FIFA 20 Career Mode: Best Cheap High Potential Centre Backs (CB)

Looking for young promising cheap centre backs? We have ALL the best bargain CBs to sign for less than £5 million on Career Mode.

Author:

Matt Kay

A sports fanatic who indulges in the weird and wonderful world of video games.

Published on: Apr 28, 2020 | Updated on: Sep 13, 2023

Contents

1 Choosing FIFA 20 Career Mode’s best cheap high potential centre backs (CB)
2 Marco Kana (OVR 66 – POT 86)
3 Leonidas Stergiou (OVR 63 – POT 86)
4 Joško Gvardiol (OVR 67 – POT 85)
5 Armel Bella-Kotchap (OVR 63 – POT 85)
6 Eric García (OVR 69 – POT 85)
7 All the Best CB on FIFA 20

The importance of having a solid defence is immense, no matter the circumstances.

In many cases, having experience at the back is essential. However, young players have the highest upside and can stick around or provide a hefty payday down the line.

In FIFA 20, finding a young centre-back with high potential ratings can be tremendously rewarding. Here, we will look at those cheap, high potential centre-backs for you to fit into your team.

The top-five of these young centre-backs in FIFA 20 feature below, with a list of other high-potential cheap centre-backs listed in a table at the foot of the article. Here is our guide with all the best CB in FIFA 20.

Choosing FIFA 20 Career Mode’s best cheap high potential centre backs (CB)

The most important aspect when considering the best high potential young centre backs in FIFA 20 Career Mode is the potential overall rating.

Those that feature in the body of the article have the highest potential rating. The others listed in the table at the foot of the piece having a rating of at least 84 POT. The centre-backs included have a release clause of £5 million or less.

We have excluded players who are out on-loan, including William Saliba (AS Saint-Étienne), Ethan Ampadu (RB Leipzig), and Jean-Clair Todibo (FC Schalke 04).

For a full list of ALL our best CB FIFA 20, please look at the table towards the end of the page

Marco Kana (OVR 66 – POT 86)

Team: RSC Anderlecht
Best Position: CB, CDM
Age: 17
Overall/Potential: 66 OVR / 86 POT
Value (Release Clause): £1.1 million (£2.7 million)
Wage: £450 a week
Best Attributes: 78 Balance, 77 Jumping, 76 Agility

Marco Kana is one of the most exciting defenders playing in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kana has built his way up through the academy of Belgium giants Anderlecht.

Kana made his debut for Anderlecht at 16-years-old, with then-manager Simon Davies giving the Belgian defender a substitute appearance in a 0-0 tie with Mouscron. Since then, Kana has made 17 appearances in total, which included a stretch of 11 consecutive league starts before moving to the bench.

In FIFA 20, Kana is a relatively diminutive centre-back at 5’10’’, with a medium work rate and a three-star weak foot rating.

Kana starts Career Mode with favourable physical traits which will improve as his development progresses. Ratings of 78 balance, 77 jumping, 72 acceleration, and 76 agility make Kana a mobile option at centre-back.

Leonidas Stergiou (OVR 63 – POT 86)

Team: FC St. Gallen
Best Position: CB
Age: 17
Overall/Potential: 63 OVR / 86 POT
Value (Release Clause): £675,000 (£1.7 million)
Wage: £450 a week
Best Attributes: 83 Jumping, 72 Strength, 70 Balance

Leonidas Stergiou has been a part of the FC St. Gallen set-up since joining the youth team in 2015. It’s been a meteoric rise for Stergiou, who enjoyed his first-team debut in a 3-1 victory over FC Zürich in the midst of last season.

This season, Stergiou has been able to capitalise on his solid form by cementing himself as a first-team regular. The Swiss defender played in 21 matches out of a possible 23, being pivotal to FC St. Gallen moving to the top of the Super League.

Stergiou is one of the lowest-valued players on this list, price-wise, but has the potential to be a strong player when developed.

The 83 for jumping and 72 for strength showcases that Stergiou can be a top competitor in the air already, even with his 5’11’’ frame.

Joško Gvardiol (OVR 67 – POT 85)

Team: Dinamo Zagreb
Best Position: CB/LB
Age: 17
Overall/Potential: 67 OVR / 85 POT
Value (Release Clause): £1.3 million (£3.6 million)
Wage: £450 a week
Best Attributes: 82 Strength, 81 Jumping, 80 Sprint Speed

Dinamo Zagreb’s Joško Gvardiol is an exciting prospect that’s waiting in the wings for a proper first-team stint. Gvardiol has been with Dinamo since 2010, where he has honed his skills as a centre-back.

