown it in real life or they’ve made moves that harm their chances. Rovella and Kokcu should get there at some point.

Their strength however lies further up the field, Musiala, Neto and Pedro are excellent to good options for most sides and Akliouche hitting 90 has given them a solid front 4.

Predicted Finish: Bottom half but safe.

Hereford FC (9th)

Raya 92
Gomez 90 Kim 92 Cubarsi 90 Darmian 90
Thuram 90 Gallagher 90
Olise 93 Kulusevski 92 Sabitzer 90*
Haaland 96 ️

I think Hereford could do a bit more in the next year and have potential to develop into title challengers along with Middlesbrough and a handful of others.

Olise is world class and performing statistically above Yamal at the moment so 94 for me is a guarantee this season maybe more as I think he’s absolutely stunning. With this in mind I think the future is very bright for them. Olise 94/5, Haaland 96/7 and Cubarsi bound to rise 91/2 so the starting XI should get better. I also expect Madueke to hit 90 soon (I really rate him).

Gomez and Darmian are weak spots but Kerkez is in the building and there are some decent younger prospects about too. Should be ok long term.

Where I think they are more desperate is central midfield but they have got some lovely prospects in Junyent and Froholdt who are capable of 90+ ratings so a bit of patience and in a year or two this could be a scarily good side.

Predicted Finish: Top 6

Newcastle United (10th)

Courtois 95
Carvajal 92 Konate 93 Christensen 90 Cucurella 91
Kovacic 92 Merino 92
Gnabry 91 Odegaard 93 Vini Jr 96 ️
Morata 91

A very disappointing season for Newcastle but it feels like a blip more than a downward trend.

Defensively Carvajal can’t go on much longer and Konate is having a stinker of a season at Liverpool (so much so Real Madrid are no longer interested in him on a free?!) but Cucurella has been superb for Chelsea. I really like Nathan Collins and think he’s underrated for his value on the ball to Brentford (statistically one of the best CBs in the PL last season). Kambwala and Tape are good option in their youth here.

Midfield Stiller is the stand out but lacks the physicality of the PL so I’d expect him to stay in Germany for a while longer. I think they’ll be ok for another year or two but it’s the area I’d want to improve most.

Right wing and CF are big issues, Cunha is a talented player but is really more of a 10, so maybe longer term Odegaard drops deeper to CM and Cunha takes the 10? But I don’t see a prospect in the team that can take over from Gnabry (who I think is going to decline sharply in the next 2 years) so wingers need to arrive.

Predicted Finish: Top 8

Barnsley (11th)

Atubolu 88
Szoboszlai 92 Guehi 91 Gimenez 91 Martinez 91
Goretzka 91 Grealish 91
Griezmann 94 ️ Simons 91 Martinelli 91
Benzema 91

Barnsley are talking full advantage of the versatility of their players but it means every position (except GK) is fielding a 91 rated player with plenty of 90 and 89 rated deputies available.

Not dissuaded by older players they always finish well, the game doesn’t care about any numbers other than rating so it’s a solid strategy that should see them safe again but I am worried about the GK. If they get into trouble it will be due to the lack of 90+ there.

A little peep into their youth and others shows there are also some quality options coming through so it’ll be interesting to see how many stop gaps come through in the mean time.

West Ham United (12th)

Marmardashvili 91
Cambiaso 90 Tah 92 Laporte 91 Cardona 90
Tchouameni 93 ️ Anguissa 91
Mbeumo 91 Eze 91 Torres 90
Watkins 92

Let’s get to it. It’s a solid side but it lacks star quality (as do many might I add) and that’s my worry. I really highly rate Mbeumo but his move to United makes it so difficult to rise much beyond 91 (name any player not called Fernandes who has risen to 93+ at United in the last 5/6 years?). Eze and Torres have rises in them so 92 for both is possible and I do like Igor Thiago but only up to 91 at some point.

Tchouameni is excellent but I can’t see him going to 94 soon and I wonder if the sides PL bias is going to go against them. It’s really hard to buy the best PL players before they breakout to 93+ ratings and it seems like that’s where West Ham focus their attention. They need to take more gambles in other leagues.

Predicted Finish: Safe but bottom half

Cardiff City (13th)

Chevalier 91
Pavard 91 Tomori 90 Zabarnyi 90 Mittelstadt 90
Modric 92 ️ Reijnders 92
Kubo 91 Paqueta 90 Baena 91
Dovbyk 91

Awkward to review my own side but here we go. I think we’re going to be close to relegation this season.

We lost Isak (94), Barella (94) and Son (92) which means the attacking potential has taken a nose dive. The Isak deal was only ever going to happen if I felt I was getting either two players of 94 potential or one of 96+. I think I’ve gotten that with change here so long term I’m very happy but short term I’m shitting it. I signed Dovbyk as a stop gap knowing I was going to push the Isak deal more.

It’s a side that is solid but unremarkable compared to the absolute best. Modric is the best midfielder in Serie A so 93 is very possible again (I maintain he shouldn’t have dropped in the first place as he was the best player other than Pedri in midfield in La Liga last season), Reijnders is capable of 93/4 at City which I do expect to happen at some point. Baena is the best passer in La Liga (I have the data to prove it) so a rise to 92 is possible. Paqueta shouldn’t be 90 he’s shown he’s a top player.

I think tactically I’ll have to be clever and try and reach 40 points being a bit cagey. But this could be the season we get relegated.

