Tranfer Bids, Unsettled Players and Disharmony

I am currently in my 3rd season at Steaua Bucharest and dispite my on field success once a year my team goes into morale free fall!

Season 1

I saw this as a building year and getting to know my players and trying a few tactics. However, during the winter break my 2 best players had attracted a few 'bigger' clubs and dispite trying to negotiate and bang the price up to silly money they both turned unhappy. The entire squad became dismayed by the lack of harmony and my squad morale went from a decent 70 something to 9%! Well it is my first season I thought and they are both in their late 20s so I will sell them on. Off they went (with 1 more unhappy camper) for around £25 million and I gave all the other slightly concerned guys a new contract. Morale crisis averted and confidence back up into the 60's. These things happen in football I conclude and manage to lift the cup and finish 3rd in the league. Onwards and upwards into season 2...

Season 2

Using the money I made last year I strengthen the squad and experience no more harmony issues. I win the league with 2 games to spare ensuring champions league football playing a brand of attacking football not seen in Bucharest for many a year. On to season 3...

Season 3

This is where I have a real issue with the 'realism' of player expectations with regards to transfers. My squad confidence is in the 90s and I am 8 points clear in the league. I manage to finish 3rd in my CL group and qualify for the uefa cup and all my players are at maximum morale. I have upgraded all my coaches to 7 stars as well as improving my youth and training facilities to good. Steaua are on the up! Will this be a return to the glory days of the 80s?

Then the harmony monster strikes again! My best defender (7.4 average) who I bought less than a year ago for £5.25m is targeted by Olympic Lyonnaise. They offer £4m, I think here we go again and ask for £10m (not unreasonable based on him being an international for the Ukraine, having 3 years left on his contract and playing very well). Olympic withdraw their bid and I am now left with an angry player. Repeat this another 2 times with 2 other different players and my squad harmony has fallen to under 20%.

All 3 players were happy, all had long periods left on their contracts, all had bids less than their value negotiated to a reasonable value, all the bidding teams withdrew after their initial bid, all 3 bidding clubs were from leagues not of a higher profile (France, Belgium and Russia), all 3 bidding teams weren't in european competition and all 3 players had decent personalities.

Now I understand Romania isn't the most glamorous league or are Steaua a massive name in world football. But surely players who have been at a club less than a year would have some loyalty? Surely they would understand that their club wouldn't just sell them to whoever felt like bidding? Surely they would expect their club to want a decent price even if they did want to leave?

I am not adverse to letting these guys go but it feels like I dont have a choice due to it completely messing up my squad harmony. Is all this realistic? Did all the Aston Villa players become unhappy with their club because Barry wanted to go to Liverpool and Villa wanted a certain amount of money? I am sure O'Neil said "I don't want to sell you but if you really want to go to a bigger club then we want to make sure we get a fair deal." I don't get any form of communication with my player all he sees are rejected offers from other clubs, gets upset and this spreads like a plague to everyone at my club.

Sorry for the long drawn out post but this is a real game breaker for me in what is an otherwise fantastic game.

it's a very good yet frustrating point. Im playing with Hull and the players dont accept when you say "i want the club to progress to match your ambitions".

I have had I few of those and at least you are communicating with the player. Some times they back down and you can carry on as normal. If they demand a transfer you at least understand why they felt the need to leave and as far as I can remember this doesn't have too big an impact on team harmony.

However Player A is worth £5m and playing well and is happy.

Team B bids £4m and you negotiate it to £10m. Team B withdraws and Player A is now angry and the rest of the squad are all concerned.

At no point can I say to player A - I understand you want to leave but you have 3 years on your contract, are a vital member of our team and we want a fair price. In real life this happens all the time. The player will eventually be sold on with the final price depending on the quality of the player and the size of the clubs after him.

All this happens in football every year throughout the world. I understand the modern game and it's players ambitions mean that smaller clubs always have to sell on their best players to bigger clubs. What I don't feel is realistic is the impact it has on the rest of the squad or the lack of communication options available to you to explain the clubs policy to the player and the other squad members.

It is worth noting that if you do the same thing to a smaller team than you for a player none of the effects occur. Yes the player can be unsettled but it has no effect on the rest of the squad. Also if you offer a price lower than he is valued and the club negotiate and you then withdraw the player VERY rarely becomes unsettled.

If SI have put this into the game because they think it reflects real football then surely both user and AI teams should react the same?

if you take the ashley cole tapping up saga and the ronaldo saga in the summer as examples, the fans were angered by the players.

i think this should happen in FM and you could get news saying, "in the wake of so-and-so's alleged move to *team here*, fans were deeply upset and jeered the player when he recieved the ball.

its a bit harsh that the game only targets the manager

I do somewhat agree that players seem to get unsettled a little too easy. Your example is a good case. The fact he gets upset because Lyon didn't want to pay 10 million (which your right isn't unreasonable) has something wrong with it. The player should not be so eager to get angry. I could understand if it was certain players and happened once in a while but it happens to almost everyone.