The Croatian has been a prominent figure in the youth team’s run to the UEFA Youth League quarter-finals. Playing in all eight matches, Gvardiol has helped Dinamo beat Manchester City in the group stage and knock-out Bayern Munich in the Round of 16.

Gvardiol already has some great attribute ratings that may force many to pull the trigger and buy him in FIFA 20 Career Mode.

The Zagreb-native’s 71 acceleration and 80 sprint speed make him the fastest player on this list of cheap, high potential centre-backs. With a high defensive work rate and a four-star weak foot, Gvardiol will be atop many FIFA 20 players’ shortlists.

Armel Bella-Kotchap (OVR 63 – POT 85)

Team: VfL Bochum 1848
Best Position: CB
Age: 17
Overall/Potential: 63 OVR / 85 POT
Value (Release Clause): 675K (£1.8 million)
Wage: £450 a week
Best Attributes: 79 Strength, 75 Jumping, 74 Sprint Speed

Armel Bella-Kotchap was one of the hottest centre-back prospects in Germany at one point. Born in Paris, Bella-Kotchap has been a part of several youth systems in Germany, ranging from Borussia Mönchengladbach to MSV Duisburg, finally establishing himself with VfL Bochum.

The second-tier German club has had Bella-Kotchap on the books since 2017, with former coach Robin Dutt giving Bella-Kotchap his first-team debut late last season. Since then, the centre-back hasn’t been able to cement a regular first-team spot, featuring in only eight league matches this season.

For those playing with a German team in FIFA 20 Career Mode, Bella-Kotchap should be at the top of your shortlist. As the tallest centre-back of this bunch, standing 6’3’’, Bella-Kotchap also has some strong attribute ratings to his name.

The French-born German boasts 79 strength, 75 jumping, and he is fairly quick off the mark with a 70 for acceleration and 74 for sprint speed. Bella-Kotchap is also the only top-rated cheap, high potential CB here with a five-star weak foot.

Eric García (OVR 69 – POT 85)

Team: Manchester City
Best Position: CB
Age: 18
Overall/Potential: 69 OVR / 85 POT
Value (Release Clause): £1.8 million (£4.5 million)
Wage: £10,000 a week
Best Attributes: 73 Jumping, 69 Strength, 69 Standing Tackle

Our only Premier League entry comes in the form of Manchester City’s Eric García. The Spaniard is a Barcelona academy product, joining the City youth team under Pep Guardiola in 2017. García has impressed in the youth ranks, earning his first professional contract at the start of this season.

Manchester City have dealt with many injuries at centre-back during the 2019/20 campaign, which opened the door for García. The Barcelona-native made his Premier League debut in City’s 8-0 thumping of Watford, coming on as a substitute. His first league start came at the end of 2019, in a 2-0 home win over Sheffield United.

García has the highest overall rating of this bunch at 69 OVR; however, it’s his £4.5 million release clause that might sway players when it comes to buying the 18-year-old CB.

Like many of the players on this list, García has some solid starting ratings with 73 jumping, 69 strength, and 69 standing tackle.

All the Best CB on FIFA 20

Here’s the complete list of all the best cheap high potential centre backs in FIFA 20 Career Mode.

Name	Position	Age	Overall	Potential	Team	Wage	Release Clause
Marco Kana	CB, CDM	16	66	86	RSC Anderlecht	£450	£2.7M
Leonidas Stergiou	CB	17	63	86	FC St. Gallen	£450	£1.7M
E. Ampadu	CB, CDM	18	68	86	RB Leipzig	£4K	£3.6M
Joško Gvardiol	CB, LB	17	67	85	Dinamo Zagreb	£450	£3.6M
Armel Bella-Kotchap	CB	17	63	85	VfL Bochum 1848	£450	£1.8M
Eric García	CB	18	69	85	Manchester City	£10K	£4.5M
Tiago Djaló	CB	19	69	84	LOSC Lille	£7K	£4.8M
Nicolò Armini	CB	18	66	84	Lazio	£3K	£2.5M
Nathan Michael Collins	CB	18	63	84	Stoke City	£2K	£2M
Ki-Jana Hoever	RB, CB	17	62	84	Liverpool	£495	£1.6M
Sepp van den Berg	CB	17	66	84	Liverpool	£765	£2.7M
James Sands	CDM, CB	18	66	84	New York City FC	£630	£2.3M
Japhet Tanganga	CB, RB, LB	20	69	84	Tottenham Hotspur	£19K	£5M