Transfer system still poor in FM09

The developers promised us a new transfer system, saying it was "written from scratch" etc. But I feel it has been very poor, even worst than the past FMs!

Here are a few issues I hope they will address in FM10.

1. Reduce the number of HAPPY players wanting to leave.

Every season, I get lots of msgs saying that Club A wants to buy player X and it is a move he can't turn down. Player X has been in my team for many seasons and it is a championship winning team. Club A on the other hand, is trying to break into the top 4.

2. Too many managers not buying domestic

IRL, many managers try to buy domestic as domestic players can settle in the squad very quickly and get instantaneous results. Yet, I have many British clubs splashing BIG BIG money to buy unknown, foreign players from Brazil, Italy and Spain, where there is alot of evidence that some players from these countries find it hard to adapt.

Considering that it is their biggest transfer of the season, I find it is quite unrealistic.

3. Many mid-season buys

Too many mid-season buys. Its like Club A buy player X for 2 million and in Jan 1, Club B buys him for 2-5mil.

Bad business imo.

Not a rant post, just some suggestions I feel that affect the transfer system in FM09.

I don't agree with any of these.

1. Real Madrid have won little for the past 6 years. Joining them might be seen as a backwards step in the footballing sense, but they are also the best known club in the world and almost every player wants to play for them. That is just one example of players wanting to join a team that haven't been great in recent years mainly because they are well known.

2. Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Rafa Benitez. That's all I'm going to say.

3. Why's that bad business? When club A buy him he wouldn't have been as well known, so they could get him cheap. When he starts playing, more teams become alerted to him, so teams try to buy him. Think Mauro Zarate. He was virtually unknown on the football world (outside of FM, of course) until he joined Birmingham. They got him on loan, because he wasn't at a big club. He played for Birmingham, and more clubs became aware of him. So more clubs try to get him.

I agree on the point about managers revealing interest to sign players and ****. Everyone gets unsettled if you're successful. It simply doesn't reflect RL.

I mean, you go there and win the league... The two weeks after winning the league every single club on the continent reveals interest or praises your players... When you look at their personal info, suddenly they have about 50 different managers from clubs all over the continent as Favourite Personnel. But you, who helped them to develop and win the league... You ain't there. Realistic? Not the slightest.

I don't agree with any of these.

1. Real Madrid have won little for the past 6 years. Joining them might be seen as a backwards step in the footballing sense, but they are also the best known club in the world and almost every player wants to play for them. That is just one example of players wanting to join a team that haven't been great in recent years mainly because they are well known.

I've had problems like he's had. I had a West Brom game where I had won the Champion's League and Premier League for three years in a row, yet every time a mid-table Premier League side offered a bid for one of my players, and I declined, he would get unsettled. I just think it's unrealistic for players to want to leave such a dominant side for West Ham because "they want a new challenge."

i just think that the repuation system is very slow in fm. it takes ages to get a club globally realised such as the west brom example. even after winning all of that im sure west brom would not have a higher repuation then arsenal or man u or chelsea.

Also the blatent way AI clubs (who have previously shown NO interest in a player) make bids when you do.

Cmon SI- its obviously a cheap way to make the AI scout well and also make the transfer market appear busy.

I can totally understand it if Im bidding for a well known player- but when 20 clubs suddently bid for a 16 yr old teen Ive found in Mali its a bit much.

Also the blatent way AI clubs (who have previously shown NO interest in a player) make bids when you do.

Cmon SI- its obviously a cheap way to make the AI scout well and also make the transfer market appear busy.

I can totally understand it if Im bidding for a well known player- but when 20 clubs suddently bid for a 16 yr old teen Ive found in Mali its a bit much.

Well, the bid is public, and if you bid for the player, the AI would try to find out what's up, and bid also. Basically, if you're bidding for him, then other clubs of a similar stature feel that he may be a good acquisition.

I’ve seen a number of people complaining about clubs poaching their start players but in my experience it’s the exact opposite and clubs just aren’t trying to take my better players from me.

