FIFA 18 best cheap players to sign in Ultimate Team

FIFA Ultimate Team is the most popular game mode of the annual football simulation, with gamers trying to build the best XI they can afford through opening packs, completing challenges and buying players on the market.

However, even if you spend real money to buy packs in FIFA 18, there is no guarantee you will get an In-Form Cristiano Ronaldo. As a result, most teams are built with a core group of players, many of which are undervalued and known in the FIFA community as "cheap beasts."

Here, Goal looks at the best players for under 2,000 coins that you can buy for your Ultimate Team without having to break the bank and spend a million coins on Neymar or Lionel Messi!

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FIFA ULTIMATE TEAM: BEST CHEAP GOALKEEPERS

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EA Sports

Aside from the elite goalkeepers such as Manuel Neuer or David de Gea, most number ones can be bought for relatively cheaply in FUT. Some of the 84 and 83 goalkeepers can cost up to 5,000 coins each, but really don't represent great value for money when you can get equally talented 81 and 82 shot stoppers for less than a quarter of the price.

Like in FIFA 17, Jack Butland continues to be impressive in FIFA 18 and is a better option than Joe Hart for a similar price. There are a number of viable options in the Bundesliga, with many goalkeepers around the same value once you move down from the highly-rated Neuer or Bernd Leno.

In La Liga, 88-rated Jan Oblak will be out of many people's price ranges, but there are some good affordable options like Athletic's Kepa Arrizabalaga, Barcelona's Jasper Cillessen or Valencia keeper Neto. 

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FIFA ULTIMATE TEAM: BEST CHEAP DEFENDERS

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Once again this year, pace is an important factor for whether a defender is useful or not. However, with many gamers setting up more defensively like Jose Mourinho in real life, the defending and physical stats are just as important. As a result, strong and quick defenders come at a premium.

Most of the good defenders this year cost over 2,000 coins, but you can buy talented centre-backs like Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger and Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah for just under that mark. Look lower down the price range, and you'll unearth some hidden gems such as American defender John Brooks. New Arsenal signing Sead Kolasinac may not have brilliant pace for a full-back, and that helps keeps his price down despite his impressive stats elsewhere.

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FIFA ULTIMATE TEAM: BEST CHEAP MIDFIELDERS

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After being a fantastically overpowered player in the Bundesliga last season, Renato Sanches proves the same in the Premier League for FIFA 18. His stats in the game are much better than his real-life equivalent, and is a wonderful, cheap alternative in centre-midfield to the more expensive N'Golo Kante or Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Wayne Rooney once again proves very useful, with his strong shooting stats making him an excellent attacking midfielder for those who like to play through the middle. Juventus have a lot of pace out wide this season thanks to the loan of Douglas Costa, with former Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado on the other side. Both can be bought for less than 2,000 coins in Ultimate Team.

La Liga has an abundance of very good central midfielders for less than 1,500 coins, while Hatem Ben Arfa is an excellent addition to any Ligue 1 team thanks to his five-star skills.

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FIFA ULTIMATE TEAM: BEST CHEAP FORWARDS

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EA Sports

When FIFA 18 was first released, pacey players like Timo Werner and Raheem Sterling cost upwards of 10,000 coins, but now that the market as settled down you can inject some speed into your attack for under 2,000 coins each. Italy and Belgium both have an abundance of cheap attackers based in Europe's top five leagues, so a Belgian team can be both affordable and effective if you do not want to make a league-themed squad.

There are plenty of solid Premier League strikers available for less than 1,000 coins, with Josh King, Andre Gray and Ahmed Musa all fast options up front. Michy Batshuayi is an even better alternative and comes in around the same price, making up for his slightly lower pace with better stats elsewhere.

Two attackers from both Lazio and Nice make the list, and will provide perfect links to help build interesting hybrid teams.