The other thought I have after reading your post is that you are going to have to accept the fact that players want to leave when they get offers from prestigious clubs. As long as you are not managing one of those prestigious clubs you are going to have to live with it, and IMO it is totally realistic. If you were this player, would you not want to go Lyon as well? of course you would. But as I say the issue is that despite the fact you have tried to open negotiations to send him there and Lyon backed away he is mad at you. I also think there is no doubt an issue that the AI players are much harder to unsettle than your own players.

You make a fair point and I agree in principal that my player would want to play for a big club in France, however...

Should it completely unsettle my whole squad?

He has only been at the club for a year, why be extremely interested in joining my club for a year later to be angry I won't sell him?

Why can't I tell tell him I don't mind selling him but want a fair price?

None of the options in the reject offer menu make any difference. In this example (and this isn't the only time by a long way) I would choose reject "player is indespensible to the club" or "would like to recoup the money paid". Now i would expect the player to then approach me with a request to leave and I would grant it and stick a price on him of say £7m. This method shouldn't unsettle my squad as I am agreeing he can go play at a higher level or whatever.

At the moment all I get is "unhappy he can't move clubs and no player should be forced to stay". Can I respond to this? Nope all I get is an angry player and an upset squad.

This happened on another save with Rooney at Man U when Chelsea offered me £12m when he was worth £24m. It isn't just the good players at small clubs will want to leave it happens at every club at every level and as a manager you have no options to 1) Fight for the player or 2) Stop it destroying your whole squads harmony.

Realistic? Don't think so. Would Rooney expect to be sold to a massive rival for a cut price fee? Would the fact that he wanted to leave affect the entire Man U squad who until this point were all happy?

It ain't realistic and it IS the worst part of FM09.

You make a fair point and I agree in principal that my player would want to play for a big club in France, however...

Should it completely unsettle my whole squad?

He has only been at the club for a year, why be extremely interested in joining my club for a year later to be angry I won't sell him?

Why can't I tell tell him I don't mind selling him but want a fair price?

None of the options in the reject offer menu make any difference. In this example (and this isn't the only time by a long way) I would choose reject "player is indespensible to the club" or "would like to recoup the money paid". Now i would expect the player to then approach me with a request to leave and I would grant it and stick a price on him of say £7m. This method shouldn't unsettle my squad as I am agreeing he can go play at a higher level or whatever.

At the moment all I get is "unhappy he can't move clubs and no player should be forced to stay". Can I respond to this? Nope all I get is an angry player and an upset squad.

This happened on another save with Rooney at Man U when Chelsea offered me £12m when he was worth £24m. It isn't just the good players at small clubs will want to leave it happens at every club at every level and as a manager you have no options to 1) Fight for the player or 2) Stop it destroying your whole squads harmony.

Realistic? Don't think so. Would Rooney expect to be sold to a massive rival for a cut price fee? Would the fact that he wanted to leave affect the entire Man U squad who until this point were all happy?

It ain't realistic and it IS the worst part of FM09.

i agree it isn't realistic its like they've taken the berbatov saga at spurs to the extreme and now as soon as a club comes in for a player and you don't sell him he gets upset and upsets a good majority of your squad. i have even had a warning off the board about the squad being unhappy i understand they want to move but getting a fair price is only fair and also if your on the up and are winning things it seems odd they want to move so quick after signing. i have noticed its only a one sided thing as well i have never seen a player in my squads in years of playing say no im not interested i am happy where i am which you do get in real life

Interesting post about the Berbatov thing - you may very well be right. Like I said I don't mind struggling with the odd player who may want to leave but this ruining an otherwise perfect squad and season is a bit much. I don't think the Berbatov transfer was the main reason behind Spurs having an awful start to the season and I think most Spurs players would take a fairly realistic view of "well if he wants to go to Man U and the CL then fair play but we should get a fair price to strengthen our squad from it."

All the big transfer stories of the last few years Gerrard, Berbatov, Ronaldo, Barry etc I don't think would have ruined a squads morale. If anything I would suspect most players at the clubs would be encouraged that the club 1) wanted to keep its best players or 2) wanted a fair price so they could replace the player in question.

Interesting post about the Berbatov thing - you may very well be right. Like I said I don't mind struggling with the odd player who may want to leave but this ruining an otherwise perfect squad and season is a bit much. I don't think the Berbatov transfer was the main reason behind Spurs having an awful start to the season and I think most Spurs players would take a fairly realistic view of "well if he wants to go to Man U and the CL then fair play but we should get a fair price to strengthen our squad from it."

