Question: Player Contracts and Free Signings.

Just a couple of quick questions:

Im playing as Crawley and been promoted to League 1. Its Jan transfer market and there is a bunch of uncontracted players from June/July of the previous season that didnt get snapped up and are not desperate for a club. To name a few, Robbie Brady and Matt James caught my eye. Trying to offer them contracts but they are demanding 4k pw with 500 app bonus etc etc. realistically i cant offer that, but they wont budge so i walk away. the next day a League 2 club offers them a contract, and they sign for 1.6k and 2k p/w respectively. How does this work? Higher league, higher rated team, yet they wont come to me?

This also leads onto my 2nd question. trying to offer some of my players new contracts that are expiring. they are making demands of 3-4k etc. i cant offer that. however, i did notice the season before, that the players doing this who left on a free in the end, signed for other clubs for less then they were on at my club to start with!!! again, any explanation?

Any help would be appreciated, its so bloody frustrating!

This is more for GD, so I'll move it.

This is more for GD, so I'll move it.

ok thanks, apologies about the wrong forum.

The first problem you note has been in the game for a while now. I think reputation has something to do with it (reputation isn't just dependent on the league you're in) but there also seems to be a random element as well.

The second question is related to the game making too big a distinction between players who are still under contract even if the contract expires in a few days and players who are not contracted. It happens at all levels where players demand big money, get released and then go on to earn less than they were on because demands are lowered as soon as players are out of contract.

I think the AI doesn't work as it should here. For example, in my game Giovinco has just left Juventus on a free. A day before he was due to be released he refused to talk to me (Boro). As soon as he was released he was happy to talk and asked for less than he was getting a day previously. I think the game needs to recognise when a player is going to be leaving their club and adjust expectations accordingly.

In your case it may also be useful for the game to include a way for players to give some feedback along the lines of "I think my future is not at this club but if you make me a good offer I'll stay". At the moment all we have to go on are demands that we know are ridiculous but we have no way of telling of the AI understands that to be the case.

What annoys me is the amount of players that retire at 18/19, or the magical 32, because they just won't drop their wage requirements and get football. So stupid.

Or the amount of players who are released from L1/L2 sides who would rather retire than even discuss a contract with your BSN/S league leaders. I understand the game is maintaining its database size but I'm not trying to sign everyone.

Just a couple of quick questions:

Im playing as Crawley and been promoted to League 1. Its Jan transfer market and there is a bunch of uncontracted players from June/July of the previous season that didnt get snapped up and are not desperate for a club. To name a few, Robbie Brady and Matt James caught my eye. Trying to offer them contracts but they are demanding 4k pw with 500 app bonus etc etc. realistically i cant offer that, but they wont budge so i walk away. the next day a League 2 club offers them a contract, and they sign for 1.6k and 2k p/w respectively. How does this work? Higher league, higher rated team, yet they wont come to me?

This also leads onto my 2nd question. trying to offer some of my players new contracts that are expiring. they are making demands of 3-4k etc. i cant offer that. however, i did notice the season before, that the players doing this who left on a free in the end, signed for other clubs for less then they were on at my club to start with!!! again, any explanation?

Any help would be appreciated, its so bloody frustrating!

Try having Zlatan Ibrahimovic on 175k at 33, you offer him a contract for 130k a week as a backup/super sub (which he was for me, and the option of finishing his career with my AC Milan side). Nope. Not a chance he says. He demands 225k a week. Talks break down. he leaves on a free and joins Fulham for 22k a week, plays 3 games in 2 seasons and retire.

The fans and board HATED me for this! I was the son of the devil for letting go such an important player. WHAT!!!

Or the amount of players who are released from L1/L2 sides who would rather retire than even discuss a contract with your BSN/S league leaders. I understand the game is maintaining its database size but I'm not trying to sign everyone.

As I've just posted myself, lower/non-league in FM is utterly broken, not fit for purpose, just doesn't work right at all. A mess.