Predicted Finish: Relegation candidates

Sunderland (14th)

Meret 90
James 91 Skriniar 90 Costa 89 Grimaldo 92
Neves 91 Locatelli 91
Amad 89 Palacios 91 Olmo 92 ️
Lukaku 91

Sunderland could surprise a few and I don’t expect them to be relegated, I don’t think top half is possible but they’ve got some players flirting with 90 along with some outstanding youth in Guler, Moore, Rabbaj and Ordonez which could be the makings of a very scary side in the future.

Guler is probably the one who can hit 91+ for them in future the quickest so I’d hold onto him for dear life.

They are lacking at CB mainly so will have to be mindful of that going forward.

Predicted Finish: Lower mid table

Rochdale (15th)

Maignan 92
Hakimi 94 ️ Konsa 91 Calafiori 90 Mendes 93
Hjulmand 91 Cardoso 90
Pino 90 Burkardt 90 Tsygankov 90
Guirassy 92

The best fullbacks in the world. By a mile. Defence could be their best threat if they allow Mendes and Hakimi to get forward and Rochdale are the new kids on the block I most admire.

A terrific eye for talent (we often go for the same players) and a solid structure to build on, I don’t think they’ve got enough attacking talent to go much higher than midtable but I’ve utmost faith that long term they’ll have a top side. They’re crying out for another 92+ attacker and if it was me, I’d be selling Mendes for that player and moving Calafiori to LB (as I think he’ll rise soon).

Predicted Finish: Lower mid table

Southampton (16th)

Samba 89
Laimer 91 Rrahmani 91 Ito 90 Gutiérrez 89
Onana 91 Rabiot 92
Terrier 90 Maddison 91 Kolo Muani 91
Gyökeres 92 ️

Another solid side a little hard done by on summer edits to Maddison to 91 (when he had better stats than most risers!).

The side has talent capable of a bit more, Onana, Gyokeres and many of the younger talents (like Højlund nice +1!) which could grow into 90 rated players.

They do have an outstanding prospect in Mora but I worry will his size impact his ability to play elsewhere. Maybe Spain? If anyone is going to break 93+ in this side it’s probably got to be him so here’s hoping!

Predicted Finish: Flirting with relegation

AFC Bournemouth (17th)

Remiro 90
Stanisic 90 Aguerd 90 Hincapié 91 Mendy 90
Mac Allister 94
️ Guimarães 93 Isco 91
Raphinha 94 ————————Trossard 91
Neymar 92

Wow wow wow what a starting XI we have here!

How on earth have they only just escaped relegation? A terrific starting XI in midfield and a sparkling of quality in attack should put them ahead of the likes of Cardiff et al.

Rises for Bruno G. has meant you’ll be hard pressed to find a better mix of mids and I can see they’ve opted for the 4-3-3 B to make the most of this.

My worry is what happens to the front line when Neymar retires? When Trossard is replaced at Arsenal? They probably need to invest in another wide forward or CF here. Can they get them in?

Predicted finish: Lower mid table

Norwich City (Div 2 Champions)

Sels 89
Zappacosta 89 Martinez 91 Botman 91 Gaya 90
Gundogan 92 Mkhitaryan 91
Dybala 91 Joelinton 90 Leao 93 ️
Wissa 90

Another solid side with sprinkling of top attacking quality thanks to securing Leao in the drafts. I think Norwich have been outstanding all of last season and have maximised the strengths and masked the weaknesses of their side superbly.

RB is of course an issue here but throughout the squad there are some exciting players like Nusa, Nwaneri and Jauregizar that I’m sure are capable of 90+ with relative ease to mask any longer term defensive woes.

If Leao can hit the ground running in Div 1 it could be a special season.

Predicted Finish. Lower mid table

Manchester City (Div 2 Runners Up)

Vicario 90
Di Lorenzo 91 De Vrij 91 Gabriel 93 ️ Van De Ven 91
Enzo 93 Koopmeiners 92
Rodrygo 93 Cherki 90 Mitoma 90
Osimhen 93

Drafts have transformed City into a real contender and they could even be in the running for a European spot based on quality.

The back line is as solid as any and Gabriel is the best CB in the world IMO.

The midfield is solid, and the attacking talent should improve as Cherki rises at City.

Add to this some outstanding youth (Mastantuono and Mainoo) and it looks a really promising side too.

Predicted finish: Europa competitor

Torquay United (Play Off Winners)

Henderson 88
Stones 92 Van Hecke 89 Badé 89 Yilmaz 89
Poke 90 Ederson 91
Yildiz 90 Diaz 90 Thuram 93 ️
Ronaldo 92

Torquay another side benefiting from drafting has meant they’ve now got a solid side to build with and some outstanding attacking talent to hurt sides.

Yildiz, Thuram, Paz and Diaz all came from draft clubs and have absolutely transformed the prospects of the side which now boasts some seriously impressive talents. Another one that I wouldn’t be surprised to hit the 40 points often needed to survive but I’d be desperately signing a 90+ GK now to make sure it happens. Theres 4 at external and they are better short term options than Henderson.

Predicted Finish: Flirting with relegation (unless they sign a GK)

Thanks for doing these, good work.

I think your predicted finish for Torquay is more reasonable than the chairman expecting top half! Fair point on Henderson but would expect at least +1, maybe +2 in the next month or so. Wesley getting the LB added today is a bonus as I'm not sure Yilmaz will be keeping that for too much longer.

BenitoSTARR · Dec 13, 2025

Cardiff City Transfer News
Isak is a Don deal

It may have taken well over 6 months (I think I asked before that message but it’s the earliest I could find) but a deal for Dowman has finally been agreed with MK Dons but at a heavy cost.

Isak is no longer Cardiff’s talisman which is a huge blow to the club. It certainly puts the short term prospects of relegation into sharp focus but I think it’s raised the ceiling of the side now.