All the big transfer stories of the last few years Gerrard, Berbatov, Ronaldo, Barry etc I don't think would have ruined a squads morale. If anything I would suspect most players at the clubs would be encouraged that the club 1) wanted to keep its best players or 2) wanted a fair price so they could replace the player in question.

i wouldn't mind if for a balance a few player said thanks for turning down that offer i like the faith you've shown in me and i am happy at this club

AC Milan have made an offer worth £51,000,000 plus future incentives for Omar Al-Beshi.

The highest fee AC Milan have ever paid for a player is Rui Costa's £27,000,000 transfer from Fiorentina.

Man City have rejected the offer

Sorry, but if you guys knew how good this player was, and I wish I could take a screenshot that doesnt end up horribly pixelated (if someone can advise then I would appreciate it, I have tried saving as .jpg so far) then I will show you him and why I wont get rid !!!

looks good but you shoud post in the regens thread

With your youngster I can understand him wanting to leave even a massive cub in England and play for one of the big boys in europe, especially in Italy or Spain. That would be a bit like Ronaldo and Real this summer.

When you rejected the bid did it unsettle the squad?

I continued my save last night and a month or so after the transfer window closed the players went back to being happy at the club (I have been doing well in the league and the uefa cup). However my squad harmony is still low and is being monitored by the board.

Think they maybe just need to tweak the impact on the sqaud harmony from transfer bids.

Hmm, I am not sure of the exact wording of the "lack of squad harmony" report from the board, but hazarding a guess, could the rest of the squad be unhappy at these certain players acting like prima donnas when they do not get their transfers? As opposed to being upset at you the manager. It may also indicate that these slightly upset players have a low degree of professionalism and are easily influenced by events?

It is understandable that you would be left frustrated at what has occurred though. Perhaps if those players are that much of a sore, try offering them out to clubs while quoting your ideal prices? See if any other clubs will take the bait. Or if the situation is really dire, offer them out at lower prices to ensure you solve the squad harmony problem.

I often get unhappy players, but if theres an issue I just offer a new contract to solve it. If this isn't possible (like when they think too many players in position for instance), then I just wait it out - as long as results are going my way and the squad is happy otherwise then things will slowly improve again. If they're injured it helps too, since they often then rethink whatever it is they are ****ed off about.

I do think the 'dismayed at lack of harmony' thing is overdone though - I had 3-4 fringe players (so rotation or lower squad status) whining about how they felt there was too much competition.....this sent my confidence bar spiralling down to 2%, and multiple players suddenly had a 'sit' iin their status....and if it wasn't for my otherwise excellent morale and strong standing with the board this might have become a problem. Fringe players bringing a whole squad down because of a new signing ? Has SI been watching too many hammers soap operas ?

I'd like this toned down just a tad pls SI !

This is where we desperately need more player interaction, or perhaps more variability in the players.

For example, when you say "I want the club to progress to match your ambitions", you can attach a timescale to it, e.g next season.

The players morale/decision would then be based on this, along with the difference in club reputation, league position and favouritism. If he's Geovanni at Hull, and Man Utd made a bid, and you proposed you wanted to match his ambitions, he'd probably laugh in your face and get in a right strop if you didn't let him leave.

However if he's Montolivo at Fiorentina and Roma make an offer, giving him a year to prove your ambitions would probably keep him happy, as he's young and the gap between the clubs isn't massive.

As for disharmony, well come January if Hull sold Geovanni to United and Marlon King was recalled from his loan, I imagine the players morale would take a massive hit. Again, more interaction is required, potentially through reassurances that you will sign a replacement and a timescale for doing so. This will boost morale, but if you fail to deliver then you'll once again see a hit and players might lose confidence in you for "false promises".

Maybe a stupid question, but how do you find your harmony percentage?

Maybe a stupid question, but how do you find your harmony percentage?

When you are on the confidence screen, put your cursor over the Squad Harmony bar for a few seconds and your percentage will pop up

This is where we desperately need more player interaction, or perhaps more variability in the players.

For example, when you say "I want the club to progress to match your ambitions", you can attach a timescale to it, e.g next season.

The players morale/decision would then be based on this, along with the difference in club reputation, league position and favouritism. If he's Geovanni at Hull, and Man Utd made a bid, and you proposed you wanted to match his ambitions, he'd probably laugh in your face and get in a right strop if you didn't let him leave.

However if he's Montolivo at Fiorentina and Roma make an offer, giving him a year to prove your ambitions would probably keep him happy, as he's young and the gap between the clubs isn't massive.

As for disharmony, well come January if Hull sold Geovanni to United and Marlon King was recalled from his loan, I imagine the players morale would take a massive hit. Again, more interaction is required, potentially through reassurances that you will sign a replacement and a timescale for doing so. This will boost morale, but if you fail to deliver then you'll once again see a hit and players might lose confidence in you for "false promises".

