Transfer System: New Alterations?

The transfer model has been vastly improve on FM09. While young players for example can still be ridiculously expensive sometimes too, it is generally well-priced and realistic now.

I have been thinking about the model and the ways it can be improved, and I have come up with a few ideas, and would like your opinions on it.

Agents: The ability to instruct an agent to come to an agreement with a club for a player on your behalf. So when you approach with a bid for Player X you then choose to handle the bid on your own, ask your board to do it, or contract an agent to negotiate on your behalf. The way this would work is that an agent obviously is paid a fee (larger fee for larger transfer deals) on completion of the deal. Now the benefit of getitng the board or an agent to do the negotiations is that you dont need to worry about it if you maybe dont have the time or patience to do the negotiating. The difference in getting the board to do the negotiation and not getting an agent in is that the board may not reach a conclusion with the opposing party and the agent is more likely to strike a deal, but an agent needs to be paid a fee for his services. The agent and board options can be available for contract negotiations as well as transfer fee negotiations too.

Transfer Finances: Most foreign transfers are spread over a period of installments so these should be far more common in deals, and in fact should become the normal method, with fees up front much less common. So if Barcelona are trying to sign Player X from Chelsea for £16m then it should be for example all in installments, or maybe £4m up front and £12m in installments etc. The addition of other transfer clauses could then be included too, such as becoming a feeder club, loaning the player back for a period of time, And regarding extra fees, as well as goals per season, appearance fees etc, the increasingly common fee depending on club success could be added, e.g. £1m fee if club wins <select competition> within <select time> years.

Multiple transfer fees: The ability to make a bid for 2 or more players are once. E.g. Milan make a combined £10m for Player X and Player Y from Man City.

Signing Youngsters: You can sign youngsters and the tribunal fees are often hefty, it is easier to "approach to sign" and negotiate the contract with the player, and simulatenously negotiate a fee with the club, and if this can't be agreed it then goes to a tribunal, rather than the automatic tribunal fee to sign a player, which has no breakdown of how it is comprised.

Media Discussion: You could choose to make public statements about a transfer, such as "Arsenal FC have announced they have agreed a fee with Paris Saint-Germain for Player B" or keep it quiet until the signing themselves are revealed. Signings should be introduced in press-conferences. Or you can release a statement to say you are hoping for bids for Player L etc. You could make comments to the clubs themselves within negotiations stating you are unwilling to go any higher because you can't afford to, or you don't think the player is worth it, or that the player's contract is running down. When you sign a player you can choose what statement to make, i.e. "Valarenga have signed Player T on a long term contract for an undisclosed fee" or maybe somethng with lots of detail like "CSKA Moscow have signed Player H for £12,000,000 plus add on clauses, on a 4 year deal worth £60,000 per week.

Player Contracts: Bonuses like loyalty bonus' and like in the Arshavin saga, being able to get a fee repaid on departing the club. Or a fee for completing each year of his contract etc. Release clauses for specific clubs. The option to make contract details private or public etc. Signing on fees can be paid all at once, or split over a period of years. And if a player is sold then there are negotiations between the selling club and transferring player to wrap up any loose ends in the contract, and anything that might be paid up, or compensation, or unpaid bonuses to be forwarded on etc. Large players can have image rights clauses in their contracts. Also bonuses for awards (i.e. player of the month) and for international appearances, (e.g. for breaking into under 21's or full side, or completing 10 caps etc). Relegation clauses can be changed so there is the wage drop, the ability to leave for a specific fee, or the right for the player to be released from their contract entirely after relegation.

Medicals: A medical report to be submitted before the player is signed, so you get information on old injuries, and any long-term effects, injury proneness, and general fitness with areas of strength and weakness.

Documents: A message to say if documents are submitted in time for transfer window or not.

When clubs make approaches for your players too often in FM09, same as 08 etc the club does not come back, whereas clubs tend to negotiate offers far more.

Opinions please people?

I think the transfer system is good but can be greatly improved to make it more lifelike. Some of the suggestions you made sound excellent, getting agents involved and media discussions should be included in the next game. I also think that holding a press conference when signing a player would be a good idea as every team does it when they get their man IRL.

i agree. the transfer system need to be improved, and these are really great ideas imo

I've been saying for years that agent should be involved in the game in some capacity as they are a major part of football today.

the agents are sometimes hired to negotiate fees between clubs. and with people moaning its too hard thats the benefit of getting the board or an agent to do it for you

i like your ideas, but instead of you getting agents to bid for you, you should be able to approach player x agent to do the deal, but some of the agents could be dodgy ( hopefuly this wont brake any legal issues) so you can say to a players agent that you would give them so much money if they get their player to sign for you

I think in FM10 an agent should be the last resort for a deal... Ie. an agent will almost always get a deal for a player, but it may be over-priced, involve player exchanges etc.

One problem I have now is that I am in a long-term game, and I can't sell my players who are playing regularly Champions League and winning the Greek League. Surely, an agent can almost guarantee to find a club for a player to play for. So, you could instruct the agent to get best deal to get rid of a player, and only rarely will he say he wasn't able to find a club.

yeah that cud work well too

These sound awesome, and mainly because transfers are my favourite part of FM, buying and selling and watching kids develop into star players.

I would love to see more media coverage over a transfer. Say for instance you have been after Pirlo for ages (made bids, praised him, declared interest), he is unsure of going to your club. You have Gattuso at your club, in a news item he comes out and says,

"It has been reported that Gattuso has met up with his ex team mate Pirlo to discuss a possible move to XXXX. In an press conference today he admitted that he contacted Pirlo to encourage him to join XXXX. Gattuso has known Pirlo while he spent 5 years playing alongside him at AC Milan."

Something along those lines, this would make favoured personnel a more important feature as players can encourage ex team mates or international team mates to join the club.

Probably be hard to implement though.

any other opinions on it?