I genuinely believe Dowman is a Yamal level talent. Every scout source I trust believes he is a special talent so much of the future optics of this deal rely on him fulfilling that potential. Now of course I’ve made similar leaps of faith on players before (Endrick) but I feel this one is a little less risky namely because of who else is involved. If both do reach their potential then I could have a 96+ front line duo (and maybe another close in Diomande).

Tunkara is for me another elite talent, 94 potential (maybe more) due to his outstanding technical and physical ability. I think he may even become the RW for Barcelona if Yamal develops as expected into a 10. I would be shocked if at minimum he didn’t reach 93.

Then Nadson is a true gamble. He’s got an amazing technical ability but I think he’ll cap a bit shy of the others. Still a nice addition and something that tilted the deal into something worth gambling on for me.

Finally Baena is the one who I think will hit 92 this season or next. He was the best graded passer in La Liga last season by a well respected data company so for me isn’t a gamble and provides quality in CM/CAM and LM that will be useful in transitioning away from Modric or at bare minimum will give me time for others to develop around him (Diomande, Bouaddi etc).

I’ve taken on all the risk here as I firmly believe Isak is the next 95+ striker (he just needs his fitness) so I’m gambling on Endrick’s loan to Lyon being a success (I believe it will as he’s probably the best ball striker of his generation).

The Future Front 4?
Tunkara (15/65) Dowman (15/70) Diomande (19/83)
Endrick (19/87)

The Potential Peak Future Front 4?
Tunkara 94 Dowman 97 Diomande 96
Endrick 96

We’ll see where they end up…

BenitoSTARR · Dec 13, 2025

Cardiff City Transfer News
Fikay-go To-Barnsley

After 9 1/2 years at the club Fikayo Tomori departs to Barnsley. Arriving as an 18 year old Tomori blossomed into a 91 rated player after winning Serie A in real life. With 288 appearances for Cardiff he became a key part of our trophy success in Europe and brought us within touching distance of a league title. I think he will hit 91 again this season with AC Milan in a title race but Cardiff need to make way for the next generation to avoid any future concerns. Diomande and Zabarnyi have to be trusted for the future.

Enter Barnsley who have been enquiring since around June this year about Tomori. With Isak gone I had hoped Dovbyk could be a decent stop gap this season until Endrick hits his 89/90 end of season (it will happen trust me) but he dropped to 90 and I’m not paying those wages for a stop gap. So Barnsley messaged to see if a deal involving Benzema for Tomori could work. I asked for Virgili with Benzema and a little time to hear back from another club (and to sell Dovbyk) and a deal was sealed today.

Benzema will instantly start and at 37 with a 91 rating is the perfect stop gap. He knows the club and can hopefully mentor a few of the younger players in his expected brief stint at the club.

I’m expecting Semenyo to hit 91/90 in the next few weeks so he might take the CF role in the medium term but for now I’m happy to have a low value experienced option.

The addition of Virgili is what makes it most appealing though, another assist today and the diminutive winger has burst onto the scene:

He’s (when I last checked):

Top 5 league U21s (current)
0.93 xA per 100 passes (5th)

One of only 5 players in recorded history at U19 with 500mins to have averaged 4+ successful dribbles p90 and 2+ key passes p90:
Lamine Yamal
Jadon Sancho
Rayan Cherki
Florian Wirtz
Jan Virgili

Across the entirety of world football:

99th percentile - Successful take ons per 90 (3.59)
96th percentile - Assists per 90 (0.45)
98th percentile - key passes per 90 (2.54)
98th percentile - shot creating actions from take ons per 90( 0.9)
98th percentile - goal creating actions from take ons per 90 (0.9)
99th percentile take ons attempted per 90 (8.22)

Essentially the perfect young dribbler/support winger but isn’t a goal threat so much himself.

I have no idea what his ceiling will be, but he’s 19 and putting up good dribbling data in La Liga for an awful side. It’s a big gamble but it’s more fun to do it then waiting for Tomori’s 91 knowing I need Diomande and Zabarnyi to play.

Varun · Dec 15, 2025

BenitoSTARR said:
Cardiff City Transfer News
Isak is a Don deal

It may have taken well over 6 months (I think I asked before that message but it’s the earliest I could find) but a deal for Dowman has finally been agreed with MK Dons but at a heavy cost.

Isak is no longer Cardiff’s talisman which is a huge blow to the club. It certainly puts the short term prospects of relegation into sharp focus but I think it’s raised the ceiling of the side now.

I genuinely believe Dowman is a Yamal level talent. Every scout source I trust believes he is a special talent so much of the future optics of this deal rely on him fulfilling that potential. Now of course I’ve made similar leaps of faith on players before (Endrick) but I feel this one is a little less risky namely because of who else is involved. If both do reach their potential then I could have a 96+ front line duo (and maybe another close in Diomande).

Tunkara is for me another elite talent, 94 potential (maybe more) due to his outstanding technical and physical ability. I think he may even become the RW for Barcelona if Yamal develops as expected into a 10. I would be shocked if at minimum he didn’t reach 93.

Then Nadson is a true gamble. He’s got an amazing technical ability but I think he’ll cap a bit shy of the others. Still a nice addition and something that tilted the deal into something worth gambling on for me.

Finally Baena is the one who I think will hit 92 this season or next. He was the best graded passer in La Liga last season by a well respected data company so for me isn’t a gamble and provides quality in CM/CAM and LM that will be useful in transitioning away from Modric or at bare minimum will give me time for others to develop around him (Diomande, Bouaddi etc).