Some good ideas there fella - I must admit that most of my frustrations don't really lie with the fact players want to leave or get upset when I reject bids it is the lack of communication options available. If my 20 year old wonderkid wants to leave for a bigger club then fair play but I want to explain this to my squad so they dont all get upset. If the options when you reject or accept a transfer worked / or were improved this would be a big step in the right direction.

This 'module' in the game is still as flawed as ever. I currently get quite the opposite problem though. Three of my players come out with the 'very ambitious and needs to move to a bigger club to progress' comment once a week. Every time (that's three times a week!) I tell them we'd improve to fulfill their ambition. They back down every time. Then come next week they're at it again. This is shockingly poor, all basic stuff that has needed lots of work ever since it was introduced but is still as bad. Instead we get new flawed media gimmicks like press conferences.

Sorry about ranting, but having to constantly deal with this carp in my current game is getting on my nerves a bit.

Edit: as soon as I posted this one of the three has now decided he 'refuses to be bullied in transfer row' and has requested a transfer. Just. Great.

This 'module' in the game is still as flawed as ever. I currently get quite the opposite problem though. Three of my players come out with the 'very ambitious and needs to move to a bigger club to progress' comment once a week. Every time (that's three times a week!) I tell them we'd improve to fulfill their ambition. They back down every time. Then come next week they're at it again. This is shockingly poor, all basic stuff that has needed lots of work ever since it was introduced but is still as bad. Instead we get new flawed media gimmicks like press conferences.

Sorry about ranting, but having to constantly deal with this carp in my current game is getting on my nerves a bit.

Edit: as soon as I posted this one of the three has now decided he 'refuses to be bullied in transfer row' and has requested a transfer. Just. Great.

I know this thread is older, but I'm just running into this for the first time in a big way. As the Toon I've got in my first season we're flying pretty high, in 3rd place now, have been in first and as low as 5th, and am trying to secure a Champion's League spot. Beye, Enrique, Jonas, Taylor, and Colo are all being riddled with multiple "admirations" from several clubs. I understand getting bids for Colo from Chelski and Man U. I didn't even price those up, rather increased the cash up front (since they were pretty good offers) and they backed out.

What really ****es me off, though, is when the news comes in that Steve Taylor is "flattered" by the attention from Mowbray and thinks that the opportunity to play for club like West Brom doesn't come along every day... Absolutely stupid.

It's the only aspect of FM that is plain broken, in my view. I should be able to say to them, "We're fighting for a Champion's League spot. If we don't make it, I'll sell you to whomever you want in the summer, but I won't sell on the cheap. If we do make it and you still want to leave, I'll even let you do that, but time to buck up and make good."

i think this should happen in FM and you could get news saying, "in the wake of so-and-so's alleged move to *team here*, fans were deeply upset and jeered the player when he recieved the ball.

its a bit harsh that the game only targets the manager

I agree!

Completely agree with the OP. Clubs keep on offering ridiculously low amounts for my star players. Now half of the team wants a transfer :H

Transfer system is probably the most flawed part of the game IMO. I agree with you about needing more interaction with players regarding transfers as at the moment there is nothing you can do to stop players becoming unsettled because big clubs come in with pitiful offers for your best players. As has been said the £10m you negotiated seems o be a fair amount to ask for especially when you would be forced to pay closer to £15m if the roles were reversed and a human manager bids for a player. Every transfer window on my old Spurs save I had to fight off offers for Modric, Bentley and Corluka and several other which would always end the players wanting to leave the club.

The only way i've found to be able to stop players wanting to leave is to get on their favoured personnel or increase the clubs reputation but I definently think there are nowhere near enough options for you to talk to the player about them leaving. SI have managed to improve the transfer system this time around but it is still nowhere near the finished article and i'll be interested to see how much work they put into it for FM10.

If you want to keep them, there is no way they can obstacle your dreams. Fine them salary, declare the press they are playing bad and possibly insult them in public. Those spoilt kids must understand who is the boss.

Many times I succeed on convincing them to respect the long term contract they signed only with the stuff,sometimes may be necessary also the carot.

If you want to keep them, there is no way they can obstacle your dreams. Fine them salary, declare the press they are playing bad and possibly insult them in public. Those spoilt kids must understand who is the boss.

Many times I succeed on convincing them to respect the long term contract they signed only with the stuff,sometimes may be necessary also the carot.

Never tried that approach myself, too afraid that it would back-fire.

If you want to keep them, there is no way they can obstacle your dreams. Fine them salary, declare the press they are playing bad and possibly insult them in public. Those spoilt kids must understand who is the boss.

Many times I succeed on convincing them to respect the long term contract they signed only with the stuff,sometimes may be necessary also the carot.

Seriously? That wouldn't work, would it? Anyone else tried this approach?