Today I had a look for some lesser known picks at the cheaper end of the market that I haven’t covered on the site recently. I found enough for a 2 part series for this week!
These are either fairly unknown players with high potential or they can be well known but currently forgotten with a decent chance to bounce back.
These are some good picks for broadening out a portfolio beyond the solid “core performance” type of player.
They will tend to be something of a longshot but offer a high potential gain.
This is absolutely fine as long as we are getting a value price to match and I generally have 4-5 of this sort of player in my portfolio at any one time.
Michael Cuisance - Bayern Munich
Performance Potential 
20 year old Bayern and France U20 midfielder, he’s had plenty of social media attention in the past and his moments in the sun. But after a struggle for minutes at Bayern this season he’s down to a bargain £1.19.
He is actually a promising talent on FI with strong baselines matched up with excellent goal threat numbers. This goal threat hasn’t translated into many senior level goals, which probably keeps him a bit under the radar to many. But, the threat is definitely there.
With this style of play with high baselines married to goals, good development would probably turn him into an Alcantara type in the best case, or something like a Brozovic at least.
At a good club, whether that is a reboot to life at Bayern or even the rumours of an AC Milan switch, this feels like a great long term pick at a stable and value price.
Lisandro Martinez - Ajax
Performance Potential 
22 year old Argentinian CB, now a mainstay in the Ajax defence with 2,031 league minutes this season to date.
There is nothing particularly remarkable about his stats except for his high possession and ball playing ability which is fashionable with top clubs.
It’s rarely long before transfer rumours start for players with this profile and now that his price has settled 10p below his November IPO price, this would be a good time to pick him up in my view.
All it takes is a big club to come in for him at some point this window or next and he can go from 94p to 1.50+ with relative ease.
This is the sort of trade that will hardly get any attention yet can blow almost all of the big ticket players out of the water when it comes to actual percentage gains.
Malang Sarr - Nice
Performance Potential
Another young CB playing for Nice and France U21. Like Martinez above, he’s the fashionable type we want with strong passing ability.
He is also out of contract and expected to move this Summer. In a window where big money moves are going to be limited and Chairmen will be grubbing around for freebies, Sarr should be a hot property.
At £1.05 he’s not quite a secret but he’s still well under the site Guide Price of £1.40 to £1.70 on the Dashboard – my ball park estimation of what the market is willing to pay for a decent defender with a good profile fit.
That’s an indicator that there is room to grow if things go well for him, and for a decent youngster the price isn’t outrageous and the risk is acceptable.
Eric Garcia - Manchester City
Performance Potential
Spain U21. Good CB. 19 years old.
If you asked me to guess what price would be attached to a player with this profile if they were due to transfer to Manchester City I’d say £1.50 easily.
What is fairly amusing, and an indication of how much transfer hype puts on a price, is that Garcia is all those things, is already at City with minutes under his belt and yet is only 99p.
Lesson for us – be wary of holding transfer hype players too long if the price is way out ahead of real value.
Another one – when a player might actually be good but the transfer hype has faded we might want to come back to them for the right price.
With transfer options limited for City, particularly perhaps if they have no CL football, all it might take is loss of form for Stones or an injury to Laporte and Garcia might get a whole lot more relevant.
It’s no sure bet of course. But the price is right for the gamble and because of their high possession City centre backs are one of the few capable of competing on performance scoring, just like Laporte does (or would, if fit).
Ryan Sessegnon - Tottenham
Performance Potential
Another hype kid like Brewster who has fallen on very hard times after not fulfilling expectations (that were far too high for him to ever meet anyway).
I don’t value chat groups and only spend limited time scanning social media but I can see that in a lot of cases these players are often the butt of jokes by now.
Perfect. The greater the controversy the better the bargain.
He’s actually got some good potential – usually with these hype pumps there is something there – most people aren’t totally stupid. A “good” pumper will push players that are almost right or have potential for 2-3 years down the line – it’s easier to sell them if there is some truth mixed in with the hype.
Sessegnon started so young at 16 that he feels old news, but he’s just 19 and has every chance of a good future including for England.
And he’s shown some decent performance potential too.
Like Brewster, I’d never have touched him at peak hype but after a year of price falls now £1.74 is looking like a price that finally matches the risk attached to a young player yet to make his breakthrough.
Gedson Fernandes - Tottenham
Performance Potential
We haven’t seen a lot of minutes for Gedson Fernandes at Spurs so far. But what we have seen is pretty good.
The 3 March Cup game vs Norwich was his best, and it shows a glimpse of performance potential. This backs up some nice historic stuff from Benfica.
Clearly, lots to do to settle in the side and winning whilst playing at Spurs isn’t easy.
But with the new car smell faded and plummeting from peak January hype of £1.84 to just £1.29 now this is a clear value price to my eye for a long term holder.
Probably has a decent chance of playing himself back into contention for Portugal too.
Joao Filipe (Jota) - Benfica
Performance Potential
21 year old Benfica forward.
Around about the time Joao Felix was breaking out and pumping, social media went for Joao Felipe as “the next Felix”. I had none of that on the site – it was total nonsense at that time, the similarity ended at the name.
Now though?
He’s spent a year dropping in price and £1.19 for a decent prospect which is clear value.
For a forward, he’s got the numbers to make his goals count and at a good club he can do well.
He’s stuttered a bit this season but he has been given a new big contract as a show of faith. He may go out on loan for a while as the arrival of Pedrinho from Corinthians could block him.
But with a long term view I think he offers value and some real performance potential, with the chance of getting lucky with a good move or even Benfica minutes/goals in the shorter term.
And don't forget...
These are some similar players who have appeared on the site in recent months. You can find full reviews by using the Search function on the Dashboard.
I thought it was worth including them here as reminders, as they could be good prospects for the coming months.
Pedrinho - Benfica
A player I’ve covered often as a cheap prospect on the site for a long time. Has risen nicely over the last year from 73p to £1.19 now.
And he could have been luckier and got a bigger move.
Strong potential though and Benfica players are often in hot demand – all he’ll need to do is bag some goals. Solid long term pick in my view, just monitor him because he’ll need to show the form that will get him transfer links later on.
Gabriel Barbosa - Flamengo
Insane recent goals tally for the 23 year old Brazilian forward, and it seems odd he hasn’t thrived in Europe yet despite spells with Inter and Benfica where he didn’t get many chances.
At £1.17 this is a decent hold as the chances of more big club links appearing are high – he was linked to Chelsea in January reaching £1.48 fairly easily.
Quincy Promes - Ajax
I have a long and difficult relationship with Promes. When he moved to Sevilla his stats from the Russian league had me sold – he could be a fantastic performance player.
He showed flashes, but didn’t really hit those highs. But when he moved to Ajax, there it is. Wonderful numbers. If only he was eligible for more than European ties.
Another run in Europe isn’t far away though and he is showing the kind of form that can get him further big club links, it’s not out of the question. And Holland involvement in a Euros year too.
Just 86p now and a solid hold even from an ineligible league.
Georgian De Arrascaeta - Flamengo
Another player I’ve covered a few times in various articles. These players generally require patience and are fairly high risk, but as an extremely performance suitable 25 year old midfielder who can easily pick up transfer links, I like him.
Just 67p and in any given window a big rumour can emerge and push him much higher, it just might take a bit of waiting but the profit potential is significant.