Cheeky transfer market tactic for smaller clubs

I'm sure many of you have encountered this scenario before. You're after a player, but he is also on the radar of a bigger club. You're worried that if you make a bid the bigger club will too and snatch the player away from your grasp with their higher prestige and higher wages...

Well, I may have come up with a solution, though its a bit sneeky... some may call it 'cheating', I call it 'transfer market manipulation'. Whatever, it's your game, right? You can do whatever you want.

Anyway, this is how it goes. Basically, when the AI is looking to strengthen a position, they generally shortlist a few players. So in order to divert the AI's attention away from your target, you make a 'dummy' bid on one of their other transfer targets (has to be the same position as your own target, obviously).

How do you find what their other targets are, you ask? It's actually quite easy, just go into player search and check out similar type players with a 'Wnt' next to their name. You're bound to stumble across a few that are shortlisted by the AI. Once that's done, make your dummy bid(s), wait for the AI to counterbid and complete the transfer, and you're good to go in pursuing your original target in peace.

really this works haha i wudnt rreally call it cheating but its just knowing ur teams around you ;D

Nice

Wouldn't call it cheating myself. I'd call it sneaky, very sneaky

Cheating? Hardly! I'd call it clever .. brilliant .. devious .. and machiavellian!

I always do this, very good tactic. Even if you have no budget too!

i think its brilliant but wopuld a club really know another clubs transfer targets? IRL the media arnt always correct when speculating about transfers

I'm sure many of you have encountered this scenario before. You're after a player, but he is also on the radar of a bigger club. You're worried that if you make a bid the bigger club will too and snatch the player away from your grasp with their higher prestige and higher wages...

Well, I may have come up with a solution, though its a bit sneeky... some may call it 'cheating', I call it 'transfer market manipulation'. Whatever, it's your game, right? You can do whatever you want.

Anyway, this is how it goes. Basically, when the AI is looking to strengthen a position, they generally shortlist a few players. So in order to divert the AI's attention away from your target, you make a 'dummy' bid on one of their other transfer targets (has to be the same position as your own target, obviously).

How do you find what their other targets are, you ask? It's actually quite easy, just go into player search and check out similar type players with a 'Wnt' next to their name. You're bound to stumble across a few that are shortlisted by the AI. Once that's done, make your dummy bid(s), wait for the AI to counterbid and complete the transfer, and you're good to go in pursuing your original target in peace.

Cheating??? It's not cheating, it's just very clever

I'm sure many of you have encountered this scenario before. You're after a player, but he is also on the radar of a bigger club. You're worried that if you make a bid the bigger club will too and snatch the player away from your grasp with their higher prestige and higher wages...

Well, I may have come up with a solution, though its a bit sneeky... some may call it 'cheating', I call it 'transfer market manipulation'. Whatever, it's your game, right? You can do whatever you want.

Anyway, this is how it goes. Basically, when the AI is looking to strengthen a position, they generally shortlist a few players. So in order to divert the AI's attention away from your target, you make a 'dummy' bid on one of their other transfer targets (has to be the same position as your own target, obviously).

How do you find what their other targets are, you ask? It's actually quite easy, just go into player search and check out similar type players with a 'Wnt' next to their name. You're bound to stumble across a few that are shortlisted by the AI. Once that's done, make your dummy bid(s), wait for the AI to counterbid and complete the transfer, and you're good to go in pursuing your original target in peace.

You Sir, need a pat on the back. Genius!

If Amaroq's cool with it then so am I

I wouldn't call it cheating either. A lot of managers try to divert attention from the players they are interested in, by talking about other players in the press and things like that. Not exactly the same thing, but pretty much.

It's very clever, and probably exploiting a flaw. Cheating? That's up to the individual to decide

You could even argue that IRL managers adopt a similar tactic when they're cagey about their real transfer targets only to swoop for a totally different target.

definatly not cheating

well spotted mate

That my friend, is genius

Not cheating just being clever in my opinion, very sly.

Oh, I should probably also mention that you don't necessarily *need* to be a smaller club to use this tactic, I mean even as a big club you can do it just to have less competition when it comes down to wages, could come in handy if Manchester City is after the player also.

Certainly a very good approach to take. I have to say it's something that crossed my mind before, but never followed the "idea" through, because I dodn't think it would work. Very nice to see it has and will certainly help lot's of people who have been upset at missing their main transfer targets, especially when you're a lower league club making a bid, only to come up against clubs a couple of leagues higher.

You could even argue that IRL managers adopt a similar tactic when they're cagey about their real transfer targets only to swoop for a totally different target.

Indeed this was the case a few years ago with Newcastle.

When Kuyt was still at Feyenoord, Roeder (i think) was manager at the time and Kuyt was linked with Liverpool and Newcaslte.

Roeder kept everyone guessing as to whether they'd make a bid for Kuyt and when Liverpool got him everyone thought Newcastle missed out but actually their intentions were to go for Oba Martins.

They just wanted to distract everyone else away from him with the Kuyt story.

Clever play

Ha nice idea. Might have to try it out sometime.

I'm sure on previous versions you used to be able to see other teams shortlists - or am I imagining it?

This happens in real life, it's not cheating.

I've used this tactic myself

What effect does this have on your existing players at that position? Does it bother them more if you make bids on 2 or 3 players at their position instead of just 1?

Great idea, I never thought of this myself - definitely not cheating too!

Thanks for sharing. Definitely a good tip and no way is it cheating! Happens a lot in real life I bet.

I did something similar, when I was in the Championship, during the half-season window I made a bid on every player from the top 6 teams (I was just outside), about 60% of them were sold to other clubs, and a bunch of the rest became unsettled, was good enough I ended up winning promotion

I did something similar, when I was in the Championship, during the half-season window I made a bid on every player from the top 6 teams (I was just outside), about 60% of them were sold to other clubs, and a bunch of the rest became unsettled, was good enough I ended up winning promotion

Just wondering, did this not unsettle your own squad if you bidded for all these players?

And yeah I don't class anything in this thread as cheating, it's all part of the game!

I don't see it as cheating, never done it before and sound interesting.

I know it helps to remove a player your looking to buy from your shortlist, this makes the AI think your not interested. Obviously won't happen when the news is leaked but keep trying to remove him off your shortlist can help.

Nice work davidbowie... thats taking it to another level but hey, whatever gives you the edge right?

Ferrari312, bidding on players doesn't unsettle your own squad, but declaring interest in too many players can (I think, its never happened to me but I've seen it happen to the AI).

OP...it's not cheating,it's a pure genius idea,will try this out one time (Y)

Great post...

Good to know theres a way of actually signing the players you want.

Just wondering, did this not unsettle your own squad if you bidded for all these players?

And yeah I don't class anything in this thread as cheating, it's all part of the game!

Nope basically that only seems to happen when you start declaring interest on players (which I don't for ones I have no intention of signing).

Brilliant idea. Definitely not cheating.

Ha, love it!