I’ve taken on all the risk here as I firmly believe Isak is the next 95+ striker (he just needs his fitness) so I’m gambling on Endrick’s loan to Lyon being a success (I believe it will as he’s probably the best ball striker of his generation).

The Future Front 4?
Tunkara (15/65) Dowman (15/70) Diomande (19/83)
Endrick (19/87)

The Potential Peak Future Front 4?
Tunkara 94 Dowman 97 Diomande 96
Endrick 96

We’ll see where they end up…

That's a tasty front 4 building up! Been chasing Dowman for ages myself, came close about 6 months back but never quite got over the line. Oh well.

Varun · Dec 15, 2025

Bloody hell, just checked and it's been even longer. Came close in Mar actually but wasn't confident enough to pull the trigger then. Went back in Jul but didn't manage to get it over the line since.

BenitoSTARR · Dec 15, 2025

Varun said:
That's a tasty front 4 building up! Been chasing Dowman for ages myself, came close about 6 months back but never quite got over the line. Oh well.

Like I said in the above it’s absolutely killed me this season and I’ll be stunned if I’m not relegated but the potential of the side I think has gone up and Dowman’s timeline of development will probably line up better with the peak ages of my defence, CMs and ST.

A really challenging deal to get done but one we’re both happy with.

Varun said:
Bloody hell, just checked and it's been even longer. Came close in Mar actually but wasn't confident enough to pull the trigger then. Went back in Jul but didn't manage to get it over the line since.

That’s crazy! Couldn’t let you have Yamal, Wirtz and Dowman.

I’ve said to you before though you’ve got some top talents in Mukasa, Heskey, Ngumoha and Salmon so I think we’ll be giving each other a run for the others money in the next 3 years.

Varun · Dec 17, 2025

BenitoSTARR said:
Like I said in the above it’s absolutely killed me this season and I’ll be stunned if I’m not relegated but the potential of the side I think has gone up and Dowman’s timeline of development will probably line up better with the peak ages of my defence, CMs and ST.

A really challenging deal to get done but one we’re both happy with.

That’s crazy! Couldn’t let you have Yamal, Wirtz and Dowman.

I’ve said to you before though you’ve got some top talents in Mukasa, Heskey, Ngumoha and Salmon so I think we’ll be giving each other a run for the others money in the next 3 years.

Haha, yeah, can't complain about the options I have. Looks good now and in the long term but Dowman would have been fantastic

infamous7 · Dec 22, 2025

End of an era. Almost a 1 club man
The cnut Di Maria
Not including cup appearances
1162 Games
259 Goals
377 Assists
636 G+A
118 MotM
120 Yellows
9 Reds

Season

Club

Apps

Goal

Assists

MOM

rating

Yellow

Red

35

Fulham

4(3)

0

6

0

34

Fulham

29(16)

6

5

2

6.76

1

0

33

Fulham

34(0)

15

13

4

7.56

4

0

32

Fulham

37(0)

11

6

2

6.95

5

1

31

Fulham

36(0)

15

10

1

7.17

6

0

30

Fulham

32(0)

4

7

3

6.81

7

0

29

Fulham

33(0)

7

9

4

7.3

3

1

28

Fulham

35(0)

13

16

7

7.57

1

27

Fulham

36(0)

5

11

3

7.19

4

1

26

Fulham

32(0)

9

6

2

7.22

1

25

Fulham

35(0)

6

11

0

7.2

5

0

24

Fulham

38(0)

12

19

3

7.53

2

0

23

Fulham

37(0)

8

5

2

6.95

9

0

22

Fulham

34(0)

1

0

6.53

4

0

21

Fulham

38(0)

7

16

4

7.21

3

0

20

Fulham

30(0)

4

12

3

7.13

1

2

19

Fulham

37(0)

14

24

6

8.11

3

0

18

Fulham

34(1)

2

11

1

6.71

3

0

17

Fulham

37(0)

5

14

1

7.19

5

0

16

Fulham

36(0)

6

18

5

7.47

7

0

15

Fulham

34(2)

13

30

7

8.24

2

1

14

Fulham

29(0)

2

8

2

7.17

7

0

13

Fulham

34(0)

9

16

4

7.5

4

0

12

Fulham

36(0)

8

17

5

7.61

1

0

11

Fulham

38(0)

4

12

6

7.32

4

0

10

Fulham

38(0)

7

6

7.42

3

0

9

Fulham

37(0)

3

13

4

7.35

0

8

Fulham

35(0)

9

12

3

7.2

2

1

7

Fulham

37(0)

7

15

6

7.57

4

0

6

Fulham

37(0)

8

6

7

7.65

3

0

5

Fulham

24(0)

4

1

7.17

4

0

4

Fulham

25(0)

6

4

3

7.44

1

0

3

Fulham

23(0)

8

11

3

7.43

2

0

2

Fulham

37(0)

11

4

7

7.35

4

0

1

Fulham

34(2)

10

8

1

6.68

5

0

BenitoSTARR · Dec 23, 2025

infamous7 said:
End of an era. Almost a 1 club man
The cnut Di Maria
Not including cup appearances
1162 Games
259 Goals
377 Assists
636 G+A
118 MotM
120 Yellows
9 Reds