Player demands are borked regardless of league level tbf, the issues described have always been present if memory serves right

i feel your pain. I'm York City. Sailed through Conference and League Two in two seasons. Jamil Adam was on fire...picked up on a free and have managed to consolidate in League One after clinging on by the skin of my teeth in the first season, second season i was 2nd with 12 games to go but lost 9 games in a row (!!!!!!) and finished 15th. The last two seasons have been hard financially, i have had to sell Jamil Adam and Ryan McGivern (my two best players) because both wanted around 7,000 a week. But especially during the last two seasons i've noticed that even players not fit to lace a League One players boots are asking for 2,500 a week minimum. Something i just can't afford to offer to every player. Even regens who have been released from bigger clubs on 200-300 a week want ten times that amount and it's ridiculous, i've absolutely no chance of a reserve squad because even 17,18,19yr olds want over a thousand a week but when i check to see who they signed for they accept 4-500 a week. Basically i'm stuck in a rut with no way of getting out, just moved to the new stadium already pencilled in at the start of the game (the old stadium is 9,000, the new one is 6,000) i appear to be leaking money everywhere....the issue of lower league contracts really needs sorting because its very unrealistic...

Player demands are borked regardless of league level tbf, the issues described have always been present if memory serves right

Just offered Gareth Bale at 29. Offered him a contract,(he was on 155k a week) he wanted 200k, 6million loyalty bonus 5mill agent fee and huge amounts of bonuses.

I refused to pay that much and offered 175k, 4mill and 3mill fees - he point blank refused to talk more!

He moved to Manchester United for 150k a week. he refused 25k a week to take a decrease in wages of 5k!

If he accepted my contract offer but went to Man Utd then I would understand he didn't want to leave the country etc etc... But it seems the AI have an easier chance of getting players for cheaper than we do. crazy!

I saw it mentioned in a thread somewhere (though no idea if it has been confirmed at all) that when negiotiating contracts the AI can cheat and 'knows' your wage budget - and if you have lots spare, the demands will be greater. I don't know if it is possible in the editor, but it would be interesting to test offering the same player a contract under 2 scenarios:

1. Where you have a large available wage budget;

2. With a more modest wage budget

and see what the demands are.

That said, in your example it is likely that reputation is causing your issue , with a bit of the above too (is Man Utd's rep higher than yours)?

I saw it mentioned in a thread somewhere (though no idea if it has been confirmed at all) that when negiotiating contracts the AI can cheat and 'knows' your wage budget - and if you have lots spare, the demands will be greater.

This is true. Player/agent looks at your wage budget and demands sum relative to it. If you transfer money from wage budget to transfer budget before negotiations player will demand less. Bizarre but true.

I saw it mentioned in a thread somewhere (though no idea if it has been confirmed at all) that when negiotiating contracts the AI can cheat and 'knows' your wage budget - and if you have lots spare, the demands will be greater. I don't know if it is possible in the editor, but it would be interesting to test offering the same player a contract under 2 scenarios:

1. Where you have a large available wage budget;

2. With a more modest wage budget

and see what the demands are.

That said, in your example it is likely that reputation is causing your issue , with a bit of the above too (is Man Utd's rep higher than yours)?

I dont know tbh, i have won the Serie A title 3 times on the trott and the Champs League twice on the trott. Not sure how well United have done, but all i know is that they are 7th with David Moyes at the helm and out of the Champs League, at the KO Stages.

I also have 140Million free transfer budge, with 1.45million wages (I have put the wages as far as it will go to help with board confidence)

right i always come across this mate, and i found a sneakyish way that sometimes works. offer most wage you can afford, offer best agent fee, and signing on fee. offer max apperance fee, goal bonus, team of the year bonus. offer 50% wage increase each season/promotion, wage after apperance max, bonus for 5 goals max......... sounds a bit scandolas, but they usually agree. thinking you will bend backwards for them, come 6months later offer them a contract and they will demand pittance compared to what you gave them on bonus's and stuff and they will resign, if not you can sell and make money