Abdellah Ouazane Named Football Manager 27’s Wonderkid to Sign This Time Around, Per FM27 Vývojář

The new Football Manager game is here and players everywhere are eagerly awaiting their next foray into the thrills of the virtual transfer market.

FM27 has some powerful new tactical and training features but millions of fans around the world play Football Manager to get stuck into transfers and discover the latest cult signings to give their teams a boost.

Prior to Thursday’s launch of the full free preview of the new edition, FourFourTwo caught up with Sports Interactive developer Antony Farley to talk transfers.

Ajax academy ‘always good’ for Football Manager wonderkids

Football Manager 27 (Image credit: Sega/Football Manager)

The developer prefers to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to naming names but one young player in particular was identified as a possible candidate to be the next FM wonderkid.

“There’s a kid at Ajax, a 17-year-old left winger, Abdellah Ouazane, who looks like he’s going to be a very strong player this year,” Farley tells FourFourTwo.

“Those absolute gems playing somewhere a little bit more far-flung are a lot harder to find, anecdotally. But certainly, at the Ajax Academy, there are always good players coming through. The fun of discovery is part of it, so I don’t want to ruin too many surprises.

“I don’t know that we’ve got to worry about the future of wonderkids already being at the top teams because we’re a simulation. Ultimately, our job is to simulate the real football world: what the real football world does, FM does, and very often we’re maybe influencing the real football world in some sense when it comes to wonderkids.

The Football Manager wonderkid has become a beloved phenomenon. Cherno Samba, Carlo Fierro, Kim Kallstrom and Ibrahima Bakayoko are names that will trigger memories for hordes of virtual gaffers.

Farley also likes to find other games within the game, painting himself into corners to help unleash the creative artillery of constraint.

“I don’t think the wonderkid appeal will ever go away; that’s always an extremely exciting part of the game,” he adds. “But I really like the self-imposed constraints you can put on yourself in FM at times. I’ve got a rule for myself that I won’t sign a player with a work rate under 15, for example.

Football Manager 27 (Image credit: Sega/Football Manager)

“That very often starts me looking in the Championship for gems who are going to run through walls for me: players who might not have the technical ability of that elite level, but have the mentality bang on.

“That’s where I’m going to put my effort into getting them up to that elite level. It just introduces new choices, rather than us being too concerned about the removal of existing ones.”

FM27 will be launched as a free preview on PC, Mac, Steam and Xbox from October 29 to November 3. Every game mode will be playable, offering players a chance to make an informed purchase decision.