Some of the best players in the world today are defensive midfielders, who play such an important role in Football Manager 2024.
Tasked with shielding your defence and connecting your attack, you need to find a midfielder you can trust to play here, and thankfully, FM24 is full of plenty of options at any price point.
Here are the best defensive midfielders to sign on FM24 with any budget.
Cheap options
Fernandinho
ATP
He might get the Not for Sale status, but you can actually lure former Manchester City hero Fernandinho away for £5m. He might be 38, but that's still some outrageous value for a player of his quality.
David Lopez
Girona
Despite actually being a centre-back, Lopez's stats appear best-suited for a DM role. The 33-year-old is a very smart buy at £2.3m.
Allan
Al-Wahda
Wages could be a problem with Allan, who is earning a pretty penny after leaving Everton. Still, with a price tag of £4.2m, you should be able to make it work.
Patrick Berg
Bodo/Glimt
What Berg has on his side is age. He's only 25 and so can actually be sold for some good money in future. If you want that privilege, it'll cost you £5m.
Fernando
Sevilla
Sevilla will entertain bids of just £2.1m for Fernando, whose 16 positioning and 14 tackling will make him a great anchor.
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Etienne Capoue
Villarreal
Capoue is built for the DM role and has some really high attributes in all the areas you'd want from him, including 16 tackling, 16 work rate and 15 positioning. For just £2.8m, you really can't go wrong.
Alfred Duncan
Fiorentina
£4.7m is a little high for a player of Duncan's current ability when you compare him to others on this list, but it's still a reasonable price for a 30-year-old with 14s in all the right places.
Nicolas Hofler
Freiburg
He might be 33 but, with 19 fitness and 17 stamina, you don't need to worry about Hofler's age. One look at his outrageous mental stats - 19 teamwork, 17 concentration, 16 anticipation - and you shouldn't hesitate to splash out £2.6m. He'll sign a new contract pretty soon though, so you better act quick.
Guido Pizarro
Tigres
Another on an expiring deal, Pizarro looks like a smart buy for £2.7m. He's got plenty of 13s and 14s on his stats page and looks like the perfect stop-gap signing.
Javi Martinez
Qatar SC
A great backup option here is former Bayern man Martinez, whose price tag of just £600,000 makes him an excellent alternative. As far as value for money goes, you won't find much better.
Reasonable options
Wilmar Barrios
Zenit
Barrios is a really nice signing every year and, at £8.75m, it's the same this year. 18 marking, 16 positioning and 15 tackling make him perfect for any role.
Dani Parejo
Villarreal
This one depends on your play style. Parejo is a perfectly fine defender but he's one of the best passers you could dream of. If you're looking for a deep lying playmaker, you've found him for just £10m.
Francis Coquelin
Villarreal
Lining up alongside Parejo is Coquelin, who does the dirty work with his 16 tackling. That skill set will cost you £12m.
Idrissa Gueye
Everton
Gueye's wages are a bit mental - the perils of buying from the Premier League - but his asking price of £10.5m is more than reasonable. With 18 tackling and 16 work rate, he's still an excellent midfield option.
Ellyes Skhiri
Eintracht Frankfurt
19 stamina and 17 work rate tell you all you need to know about the indefatigable Skhiri who, with his 16 tackling, has drawn understandable comparisons to N'Golo Kante. If you've got a bit of extra cash lying around, landing him for £17m is a good move.
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Marten de Roon
Atalanta
On an expiring contract, De Roon can be yours for as little as £8.75m, which is unbelievable value. He might not be elite but he's absolutely good enough for any team on the game and you will not find anybody like him for that sort of money.
Rolando Mandragora
Fiorentina
Mandragora is technical enough to play further forward but, if you're worried about his defending, 14 positioning and tackling should be enough to convince you he's worth the £12m spend.
Julian Weigl
Borussia Monchengladbach
Weigl is another who regularly features as a smart signing. He's available for £14m this year which, considering he brings 16s, 17s and 18s in all the right stats, is a massive bargain.
Danilo Cataldi
Lazio
Clubs are sniffing around the reliable Cataldi at the start of the game, and for good reason. His £12m price tag, coupled with the fact he's only 28, should make you feel good about this deal.
Rade Krunic
AC Milan
Krunic doesn't stand out in any single attribute but is instead well-rounded enough to be a nice option at DM, CM and AM. That's a valuable squad member for just £9.5m.
Expensive options
Guido Rodriguez
Real Hispalis
Top teams usually end up sniffing around Rodriguez in FM and it's not hard to see why. His £54m asking price is definitely on the steep side but it'll get you an elite anchor who is also capable of getting involved in attack as well.
Yves Bissouma
Tottenham Hotspur
Based on current ability, Bissouma is the best player on this entire list, but his price tag of £56m is a long way away from the highest.
Leon Goretzka
FC Bayern
Taking the honour of our most-expensive recommendation is Goretzka. It'll cost you a whopping £84m to land the German but that's actually a pretty reasonable price compared to most of the elite DM options.
Joao Palhinha
Fulham
Fulham use their Premier League privilege to demand a whopping £78m for Palhinha. That's a high price but, if you pay it, you're getting a hell of a DM.
Koke
A. Madrid
There are bargains to be found on the red side of Madrid this year. Playmaker Koke can be picked up for £66m, which is still on the steep side but absolutely worth considering if you've got that sort of budget.
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Aurelien Tchouameni
R. Madrid
If you've got the money to be shopping in this price bracket, go and get Tchouameni. Madrid will sell him for £60m, giving you a DM who is already elite but is also destined to become one of the best players in the world for the next decade.
Adrien Rabiot
Juventus
As far as value for money goes, Rabiot might be the best option in this range. He's a very good player whose price tag of £31m is significantly below what you'd expect from players of his current ability.
Marcos Llorente
A. Madrid
Llorente's versatility is worth £42m on its own, before you even consider just how good he is. An excellent DM with 16 work rate and 15 tackling, this is a deal worth considering.
Ismael Bennacer
AC Milan
At £17.75m, Bennacer is an outrageous signing, but he qualifies for this price bracket because of his six-figure wages. Not every club will be able to get the 25-year-old, but you should definitely try.
Geoffrey Kondogbia
OM
Rounding us out here is the reliable Kondogbia who, year on year, proves to be a top signing on FM. At £33.5m, this is a deal worth pulling off.
READ MORE ON THE BEST SIGNINGS & TEAMS TO START A SAVE WITH ON FM24
This article was originally published on 90min as The best defensive midfielders to sign on Football Manager 2024.