Season Club

Apps

Goal

Assists

MOM

rating Yellow Red
35
Fulham 4(3) 0 0 0 6 0 0
34
Fulham 29(16) 6 5 2 6.76 1 0
33
Fulham 34(0) 15 13 4 7.56 4 0
32
Fulham 37(0) 11 6 2 6.95 5 1
31
Fulham 36(0) 15 10 1 7.17 6 0
30
Fulham 32(0) 4 7 3 6.81 7 0
29
Fulham 33(0) 7 9 4 7.3 3 1
28
Fulham 35(0) 13 16 7 7.57 1 1
27
Fulham 36(0) 5 11 3 7.19 4 1
26
Fulham 32(0) 9 6 2 7.22 1 1
25
Fulham 35(0) 6 11 0 7.2 5 0
24
Fulham 38(0) 12 19 3 7.53 2 0
23
Fulham 37(0) 8 5 2 6.95 9 0
22
Fulham 34(0) 1 0 0 6.53 4 0
21
Fulham 38(0) 7 16 4 7.21 3 0
20
Fulham 30(0) 4 12 3 7.13 1 2
19
Fulham 37(0) 14 24 6 8.11 3 0
18
Fulham 34(1) 2 11 1 6.71 3 0
17
Fulham 37(0) 5 14 1 7.19 5 0
16
Fulham 36(0) 6 18 5 7.47 7 0
15
Fulham 34(2) 13 30 7 8.24 2 1
14
Fulham 29(0) 2 8 2 7.17 7 0
13
Fulham 34(0) 9 16 4 7.5 4 0
12
Fulham 36(0) 8 17 5 7.61 1 0
11
Fulham 38(0) 4 12 6 7.32 4 0
10
Fulham 38(0) 7 7 6 7.42 3 0
9
Fulham 37(0) 3 13 4 7.35 0 0
8
Fulham 35(0) 9 12 3 7.2 2 1
7
Fulham 37(0) 7 15 6 7.57 4 0
6
Fulham 37(0) 8 6 7 7.65 3 0
5
Fulham 24(0) 4 1 1 7.17 4 0
4
Fulham 25(0) 6 4 3 7.44 1 0
3
Fulham 23(0) 8 11 3 7.43 2 0
2
Fulham 37(0) 11 4 7 7.35 4 0
1
Fulham 34(2) 10 8 1 6.68 5 0

Season 15! Wow.

Love when players have these kind of careers in SM.

Damien · Dec 23, 2025

infamous7 said:
End of an era. Almost a 1 club man
The cnut Di Maria
Not including cup appearances
1162 Games
259 Goals
377 Assists
636 G+A
118 MotM
120 Yellows
9 Reds

Season Club

Apps

Goal

Assists

MOM

rating Yellow Red
35
Fulham 4(3) 0 0 0 6 0 0
34
Fulham 29(16) 6 5 2 6.76 1 0
33
Fulham 34(0) 15 13 4 7.56 4 0
32
Fulham 37(0) 11 6 2 6.95 5 1
31
Fulham 36(0) 15 10 1 7.17 6 0
30
Fulham 32(0) 4 7 3 6.81 7 0
29
Fulham 33(0) 7 9 4 7.3 3 1
28
Fulham 35(0) 13 16 7 7.57 1 1
27
Fulham 36(0) 5 11 3 7.19 4 1
26
Fulham 32(0) 9 6 2 7.22 1 1
25
Fulham 35(0) 6 11 0 7.2 5 0
24
Fulham 38(0) 12 19 3 7.53 2 0
23
Fulham 37(0) 8 5 2 6.95 9 0
22
Fulham 34(0) 1 0 0 6.53 4 0
21
Fulham 38(0) 7 16 4 7.21 3 0
20
Fulham 30(0) 4 12 3 7.13 1 2
19
Fulham 37(0) 14 24 6 8.11 3 0
18
Fulham 34(1) 2 11 1 6.71 3 0
17
Fulham 37(0) 5 14 1 7.19 5 0
16
Fulham 36(0) 6 18 5 7.47 7 0
15
Fulham 34(2) 13 30 7 8.24 2 1
14
Fulham 29(0) 2 8 2 7.17 7 0
13
Fulham 34(0) 9 16 4 7.5 4 0
12
Fulham 36(0) 8 17 5 7.61 1 0
11
Fulham 38(0) 4 12 6 7.32 4 0
10
Fulham 38(0) 7 7 6 7.42 3 0
9
Fulham 37(0) 3 13 4 7.35 0 0
8
Fulham 35(0) 9 12 3 7.2 2 1
7
Fulham 37(0) 7 15 6 7.57 4 0
6
Fulham 37(0) 8 6 7 7.65 3 0
5
Fulham 24(0) 4 1 1 7.17 4 0
4
Fulham 25(0) 6 4 3 7.44 1 0
3
Fulham 23(0) 8 11 3 7.43 2 0
2
Fulham 37(0) 11 4 7 7.35 4 0
1
Fulham 34(2) 10 8 1 6.68 5 0

Amazing spell. Really hard to let go of players at that stage. I felt the same about Ramos, thought he'd end up retiring on a high at Real so he'd be at United for full career, but no.

infamous7 · Dec 23, 2025

Damien said:
Amazing spell. Really hard to let go of players at that stage. I felt the same about Ramos, thought he'd end up retiring on a high at Real so he'd be at United for full career, but no.

