By Harry Ewing
September 6 – The much-anticipated FIFA replacement EAFC has released the first wave of official player ratings: showcasing London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea ahead of the game’s release later this month.
Player ratings are reportedly harsher this time out, as the game looks to establish the rebrand from FIFA to EAFC by making big changes to how the game functions.
Though player ratings are generally tougher, Gunners stars Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are set to receive massive upgrades to their EAFC ratings as they sit amongst the Premier League’s best players for the much-anticipated game. Overall the team received a healthy upgrade across the board, largely thanks to an impressive season blended with some superstar transfer incomings.
That being said, Arsenal fans have turned to twitter (or X) to express their upset with William Saliba’s new rating of 83, despite being one of the best defenders in the division last term. The player still received a significant +3 upgrade from FIFA23, but still has a way to go to catch league front-running defenders Virgil Van Dijk and Ruben Dias, who fans can expect to be around the 90 rated mark.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have suffered one of the largest collective rating-drops in the game after a chaotic season saw them stumble to a 12th-place finish despite bringing in a series of high-profile signings.
The blues’ highest rated player is newcomer Christopher Nkunku at 86 after yet another impressive season at RB Leipzig last year, which ranks him amongst the best players in the Premier League.
Three of Chelsea’s big-money buys have reportedly only earned a silver card, with Romeo Lavia and Ugochukwu receiving a 73 rating whilst €47 million Cole Palmer was given a rating of just 66.
The ratings reveal last night left Chelsea fans dismayed at €126 million signing Enzo Fernandez’s new card, which has a disappointing passing rating of 81 despite being one of the strongest passers in the world, as showcased during his 2022 World Cup-winning campaign.
Chelsea have earned an average rating of 77.5 across the first team. The departure of Ngolo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy, who were rated 89, 87 and 86 last time out, won’t have done the team’s average rating any favours.
Across London, Arsenal average a rating of 83, championed by Odegaard’s shiny new 87 rating.
Multiple other individual players have had their ratings leaked ahead of the game’s release later this month, as Liverpool star Mo Salah looks set to be one of the highest rated Premier League players for the fifth-straight season with an 89-rating, and Real Madrid signing Jude Bellingham eyes a rating of 86 following a headline-hugging transfer to the Spanish capital.
This year’s ratings have reportedly been slightly lowered to make room for more promotional material from EA, who have developed the FIFA gaming series for over two decades. The promo cards will only effect the game’s most popular mode, Ultimate Team, which lets players buy and sell cards to build their dream XI.
The game developers released boosted cards throughout the year on a weekly basis in order to keep players engaged with improving their team throughout the game’s 12-month duration. New cards are acquirable through playing the game, but are also available in packs purchasable with real-life money as a type of fast-track to meet the ambitions of the player.
EAFC is set for release on the September 29 and is available for pre-order on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam.
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