FIFA 23: Five things we MUST see in Career Mode with the next release

FIFA 22 is coming to the end of its cycle, and whether you're winning the league for the umpteenth time in Career Mode or enjoying the Team of the Season releases in Ultimate Team, it's time to look to the future with FIFA 23.

EA will always prioritise Ultimate Team as it is the games moneymaker, however, that shouldn't mean that Career Mode is forgotten about.

Here are some things that we would like to see introduced to FIFA 23 Career Mode.

Real Life Transfers

With each release we see FIFA become more and more realistic, yet there is one big aspect that Career Mode doesn't seem to address - real-world transfers.

At the moment, transfers are pretty random, with players switching all over the place.

We would like to see an option bought in where you can turn on real-world transfers, where players mirror moves they make in real life.

Of course, the transfer window isn't open all season, so when it is closed player moves in-game could be influenced by the latest transfer rumours and gossip.

As well as that, we should see a change in how free agents work at the start of a save.

Plenty of players become free agents at the end of the season and won't have found a new club by the time FIFA 23 is released, meaning some top talents could be up for grabs.

In Career Mode you aren't given the chance to bring these players to your club, as they are already assigned to another team at the start of your save.

We believe these players should appear as free agents at the start of your save, then there could be a battle to convince them to join your club, with other sides also vying for their signature.

Improved Manager Responses

When press conferences, post-match interviews, and player conversations came to the game, they were a great new addition.

However, very quickly they became stale, with the same old questions and responses becoming dull.

Not just this, but you can also see how your words as a manager will impact the team or player, and sometimes the interviewer's questions don't line up with what is actually happening in the game!

We would love to see loads more questions and responses included in the game, so it doesn't always feel like you are repeating yourself.

Not knowing the outcome of your choice would also add some sense of jeopardy to the interactions, with a careless word potentially seeing a star player hand in a transfer request.

Club Identities

This is supposedly already in the game, but honestly, we haven't seen it.

It still seems that when you increase the difficulty teams will play tiki-taka, even if that team is, say, Burnley!

We want to see club identities on the pitch, with varied playstyles that match their real-world style.

This should also expand to the type of signings the club makes, which should further highlight their game plan and future development.

Team Chemistry Balance

This one may split opinions, but could be a nice idea.

Currently, there is no downside to signing whatever players you want, smashing them all together to create one uber-team.

But what if there was a feature, like on Ultimate Team, where you need to get the right chemistry balance between players too?

We're not saying just bring in the same link system that FUT has, but we could see chemistry improve between players the more games they have together.

This could create a strong defensive partnership, or mean that a new signing has a small adjustment period before they start to gel fully with the squad.

Player personalities could also be included, and if you sign a few that think they should be the star of the team, this could impact chemistry negatively.

This would leave you as the manager to make tough decisions about letting certain players go, or having just the right word in a player's ear to resolve the situation.

Youth Team Matches

Building your club through the youth system can be a vital part of your save, especially if you're working on a tight budget.

However, there is very little you can do that feels like you are properly nurturing and developing your future stars, with them often being loaned out or sitting in the reserves for a few seasons before becoming good enough for the first team.

This could be changed by bringing in youth team matches, even leagues and tournaments, giving you a more hands-on approach.

It would also allow you to monitor player development, and if a youngster plays well they would progress faster, moving up to the first team in no time!