I wanted to keep him till the end but I have too many players in the 89/90 rating bracket to manage concerns

Varun · Dec 26, 2025

infamous7 said:
End of an era. Almost a 1 club man
The cnut Di Maria
Not including cup appearances
1162 Games
259 Goals
377 Assists
636 G+A
118 MotM
120 Yellows
9 Reds

Season Club

Apps

Goal

Assists

MOM

rating Yellow Red
35
Fulham 4(3) 0 0 0 6 0 0
34
Fulham 29(16) 6 5 2 6.76 1 0
33
Fulham 34(0) 15 13 4 7.56 4 0
32
Fulham 37(0) 11 6 2 6.95 5 1
31
Fulham 36(0) 15 10 1 7.17 6 0
30
Fulham 32(0) 4 7 3 6.81 7 0
29
Fulham 33(0) 7 9 4 7.3 3 1
28
Fulham 35(0) 13 16 7 7.57 1 1
27
Fulham 36(0) 5 11 3 7.19 4 1
26
Fulham 32(0) 9 6 2 7.22 1 1
25
Fulham 35(0) 6 11 0 7.2 5 0
24
Fulham 38(0) 12 19 3 7.53 2 0
23
Fulham 37(0) 8 5 2 6.95 9 0
22
Fulham 34(0) 1 0 0 6.53 4 0
21
Fulham 38(0) 7 16 4 7.21 3 0
20
Fulham 30(0) 4 12 3 7.13 1 2
19
Fulham 37(0) 14 24 6 8.11 3 0
18
Fulham 34(1) 2 11 1 6.71 3 0
17
Fulham 37(0) 5 14 1 7.19 5 0
16
Fulham 36(0) 6 18 5 7.47 7 0
15
Fulham 34(2) 13 30 7 8.24 2 1
14
Fulham 29(0) 2 8 2 7.17 7 0
13
Fulham 34(0) 9 16 4 7.5 4 0
12
Fulham 36(0) 8 17 5 7.61 1 0
11
Fulham 38(0) 4 12 6 7.32 4 0
10
Fulham 38(0) 7 7 6 7.42 3 0
9
Fulham 37(0) 3 13 4 7.35 0 0
8
Fulham 35(0) 9 12 3 7.2 2 1
7
Fulham 37(0) 7 15 6 7.57 4 0
6
Fulham 37(0) 8 6 7 7.65 3 0
5
Fulham 24(0) 4 1 1 7.17 4 0
4
Fulham 25(0) 6 4 3 7.44 1 0
3
Fulham 23(0) 8 11 3 7.43 2 0
2
Fulham 37(0) 11 4 7 7.35 4 0
1
Fulham 34(2) 10 8 1 6.68 5 0

Awesome stuff!

BenitoSTARR · Jan 1, 2026

Growing Pains Part 2: A Nudge in the Right Direction

With the November-December big 5 leagues review finished its time to review the changes to the squad. The next time we do this will be at the end of the March big 5 league review and then in the summer one too.

The goalkeeping department has seen no change. I don’t expect Chevalier to move off this 91 unless there are some good CL performances too but right now he’s the Ligue 1 leader for clean sheets. Owusu-Oduro has been superb for AZ and I can’t see him being there at the end of the summer transfer window.

The flat backs finally saw some growth. Kayode to 87 is still too low statistically he’s now one of the best RBs in the PL for every metric you’d want (duels won, dribbles/carries, chance creation) so for me I’m very relaxed here and I’m expecting end of season 89/90 and then a move in the summer. I might sell Pavard when Kayode hits 89/90 but for now I’m in two minds. Mittelstadt has 2 goals and 3 assists in real life already from LWB so has a chance at 91 end of season if Stuttgart finish strong. Torrents and Ahanor got good rises and I expect to see steady development (Ahanor to 85, Torrents to 80 in the short-medium term). I’ve also signed Kosugi (just moved to Frankfurt) and Dijkstra (I think a season earlier than necessary but wanted to avoid a future bidding war).

Centre backs I made some decisions based on expecting to sell Semenyo and receive either Yoro or Scalvini so probably a mistake to sell Jair. In reality I think Ahanor might turn into a LCB more than fullback so we’ll see how that develops as to how aggressive I buy here. I personally think with Diomande and Zabarnyi going too hard to recruit more here is pointless as Braithwaite and Mykhavko are both very good still. I’d rather recruit attacking options.

So again when I made this I was going to talk about how Reijdners looks on for 93 end of season and will be a top player to carry the team over its transition period… more on that later. Modric I love and he’s been the Serie A player of the year so far. 94 should be on the cards if he was younger it would be no question but SM are ageist bastards. I won’t sell him. He’ll retire here.

In the meantime we’ve had good growth from Bouaddi and Chema who are still amongst the best in Europe for what they do. Nartey will rise when they do the Superliga and Hinshelwood has returned from injury and is starting again for Brighton (I’m hoping for an 88/89 from him end of season).

There’s now a massive gap in the starting XI at AM. But the youth talents here are excellent. We have the best Serbian AM, a top Brazilian, two top Spaniards, a top Colombian, top Ecuadorian and top Argentinian. If none of those hit 91+ by 21 I’ll be the unluckiest scout in the world. I could do with someone coming in here immediately though. I’m working on it.

Dro rose really well and I still expect him to get into the 80s this season. With a bigger role expected next season.

Out wide Semenyo got his rise to 91 (finally) at the rate he is going I do expect him to be 92/3 when he moves to City. One of my favourite signings and players in the PL but he’s not going to be on these charts in future. Kubo and Baena stayed (but I think Baena hits 92 this season).

In the younger section Addai, Diomande, Virgili, Bardghji, Robinho Jr and Dowman all rose varying levels. Diomande should be 85 already as he’s performing at a 91 level as an 18/19 year old (bold claim but the stats back me up here) but I’m not worried he’s been good at AFCON too and I expect him to jus be a rocket riser to 86/7 next review then 88/9 end of season minimum. Virgili was a nice surprise to 83 I think he could get to 85/6 with the Barca links and hype too heating up (especially with rumours Rashford won’t be signed). Bardghji got a smaller than expected rise but also may leave Barcelona in January to FC Porto. He’ll tear up the Portuguese league if he goes and so would be best for his ratings short term. Addai is first choice at Como so again a move to 85/6 is expected soon so I’m happy with his development. Robinho Jr and Dowman any rise is appreciated when they are so young and both have incredible potential so I know I’ll need patience here.

