Do you ever buy older players for big cash?

IRL there has recently been a lot of media attention to some potential and confirmed transfers involving star players that are 29+ in age, and those reports indicate fees of 10 million plus as the fee paid.

When you are managing a big team, do you ever buy expensive players at the tail end of their career in FM?

I personally have always bought young. Even the older versions of the game, I rarely buy a player over 25, usually cos I like long term games and it's more fulfilling to watch a player develop in to a star.

Players in general, from GK all the way to ST his their prime in between 26 and 30. So paying big money for a player of those ages, is about when they are at their best. So yea, why not.

I bought a 30 year old Ronaldo for £30m, which apparantly is a bargain given some of the crazy prices quoted on here.

PS. £10m isn't much for a 30 year old, was Shevchenko 31 when he cost Chelski £32m

I spent 7.5mill on David Villa when he was 31 just because i knew he'd still get me goals, it was my second season in the Prem with ARFC Telford when doing the 'Dafuges challenge'. Never really bought anyone under 24 though as my policy was blooding through young players and as they progressed and improved, I was being promoted to the next league so they pretty much just stayed in the right environment for their ability.

Originally posted by Nomis07:

I bought a 30 year old Ronaldo for £30m, which apparantly is a bargain given some of the crazy prices quoted on here.

PS. £10m isn't much for a 30 year old, was Shevchenko 31 when he cost Chelski £32m

He was 29 when they bought him for £32,000,000. He's only 31 now, wont be 32 until late September, IIRC

i bought a 28 or 29 yr old dl for for 65mil! he was probably the best in the game and i thought he would really suit my tactic, and generally i try to have the worlds best for each position.

i had actually owned him a few years earlier, but there wasnt really space in my side and he didnt suit my tactic at the time so well, so i sold him for 10mil without a sell on fee, doh!

i would happily spend any amount of money on a player if i decide i want him, e.g i just spent 39 mil on a 29yr old striker. he had been top scorer in the prem, was very fast, and i wanted to have a 'try' with him before his legs went. I reckon he will probably have a couple of years at the club at the most.

that being said i generally have managed my transfer extremely well, i have made west ham the richest club in the world ~2bn fortune! (with no cheating- i am on a mac we have no fmm etc) This means i can afford to be extravagant when i want to.

I sign really old (>36) players on the cheap, in the hope that they will retire and become great coaches. Obviously I check beforehand if they want to.

Since I play LLM style, I need all the good players I can get, so I will purchase an aging former star when possible, since they're usually still better than anyone else I have on my teams.

Their physical stats usually suck, but usually their technical skills more than make up for the lack of speed/stamina.

It depends on what you mean by old. Some people on these forums would consider 26 to be ancient.

when i play lower rep clubs i usealy doesnt have money for transfers.

new additions to the squad are through singings of young talents very cheap from undevolped countries or singings of older free transfer players.

the older players i sign are usealy 31 or 32 and have declaining stats and a stamina of about 8-12.

they usealy hold one seson and are realy cheap in fee and wage. soetime they got nice ppm s to teach my youngsters.

I always try to sign old players on the cheap and having them tutor youngsters, it works great for me. Nomally thay could be relied on as backups too.

In this modern era I dont think 29 is old, I would say the "30 barrier" no longer exists, its more like the "34 barrier". This is because of better fitness, professionalism and club facilities. 4 years of quality service and experience for 10mil... sounds like a great deal!

Nah, I tend to not buy players for big cash, most of the time I get youngsters in and develop them to be the best, then they retire.

I don't buy anyone over 26. I just like to get good mileage out of purchases, especially since pace all over the pitch is important to me.

I only buy over 33s if they have good coaching skills, and even then I have my limits on what I'd spend on them

Over 27s though are usually making up my first team (I'm Bishop's Stortford on the verge of league football). That's only because I can't afford any decent youngsters and if I do, they always get pinched by the "big clubs" of league 2!

The worst mistake I ever made in FM was on FM05 or 06 IIRC.

I bought an aging Alan`Shearer for silly money. By the end of the first year his CA has fallen by over 50, mostly in his physical attributes. Never again

I only pay big money if a player is in their 20s, its too risky otherwise.