I always set my player values individually, as that’s what the AI goes on so usually limits the number of clubs interested, but even those who are just aren’t doing enough to prise my players away. I’ll give some examples (obviously player naming below)…

Coloccini has been wanted since the end of my first season by the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Spurs, Juventus etc. However, since I’ve set his asking price at £18m, it seems no one is willing to put in a bid. Managers will often praise him and he’ll come out with the usual stuff about seriously considering joining them, but no one ever makes an enquiry or an offer, so I’m now in my fourth season and despite plenty of tip-toeing around him, I’ve yet to receive so much as an enquiry.

I signed Miguel Veloso for £24m and whacked his asking price up to £50m and he’s been nothing short of superb. During my second season he gathers interest from the likes of Barcelona, Man Utd and Chelsea and comes out to say he’s achieved all he can and wants to move to a bigger club. Again, despite talking him up in the press and myself saying I will only sell at the right price, I don’t get so much as an enquiry. We finish 4th in the league, his concerns vanish and I’m able to offer him a new deal.

I sign Nani form Man Utd for £14m and after a great season, whack his price up to £50m. He goes on to win European footballer of the year and European midfielder of the year, but despite this he doesn’t even have a single club interested in him.

I sign Sakho for £24m and within a year he’s a world-class centre half and I’ve again set him at £50m. Real Madrid want him, Ramos talks about his plans to sign him and I say he’s available at the right price. Sakho now wants to go to a bigger club, but again no offers are forthcoming.

Now it may be that I’ve simply [priced these players out of the market but that shouldn’t be the case. I’m managing Newcastle so most of the clubs are much bigger than me and should be able to use their status to force me into a sale, but it’s just not happening.

The other factor may be a player’s professional attribute and they’re just too professional to ask for a transfer, which is realistic to a degree, but I think even the most professional player would be looking to move if the biggest clubs in the world were after him.

Are those AI teams signing other players (and players in similar positions) for the sort of values you're asking for? Effectively, can they afford those transfer fees? If you transfer listed these players (and/or directly offered them to the clubs for those same prices), just as an experiment, I wonder what would happen?

Loyalty and amibtion are probably as important (if not more) than professionalism in determining whether players make a transfer request, I'd guess.

Yeah they’re all signing players and afaik they all have cash. Liverpool wanted Coloccini for ages without ever making a bid and then went out and signed Robert Huth for £24 which was £6m more than I wanted.

The clubs interested are usually the top European clubs and even the ones that aren’t (like Man City) I know they have money to spend.

Although even if they didn’t I would expect them to try and bring down the price rather than simply just accept my valuation and leave it at that. Martin O’Neil has raved about Ashley Young this season and put an over the top price tag on his head to scare clubs off, but if a big club wants him, there’s no way they’ll accept that valuation and do everything in their power to bring it down, which isn’t happening in my current FM.

As for transfer listing players I don’t really want to do that for two reasons.

Firstly, when transfer listing a player you inevitably have to set his status to not needed which affects the amount a club are willing to pay. A club won’t pay as much for a player you don’t to keep want as they would for one you don’t want to sell.

Secondly, I don’t particularly want to sell these players, I just expect more of a fight to hang on to them. You only have to look at real life examples of Saha, Carrick, Berbatov, and Keane to see clubs wanting to hang on to their stars but the bigger clubs determined to take them for themselves. The Gareth Barry saga is another example of a club determined to get their man which failed din the end, but might revive itself this summer.

This is what I want in FM, to be making steady progress but fighting an uphill battle to keep my star players while bringing in other players to play alongside them, but it’s all too easy atm because while I keep improving my squad, I’m not losing anyone either.

As for transfer listing players I don’t really want to do that for two reasons.

Oh yeah, I wasn't suggesting listing them all as a solution, for the reasons you mention. It'd just be interesting to see if the clubs would bid if they were offered the players or they were listed, to see where the mechanics are going wrong.

I’ve tested it in a few ways, all with varying results but none resulting in bids.

Firstly I’ve tried offering them out at my listed value without touching their squad status or transfer listing them. This always results in the ‘no offers made, perhaps transfer listing them would generate more interest’ message.

Secondly, I’ve tried transfer listing them and offering them out without touching their squad status, but again no bids come in and I usually et he message that ‘that are no offers for x, with clubs a, b and reportedly interested’.