No real changes here (as expected) but when they do review the Danish superliga I expect Dju to hit 85/6 he’s got 23 goals (2nd most for U21s in Europe) in 2025 so the talent is there along with the physicality to make a bigger move.

Endrick’s loan to Lyon means I fully expect a little rise to 88 and an end of season rise to 89/90 depending how many he scores. My prediction… he gets at least 8 goals in Ligue 1 in half a season and hits 89/90. I think he’ll get 10+ though.

The only way is up…

BenitoSTARR · Jan 2, 2026

Cardiff City Transfer News:
João You Doin’?

Cardiff City are delighted to announce that João Neves has officially signed with the club having agreed a deal on New Years Day.

New year, new blood and a new boy in town and they don’t come any better than Neves. The highest rated U21 CM in the world with the potential to raise the ceiling of any side in the league it was an incredibly expensive signing as both Tijjani Reijnders and Antoine Semenyo were sent to Bristol City in exchange.

The club arranged a special player unveiling on the 2nd January where a packed out stadium greeted the player as he showed off his ball control with some silky juggling moves.

As a midfield maestro he instantly warmed himself to fans after chants of “cross bar!” were met with a wry smile and Neves placing the ball before the halfway line. He launched it and several seconds later the most delightful of pings was met with an earsplitting roar from the crowd!

João did he manage that?

It now means Cardiff City have the highest rated U21 and U18 prospects in central midfield in Neves and Bouaddi respectively. They are hopeful of more signings of a similar ilk and quality in the coming months.

Watch this space!

BenitoSTARR · Jan 3, 2026

Cardiff City Transfer News:
Kosugi, Bardghji and Dijkstra - Teenage Triple Threat

Cardiff City are delighted to announce the triple signing of Kosugi, Bardghji and Dijkstra. The talented trio aren’t expected to make major movements into the first team just yet but it’s expected that Kosugi could develop into a good deputy for Mittelstadt and maybe more longer term with Dijkstra very much considered one of the most promising young fullbacks who, like Kayode, is comfortable on either flank.

Bardghji of course now reunites with his elder brother Roony and we’ll have a special in depth look at the pair coming soon.

Sandyman · Jan 4, 2026

Amazing business @BenitoSTARR

Had my eye on Neves so shame to see him move but your offer was just ridiculous.

BenitoSTARR · Jan 5, 2026

Sandyman said:
Amazing business @BenitoSTARR

Had my eye on Neves so shame to see him move but your offer was just ridiculous.

I did a poll (after agreeing the deal) and it came out perfectly 50:50 (which rarely happens).

I think Reijdners and Semenyo bare minimum go to 93 and 92 respectively end of season (annoyingly Reijdners scored again yesterday so he’s on 5 goals in the league already) which obviously would be massive for any club to get a peak age 93 CM and entering peak age 92 winger/fwd but I just know I can’t win the league building around those two. I need to look another 2 years down the line to have a chance at beating United (their midfield and wingers are at better ages or at least were).

Ultimately the way I see this deal is how did I get Reijdners and Semenyo to then get Neves?

I traded Rudiger (£18m + Davison Sanchez) and Gakpo (Vardy) for Barella
I bought Semenyo for £3.2m + Van Brederode
I then traded Barella for Reijdners and Bouaddi.
And finally Reijdners + Semenyo = João Neves

So my question is: Would I be comfortable having traded…

£21.2m + Sanchez + Vardy + Van Brederode = Joao Neves + Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Yep.

Sandyman · Jan 5, 2026

BenitoSTARR said:
I did a poll (after agreeing the deal) and it came out perfectly 50:50 (which rarely happens).

I think Reijdners and Semenyo bare minimum go to 93 and 92 respectively end of season (annoyingly Reijdners scored again yesterday so he’s on 5 goals in the league already) which obviously would be massive for any club to get a peak age 93 CM and entering peak age 92 winger/fwd but I just know I can’t win the league building around those two. I need to look another 2 years down the line to have a chance at beating United (their midfield and wingers are at better ages or at least were).

Ultimately the way I see this deal is how did I get Reijdners and Semenyo to then get Neves?

I traded Rudiger (£18m + Davison Sanchez) and Gakpo (Vardy) for Barella

I bought Semenyo for £3.2m + Van Brederode

I then traded Barella for Reijdners and Bouaddi.

And finally Reijdners + Semenyo = João Neves

So my question is: Would I be comfortable having traded…

£21.2m + Sanchez + Vardy + Van Brederode = Joao Neves + Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Yep.

Yeah you have done great in picking up some elite talents and doing a proper rebuild

BenitoSTARR · Jan 5, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Sheffield United (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1
Norwich £255.9
Bury £291.3
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?)
Bristol City £306.7
Southampton £319.9
Bournemouth £334.7
Fulham £340.3
Kidderminster £347.3
Torquay £373.8
Man City £390
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

CrackersJr · Jan 5, 2026

BenitoSTARR said:
Sunderland draft

Next up: Sheffield United (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.

Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.

Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip

Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m

Sheffield £253.1

Norwich £255.9

Bury £291.3

Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?)

Bristol City £306.7

Southampton £319.9

Bournemouth £334.7

Fulham £340.3

Kidderminster £347.3

Torquay £373.8

Man City £390

MK Dons £392.6

West Ham £394.3

Barnsley £398.1

Newcastle £430.6

Nott Forest £432.4

Hereford £443.2

Wolves £461.5

Aston Villa £478.7

Everton £484

Southend £491.4

Leyton Orient £508.5

Rochdale £509.5

Manchester United £556

Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

Looks like Sheffield picked Olmo.

