"X is making noises about wanting to join a bigger club"

Fair enough, it's potentially a realistic feature. However,this example is going to show why this can be flawed.

I'm Cardiff in the Prem, and James McCarthy has said this a few times. Now, that's all fine and dandy as he's a great player and would do well with a bigger team. However, not one single club has shown as little as minor interest in him for at least 2 seasons; how on earth can he come and ask to move to a bigger club when nobody actually wants him? If SI insist on this happening, then surely in my conversation with him there should be some kind of option to say something along the lines of "I'll let you go if someone comes in for you"?

Just say to him that you want the club to grow bigger and he should want to stay.

Just because no club isn't interested in a player it doesn't mean that as soon as a player becomes unhappy/wants to move that clubs won't jump in for them. The fact is that in football today players have all the control and as soon as they say they want to join a bigger club then usually the bigger clubs will come sniffing. There's a few players that I think have done this. If a player isn't happy or wants to move to a bigger club then they are trying to get a move for that reason and it doesn't make a difference what you think. I actually think it's a realistic feature in the game.

Just say to him that you want the club to grow bigger and he should want to stay.

This doesn't always work. It does work fairly often and I use it alot but occasionally they say 'I don't believe you' or something along those lines.

Yeah it does or it doesnt first thing came into my head.

This doesn't always work. It does work fairly often and I use it alot but occasionally they say 'I don't believe you' or something along those lines.

There is another option after that and it hardly ever fails. I think I have only once not been able to persuade a player to stay it is very very easy to keep a player at your club.

There is another option after that and it hardly ever fails. I think I have only once not been able to persuade a player to stay it is very very easy to keep a player at your club.

It is too easy to keep the players and it's fairly frustrating. I would love it if a few more of my players did want to leave more often.

Just because no club isn't interested in a player it doesn't mean that as soon as a player becomes unhappy/wants to move that clubs won't jump in for them. The fact is that in football today players have all the control and as soon as they say they want to join a bigger club then usually the bigger clubs will come sniffing. There's a few players that I think have done this. If a player isn't happy or wants to move to a bigger club then they are trying to get a move for that reason and it doesn't make a difference what you think. I actually think it's a realistic feature in the game.

"The fact is that in football today players have all the control and as soon as they say they want to join a bigger club then usually the bigger clubs will come sniffing."

But that's the thing, that doesn't happen, unless you're forced to transfer list your player and hope a bigger club will be interested.

You will see when his contract runs out that he doesnt want to consider an offer from you.

This doesn't always work. It does work fairly often and I use it alot but occasionally they say 'I don't believe you' or something along those lines.

If they come back with that then just say 'I've thought about it and will let you go', all this does is sets an asking price above their current value without transfer listing them, you are then free to adjust this as you like but it keeps the player happy.

The feature would work just fine if the AI managers actually bought players.

I don't think it's flawed, I mean it means just what it says - he feels he's too good for the club he's at and wants to make his availability for transfer known/be helped on his way by the management. So, the assumption is that someone will want him once it becomes known that he wants away and that his club is listening to offers. This makes him a more viable/attractive transfer target.

As long as he doesn't become unhappy about the lack of interest in him after being transfer listed, this seems to be working as intended.

In my save that is now into 2025 i've had countless players tell me they want to move to a bigger club as i've made my way to the top but I haven't had to sell any of them unless I wanted to, as has been you can just talk them into staying and even if they "refuse to back down" normally within a few months, sometimes quicker they are happy again and will sign a new contract.

I would like to see players get unhappy and stay unhappy to the point where you have to sell them, as it is currently it's way too easy to keep any player who gets unhappy.

A player who says he wants to join a bigger club needs to know that he will be able to secure a bigger club should the manager agree. This is only really going to happen if bigger clubs are interested. Otherwise, all the player is doing is playing an empty bluff but the manager holds all the cards. A player who does this will likely end up with a sideways move with the inconvenience of moving, in addition to losing all the credit he's built up over the years with his current club - it's not worth it.

If a player just demands something, then all it is is a child's tantrum - a child wants something, but there is no indication he's going to get it.

Well, that's overplaying what this remark is. It's simply the player expressing concern that he could, and would like to, play at a higher level. He's not forcing his way out while burning every bridge behind him, and as has been pointed out, will still sign new contracts after persuasion. I don't think it's unrealistic because I see it happen all the time. Mathias Ranégie of BK Häcken here in Swedish Allsvenskan, for instance, has repeatedly been pointing out that he would like to move on to a bigger league all season in interviews and studio programs, after doing well last season and starting well this one as well. He's still contracted to Häcken and there is no formal interest in him that's known to the public, so I assume it's intended to try to drum up interest. And he's not unique. At higher level and at some clubs this may certainly make people throw a fit *cough*Nasri*cough*, but at most clubs who know they're not exactly on top of the footballing world, it's everyday business.

I hate this "feature", especially when the club is growing year after year, it should only happen when the club stagnates or gets relegated.

Depending on the level, maybe sometimes. Maybe they don't want to spend the next X years building that club if they think they can move to a higher level right now and spend those years there? This should obviously depend on player Loyalty and Ambition (though I hope and believe it already does).