Lastly, I’ve tried transfer listing them, setting them to not needed and offering them out at my valuation, but again no bids come in and I get the same message as before, with no offers but several interested parties. Presumably this is because I’m saying I don’t want them but still want a sizeable transfer fee so they aren’t willing to pay.

1. ok fair point (although i'm guessing its got to do with club reps, what team are you exactly?)

2. the english premier league, enough said. Although obviously there are exceptions, Italy and France being two off the top of my head

3. too many? it is how it is. Managers needing cover for injuries, managers on the brink of relegation/promotion needing to strengthen, panic buying for the sake of it.

I think there should be more of a dominance of loan buys in January though, and 'with a view to buy' deals

I've had problems like he's had. I had a West Brom game where I had won the Champion's League and Premier League for three years in a row, yet every time a mid-table Premier League side offered a bid for one of my players, and I declined, he would get unsettled. I just think it's unrealistic for players to want to leave such a dominant side for West Ham because "they want a new challenge."

classic example of where a clubs reputation comes into effect. While you may be winning a lot of trophies, teams like Spurs will be considered a bigger club.

Look at Andy Robinson of Leeds, he left a side who had just won promotion for them, because they are 'Leeds' (other reasons may be given )

I’ve seen a number of people complaining about clubs poaching their start players but in my experience it’s the exact opposite and clubs just aren’t trying to take my better players from me.

I always set my player values individually, as that’s what the AI goes on so usually limits the number of clubs interested, but even those who are just aren’t doing enough to prise my players away. I’ll give some examples (obviously player naming below)…

Coloccini has been wanted since the end of my first season by the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Spurs, Juventus etc. However, since I’ve set his asking price at £18m, it seems no one is willing to put in a bid. Managers will often praise him and he’ll come out with the usual stuff about seriously considering joining them, but no one ever makes an enquiry or an offer, so I’m now in my fourth season and despite plenty of tip-toeing around him, I’ve yet to receive so much as an enquiry.

I signed Miguel Veloso for £24m and whacked his asking price up to £50m and he’s been nothing short of superb. During my second season he gathers interest from the likes of Barcelona, Man Utd and Chelsea and comes out to say he’s achieved all he can and wants to move to a bigger club. Again, despite talking him up in the press and myself saying I will only sell at the right price, I don’t get so much as an enquiry. We finish 4th in the league, his concerns vanish and I’m able to offer him a new deal.

I sign Nani form Man Utd for £14m and after a great season, whack his price up to £50m. He goes on to win European footballer of the year and European midfielder of the year, but despite this he doesn’t even have a single club interested in him.

I sign Sakho for £24m and within a year he’s a world-class centre half and I’ve again set him at £50m. Real Madrid want him, Ramos talks about his plans to sign him and I say he’s available at the right price. Sakho now wants to go to a bigger club, but again no offers are forthcoming.

Now it may be that I’ve simply [priced these players out of the market but that shouldn’t be the case. I’m managing Newcastle so most of the clubs are much bigger than me and should be able to use their status to force me into a sale, but it’s just not happening.

The other factor may be a player’s professional attribute and they’re just too professional to ask for a transfer, which is realistic to a degree, but I think even the most professional player would be looking to move if the biggest clubs in the world were after him.

I totaly agree with you.I put the asking prise of all my star players to 50 mil.Nobody bids for them even if Man Utd or Barcelona declare interst.If my player wantet to leave then i accept his tranfer request and offer him to clubs.After nobody bids I took him off the transfer list and he is happy again.

Firstly, when transfer listing a player you inevitably have to set his status to not needed which affects the amount a club are willing to pay. A club won’t pay as much for a player you don’t to keep want as they would for one you don’t want to sell.

This isn't necessarily true TBH. In my current career save I started out managing Man Utd I offered A certain No 7 out to clubs at £75 million thinking no club would be daft enough to pay anywhere near that price for him. Imagine my surprise when Real who had offered £60 million 3 weeks later came in and bid £73 million for him.

This may be a case of a club really wanting a player and paying what the selling club want but I really doubt it.

I find that its pretty realistic on mine