10 Teams to Explore in Your Football Manager 2023 Career

Instead of starting with teams like Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Paris St. Germain, which have huge transfer budgets and are Champions League regulars, we've put together a list of FM 2023 alternative career team recommendations you can choose if you want to test your skills and have a fun time doing it.

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• FM 24 Best Teams and Team Recommendations

Are you looking for a career where, like a true manager, you climb the career ladder step by step and watch your team's reputation grow over time? For that, we can also recommend our list of teams with the best youth academies and our lower-league team recommendations list! For players whose goals include developing wonderkids, rebuilding teams going through the worst financial days in their history, or competing on the international stage starting from the lowest leagues, FM 2023 offers plenty of opportunities.

Of course, playing with financially strong teams stacked with players known around the world is enjoyable, and applying FM 23's strongest tactics with the team you build can make the game twice as fun. But finding new challenges to test yourself with in a game like Football Manager, one you'll want to spend a lot of time with, can be more fun than you'd expect.

Here are teams FM 2023 players might consider for an alternative career:

FM 23 Career/Team Recommendations 2023!

1) Newcastle United

Having become one of the most financially comfortable clubs in the world after being bought by a Saudi investment group, Newcastle United hasn't won the league since 1927. An incredible career awaits you at Newcastle United, where you'll have young talents and wonderkids like Alexander Isak, Allan Saint-Maximin, Elliot Anderson, and Bruno Guimares, while also being able to play with promising names like Jamal Lewis and Charlie MacArthur. On one hand, you'll get the chance to showcase your skills in a league like the Premier League, while on the other, even if you can't get quick results in the Champions League, you'll have a shot at standing out in tournaments like the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League where European success is within reach.

2) RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig, the standout club among the RB teams competing in different countries' leagues, draws attention with its young squad and its place in the high-prestige Bundesliga, which can easily carry you into the European arena. In this career alternative, you'll initially be in a tough league battle against proven successful sides like Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, but reaching the Champions League down the line is a real possibility. With players like Josko Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mohamed Simakan, who top FM 2023's wonderkid and young talent lists, RB Leipzig also gives you the tools to scout and develop young players.

3) Real Sociedad

Having once had names familiar to Turkish football fans, like Nihat Kahveci, Necati Ateş, and Tayfun Korkut, in its squad, Real Sociedad has become a club with plenty of sympathy in Türkiye. It also offers an enjoyable career journey for FM 2023 players. With incredible talents like Takefusa Kubo, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Umar Sadiq, Sociedad stands out as an option you can choose as an alternative to La Liga's bigger clubs.

4) Watford FC

Having been relegated from the Premier League to the Championship in the 2021/22 season, Watford has talents like Hamza Choudhury, Ismaila Sarr, and Joao Pedro who draw interest from big clubs. Appealing to players continuing their career with the goal of turning a lower-league team into a world-class club, Watford continues its journey with Slaven Bilic, a name familiar to Beşiktaş fans.

5) Union Berlin

Having steadily improved over the past several years to become one of the Bundesliga's top-table clubs, Union Berlin can be a good alternative for players who want to compete in a major league with a modest transfer and wage budget. While the current squad has no player you'd call a world-class talent, the whole team consists of similarly average-to-above-average footballers. A fairly difficult career awaits you if you want to test and develop your tactical, training, and player management skills.

6) Athletic Bilbao (Athletic Club)

Familiar to anyone who follows La Liga, Athletic Bilbao is one of the league's standout clubs and also has an interesting transfer policy. The club only allows the transfer of players from the Basque region, which will limit your options quite a bit in that regard. Managing Athletic Bilbao, with a playing style that requires you to focus heavily on developing young players, means you'll think twice about every player you sign or sell to another club. Finding players is hard, and replacing a talent you've sold is even harder! Good luck…

7) Chivas (Mexico)

Are you a Football Manager player who's had trouble with Türkiye's foreign player limit? Then try Chivas! At Chivas, which only lets you sign Mexican players, you'll become a master of the Mexican player market after the seasons you spend there. It's also worth noting that, since the club has been carrying debt for a while, you won't be looking at a particularly bright financial picture. A great opportunity for those who want to test their skills in FM 2023.

8) Altınordu

Standing out especially recently for its heavy focus on youth academy programs, Altınordu is, like Chivas and Athletic Bilbao, another club with transfer restrictions. At Altınordu, where players without Turkish citizenship can't join the club, you'll experience discovering and developing future talents for Türkiye's national team, all while competing in the 1. Lig and fighting for promotion to the Süper Lig.

9) Wrexham AFC

Having opened a new chapter in its history after being bought by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Wrexham AFC is also known as the third-oldest football club in the world. You'll start your career in the National League, England's fifth tier, with Wrexham, which exceeded expectations by reaching the FA Trophy final last year. Offering an ideal career for those who want to start from the bottom leagues, the club is waiting for those who love a challenge in FM 2023.

10) FK Bodø/Glimt

Norway, the country that produced talents like Haaland and Odegaard, also stands out in FM 2023 with wonderkids like Sander Berge, Sievert Mannsverk, and Andreas Schjelderup. FK Bodø/Glimt is a great alternative for those who want to explore the Nordic talent pool and compete with a club that has recently made waves on the European stage, while also offering the chance to develop future stars with its excellent youth facilities.