Well, that's overplaying what this remark is. It's simply the player expressing concern that he could, and would like to, play at a higher level. He's not forcing his way out while burning every bridge behind him, and as has been pointed out, will still sign new contracts after persuasion. I don't think it's unrealistic because I see it happen all the time. Mathias Ranégie of BK Häcken here in Swedish Allsvenskan, for instance, has repeatedly been pointing out that he would like to move on to a bigger league all season in interviews and studio programs, after doing well last season and starting well this one as well. He's still contracted to Häcken and there is no formal interest in him that's known to the public, so I assume it's intended to try to drum up interest. And he's not unique. At higher level and at some clubs this may certainly make people throw a fit *cough*Nasri*cough*, but at most clubs who know they're not exactly on top of the footballing world, it's everyday business.

In the OP, the player has said this multiple times. In addition, in this scenario, unless you say something, he will not sign a new contract even if there is no interest from larger clubs.

And this OP's player has done it for two seasons. At some point, you have to keep quiet and realise that... Nobody is interested, no matter how loud you bang your drums.

. Nobody is interested, no matter how loud you bang your drums.

I wish someone would tell Adel Taarabt that!

Even with him, once he realised other teams didnt want him, he stopped talking up a move. In FM, they never stop, even if you say the right thing, they still come along 3 months later saying the same thing.

I wish someone would tell Adel Taarabt that!

Even with him, once he realised other teams didnt want him, he stopped talking up a move. In FM, they never stop, even if you say the right thing, they still come along 3 months later saying the same thing.

Does PSG not count?

If you don't want them to go don't sell them they are still under contract but if they have a season left get rid of them cause they won't sign and extension. But if they have more than a season keep them there but don't play them until thier morale has gone up.

Does PSG not count?

Weve said hes not moving and now its over. In FM he would be unhappy until his contract expires.

My point is that Taarabt is a poor example because there is quite clearly interest in him, as opposed to the OP's player.

Jelavic is a good example, all summer he has harped on about wanting to play in the prem league, yet not one club has expressed an interest in him, so he is still at Rangers. This happens all the times, players always want to move to bigger clubs, even if none are really that interested in the first place.

Personally i think the feature is too easy to work around, in my 20 seasons with Aberdeen i have only had to sell 1 player because of this, every other one i have talked down, even two players with world class rep are easy to persuade to stay, i always offer them new contracts as soon as the convo is finished and they never turn them down. Players used to force moves through in older versions but they dont really in FM11.

In the OP, the player has said this multiple times. In addition, in this scenario, unless you say something, he will not sign a new contract even if there is no interest from larger clubs.

And this OP's player has done it for two seasons. At some point, you have to keep quiet and realise that... Nobody is interested, no matter how loud you bang your drums.

The will not sign thing is not correct. I've ignored the complaints before and the players generally get over it after a few months of nothing happening. If they're clearly too good for the level they're at and have this type of personality, they will however likely try it again later on, as they should. Again, the idea is that making their will to move publicly known will attract interest; the OP has been suppressing this successfully, so it's not happening. No clubs on the "Interested" list is not synonymous with "no one will buy". The entire point is that he doesn't want to just wait, he wants a proactive approach. Waiting is what everyone with an inkling of ambition to reach a bigger club does every day.

I wouldn't be surprised if that is what is happening in reality, too, since QPR said they wouldn't sell him, and PSG are cash-rich now.

My point is that Taarabt is a poor example because there is quite clearly interest in him, as opposed to the OP's player.

No Taarabt is the best example because no one in the game is pushing for a move more than him and that only happens once a year. Then he gets on with it.

Hes the captain, if he was throwing strops behind the scenes, he would have been stripped of that.

No Taarabt is the best example because no one in the game is pushing for a move more than him and that only happens once a year. Then he gets on with it.

Hes the captain, if he was throwing strops behind the scenes, he would have been stripped of that.

Sorry, I didn't know you were talking about your save (which I have little information of, of course).

I wasnt, thats what was going on IRL, in any save, players say they want to move on every few months. Not just once and then they get on with it like IRL.

On this subject, I am currently Liverpool in my third season, challenging for the PL and Europa League, Barcelona declared there interest and now Hulk is unsettled and wants to move to a bigger club. I didn't want him to leave so reassured him I matched his am, he handed a transfer request in, which I agreed, but couldn't agree a fee with Barca, Hulk then didn't want to leave, wanted to be taken of the transfer list but he is still unhappy and wants to move to a bigger club.

On this subject, I am currently Liverpool in my third season, challenging for the PL and Europa League, Barcelona declared there interest and now Hulk is unsettled and wants to move to a bigger club. I didn't want him to leave so reassured him I matched his am, he handed a transfer request in, which I agreed, but couldn't agree a fee with Barca, Hulk then didn't want to leave, wanted to be taken of the transfer list but he is still unhappy and wants to move to a bigger club.

A perfect example of the unhappiness being broken and making no sense at all.

Where is the option to tell the player to shut the **** up, no team has shown any interest in you, you are no messi so get your head down and train hmm?

I wouldn't mind them leaving more often, if they didn't ask all the time. It's the same with demanding new contracts everytime a team comes in for them or just every 6 months for the hell of it - even if they've just signed one.

Until the occurance is of a reasonable frequency with realistic aims I'd rather they didn't become more insistant as it would become a majorly unrealistic pain that ruins the game. As it is it's just a time wasting nuisance having to keep telling them to shut up.