A good squad is not enough to win in FM27. Behind the players there is the backroom staff, who train, find talent, negotiate deals and treat injuries. So we have gathered the best names in each area, based on the FM Blog database. Plus, we highlight the Portuguese names and the ones without a club, because you can hire those straight away, without negotiating with another club.
Staff attributes go from 1 to 20. However, each role has its own key attributes, so we explain which ones matter in each section.
| Role | Name | Age | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director of football | Deco | 48 | Barcelona |
| Director of football | Luís Campos | 61 | PSG |
| Chief scout | João Amaral | 39 | Barcelona |
| Chief scout | Paulo Araújo | 56 | FC Porto |
| Head of youth dev. | Joaquim Milheiro | 47 | Benfica |
| Head of youth dev. | Nuno Figueiredo | 43 | Sporting |
| Assistant manager | João Tralhão | 45 | Real Madrid |
| Coach | Ilídio Vale | 68 | no club |
| Goalkeeping coach | Rui Barbosa | 52 | West Ham |
| Physio | Telmo Firmino | 49 | no club |
| Set piece coach | Ricardo Rocha | 47 | Benfica |
The standout Portuguese backroom staff in FM27, by role. Data: FM Blog
Coaches with plenty of talent and no club
FM Blog analysed 200 coaches: general, goalkeeping, set piece and fitness coaches. In the highlights by attribute total, the first name is Miguel D’Agostino, a 54-year-old Argentine, and he is a free agent. But he is not the only one available. Daniele Baldini, Aaron Briggs, Juanma Lillo and Boro Primorac are also waiting for a call.
Among those with a club, however, Mario Cecchi at Inter has 19 for tactics and 17 for defending. Meanwhile, FC Porto have Lucho González, the former Porto midfielder, now 45.
As for the Portuguese, there are good options for every job:
- Daniel Barreira and Ilídio Vale: both without a club, aged 45 and 68. So they are the easiest Portuguese coaches to hire.
- Vítor Castanheira and Carlos Martinho: they work at Palmeiras, so you will have to lure them away from Brazil.
- Fitness: the fitness coaches Mário Monteiro (62) and Márcio Sampaio (47) are both available.
- Goalkeeping: the Portuguese coaches are Rui Barbosa (52), at West Ham, and Jorge Vital (65), at Milan.
- Set pieces: the specialist is Ricardo Rocha, 47, who does this job at Benfica.
Finally, spread the duties well in your FM27 training plans, so you get the most out of each specialist.
João Amaral leads the scouts
For scouts and chief scouts, FM Blog looks at three attributes. They are Judging Player Ability, Judging Player Potential and adaptability. For example, adaptability matters when you send a scout to watch players in other countries.
The best name on the list is Portuguese. João Amaral, 39, is Barcelona’s chief scout and has 18, 20 and 20 in those attributes. In other words, he is almost perfect. José Mayorga, at Ipswich, also stands out with 20 for adaptability, and so does Roberto Marta, at Atalanta. Plus, Simon Wells is without a club, while Giuseppe Baresi, 68, works at Inter.
There are two more Portuguese names to keep in mind. Paulo Araújo, 56, is FC Porto’s chief scout and has 19 for adaptability. Toninho Cruz, 57, is a free agent and judges potential well. However, he only has 13 for adaptability, so he works best scouting in Portugal.
Assistant managers and man management
For an assistant manager, FM Blog combines Man Management with the two judging attributes. For example, Paolo Riela, 43, is at Beşiktaş and has 18 for man management. But the big find is Beniamino Fulco: he is 41, without a club and close to 20 in that attribute. Christoph Glatzer, at Austria Wien, and Marcus Sorg, at Barcelona, also stand out.
Among the Portuguese, João Tralhão is an assistant at Real Madrid, aged 45. Then there are Carlos Fernandes (31, Milan), Ricardo Silva (49, Al Nassr) and Tiago Aguiar (37, Sporting). Still, the only free agent is Rui Águas, aged 66.
Deco and Luís Campos at the top of the directors of football
In FM27, the director of football has a bigger role in transfers, as we explained in our article on director of football negotiations. So negotiating is the key attribute, together with judging ability and potential.
Markus Krösche, at Eintracht, tops the list. But right behind him are two Portuguese names:
- Deco (48, Barcelona): he has 20 for negotiating, 18 for judging ability and 19 for judging potential.
- Luís Campos (61, PSG): he has 18, 18 and 20, so he is one of the best at spotting potential.
- José Boto (60, Flamengo): he is a little lower, with 16, 17 and 16.
But if you cannot prise them away from their clubs, there is a free alternative. Jörg Schmadtke, 62, has 17 for negotiating and 18 in the other two attributes.
The best heads of youth development
The head of youth development decides the quality of the youngsters who arrive every year. So Working With Youngsters is what matters most here, on top of the judging attributes. The top is world class: Barcelona have José Ramón Alexanko, with 20 in all three. Plus, Michael Wiesinger at Bayern and Roberto Samaden at Atalanta have 20, 19 and 20.
In Portugal, Joaquim Milheiro, 47, has 20 for working with youngsters at Benfica. Meanwhile, at Sporting, Nuno Figueiredo has 19. Still, the most useful name for a career save is João Couto. He is 65, has 20 for working with youngsters and is without a club. So any small club can hire him to produce the next Portuguese wonderkids.
The medical department to avoid injuries
FM Blog grouped physios and sports scientists, with two attributes: physiotherapy and sports science. Carlos Fernando Niño, at Deportes Tolima, comes first. However, the best options are free agents. For example, Lieven Maesschalck and Maik Liesbrock are without a club and both have 20 for physiotherapy.
Plus, the Portuguese Telmo Firmino, 49, also has 20 for physiotherapy and is a free agent. Telmo Sousa, at FC Porto, has 18.
Who you can hire right now
In short, if you want staff without paying another club, start with these names. For coaches, there are D’Agostino, Lillo, Daniel Barreira and Ilídio Vale. For scouts, Simon Wells and Toninho Cruz. Also, Beniamino Fulco and Rui Águas work as assistants, and Jörg Schmadtke as director of football. Finally, João Couto handles the academy, while Maesschalck, Liesbrock and Telmo Firmino cover the medical department.
Even so, remember that other clubs in your save can hire them too. So do not wait too long.
Our take
It is great to see Portuguese names at the top of such important areas. For example, João Amaral is the best scout on the list, and Deco and Luís Campos are among the best directors of football. However, the most useful part of this list is the free agents. So in a career with little money, João Couto, Telmo Firmino or Beniamino Fulco can change a club without costing a transfer fee. Then, before you spend the budget on players, check your staff first.