Next up Norwich

BenitoSTARR · Jan 6, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Bury (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?)
Bristol City £306.7
Southampton £319.9
Bournemouth £334.7
Fulham £340.3
Kidderminster £347.3
Torquay £373.8
Man City £390
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 6, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Bristol (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7
Southampton £319.9
Bournemouth £334.7
Fulham £340.3
Kidderminster £347.3
Torquay £373.8
Man City £390
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 6, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Southampton (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9
Bournemouth £334.7
Fulham £340.3
Kidderminster £347.3
Torquay £373.8
Man City £390
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 6, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Bournemouth (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7
Fulham £340.3
Kidderminster £347.3
Torquay £373.8
Man City £390
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 7, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Fulham (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m
Fulham £340.3
Kidderminster £347.3
Torquay £373.8
Man City £390
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 7, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Kidderminster (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m
Fulham £340.3 Mikey Moore £2.4m
Kidderminster £347.3
Torquay £373.8
Man City £390
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 8, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Man City (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m
Fulham £340.3 Mikey Moore £2.4m
Kidderminster £347.3 Skip
Torquay £373.8 Matías Soulé £14m
Man City £390
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 8, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: MK Dons (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m
Fulham £340.3 Mikey Moore £2.4m
Kidderminster £347.3 Skip
Torquay £373.8 Matías Soulé £14m
Man City £390 Samuele Inácio £140k
MK Dons £392.6
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 8, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: West Ham (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m
Fulham £340.3 Mikey Moore £2.4m
Kidderminster £347.3 Skip
Torquay £373.8 Matías Soulé £14m
Man City £390 Samuele Inácio £140k
MK Dons £392.6 Álex Grimaldo £21.197m
West Ham £394.3
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 8, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Barnsley (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m
Fulham £340.3 Mikey Moore £2.4m
Kidderminster £347.3 Skip
Torquay £373.8 Matías Soulé £14m
Man City £390 Samuele Inácio £140k
MK Dons £392.6 Álex Grimaldo £21.197m
West Ham £394.3 Manuel Locatelli £15.616m
Barnsley £398.1
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

BenitoSTARR · Jan 8, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Newcastle (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m
Fulham £340.3 Mikey Moore £2.4m
Kidderminster £347.3 Skip
Torquay £373.8 Matías Soulé £14m
Man City £390 Samuele Inácio £140k
MK Dons £392.6 Álex Grimaldo £21.197m
West Ham £394.3 Manuel Locatelli £15.616m
Barnsley £398.1 Rúben Neves £15.296m
Newcastle £430.6
Nott Forest £432.4
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

Mani · Jan 9, 2026

I will pick Ibrahim Rabbaj

BenitoSTARR · Jan 9, 2026

Sunderland draft

Next up: Hereford (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.
Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.
Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip
Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m
Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m
Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m
Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m
Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip
Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k
Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m
Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m
Fulham £340.3 Mikey Moore £2.4m
Kidderminster £347.3 Skip
Torquay £373.8 Matías Soulé £14m
Man City £390 Samuele Inácio £140k
MK Dons £392.6 Álex Grimaldo £21.197m
West Ham £394.3 Manuel Locatelli £15.616m
Barnsley £398.1 Rúben Neves £15.296m
Newcastle £430.6 Gonçalo Ramos £12.8m
Nott Forest £432.4 Ibrahim Rabbaj £140k
Hereford £443.2
Wolves £461.5
Aston Villa £478.7
Everton £484
Southend £491.4
Leyton Orient £508.5
Rochdale £509.5
Manchester United £556
Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

Sandyman · Jan 9, 2026

BenitoSTARR said:
Sunderland draft

Next up: Hereford (PM’d SM)

Rules:

Only Gold managers will unfortunately be allowed to do transfers thanks to SM. We can't do the workaround anymore as they have patched it. If you're non-Gold but intend on getting Gold, let me know and I'll put you back in draft.

Time between picks is now 16 hours instead of the previous 12. I would prefer if you message me picks in advance to make things go faster. Please include your club name if messaging on Redcafe.

Once the draft is over and the temp manager has resigned, bid face value for the player.

UPDATED AS OF 07:30 5/1/26 (time of resignation confirmed with Damien)

Players with crosses unlikely to be involved in draft

Tottenham £192 (not gold) skip

Cardiff £248.6 Arda Güler £24m

Sheffield £253.1 Dani Olmo £23.616m

Norwich £255.9 Amad Diallo £16m

Bury £291.3 Reece James £28m

Arsenal £306.1 (not gold?) skip

Bristol City £306.7 David Boly £140k

Southampton £319.9 Alexis Saelemaekers £14m

Bournemouth £334.7 Connor Bradley £12m

Fulham £340.3 Mikey Moore £2.4m

Kidderminster £347.3 Skip

Torquay £373.8 Matías Soulé £14m

Man City £390 Samuele Inácio £140k

MK Dons £392.6 Álex Grimaldo £21.197m

West Ham £394.3 Manuel Locatelli £15.616m

Barnsley £398.1 Rúben Neves £15.296m

Newcastle £430.6 Gonçalo Ramos £12.8m

Nott Forest £432.4 Ibrahim Rabbaj £140k

Hereford £443.2

Wolves £461.5

Aston Villa £478.7

Everton £484

Southend £491.4

Leyton Orient £508.5

Rochdale £509.5

Manchester United £556

Middlesbrough £577.7 (transfer banned 1 season)

I pick Reggie Walsh

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