signing players on a free seems much easier in this edition

[nickisok]

I am playing as PSV eindhoven and season 2 has just ended. became champions 2 times and played the europa league final in the first year (lost against atletico madrid).

My point is, where in previous versions i should have to spend a lot of cash to improve my squad, this version i can do it with free players. i have not edited the league or club reputation, but big players will still come to psv.

In 2 years, i signed on a free:

Mamadou diarra (real madrid)
Boussoufa (anderlecht)
schaars (az)
buonanotte
durval (30 years old brazilian player)
joris mathijsen (HSV)
juan manuel iturbe (quilmes)
EDIT: an uruguayan MC with a difficult name and 15 caps

most of these players (not iturbe, hot prospect and schaars backup) are first team regulars.
i was also able to sign inter's coutinho for 7 mil. i don't believe players like coutinho and diarra would even consider a move to PSV in real life. so why does this happen in the game?

[paulpaps]

Now this is one thing I'm finding too. I'm Inverness CT, and now in my 5th season, my most recent free transfers have been Aquilani, Walcott, Kompany and Adebayor. The oldest is Adebayor at age 30! I've done nothing to the game, just started as soon as I bought Fm2011. I mean I've been doing well each season, including some excellent results in europe which allowed me loads of money! I'd never have got there if it wasn't for Kenny Miller on a free! I haven't bought a single player, because every season I just put my transfer budget to my wages and just signed all the best frees I could find.

BTW with all the about this game, this is the only bit I was wondering about, the game itself seems fine to me!

[nickisok]

I am also enjoying the game, but it gets a tad bit easy when you can sign these players for free. in my game they don't even ask for huge wages. Diarra has the highest one with €20.000 a week. a player like affelay (who signed a new contract) now earns 37.500 a week. so i can keep all the money i make from transfers, and dont need to spend it on players.

[paulpaps]

Bit harder for me, most the players weren't really interested but I threw 34000 a week at them and they took it. May have to sell one or two or my finances may take a bigger hit! Considering before I signed them, my highest earner was Adam rooney on 4,700 a week...

[TOUGHGUY]

Same here, mentioned this elsewhere that I only had a handful of big name moves for peanuts so far, but I had tons of big name players moving on a free. First teamers from top clubs in their prime, too, including a few FM specials of a club splashing the cash & releasing the player only a season later. I suspect it's the same issue as with the transfers, players being unhappy and not renewing contracts. Though plenty of the free agents do stay free for a long time for some reason.

[Carmi88]

its because of the bug that makes players easier to be upset, causing them to not want to negotiate contracts with current clubs, getting transfer lister or waiting it out for contract to end, should be fixed in december patch as it is quite annoying =/

[Be¢kham]

Yeah I've experienced this too and can't help but think it's a big hindrance on my FM experience (despite the fact it's allowed me to sign some decent players). I'm Portsmouth, fourth season having just won promotion to the Premier League and I managed to sign Lampard, Arshavin, Malouda, Rio Ferdinand, Djorou, Nelson Valdez, Saviola, Ike Uche, David Pizarro, Tim Howard, Paul Robinson, Jamie O'Hara all on wages of £20k or less.

Obviously it's helping me in that I'm doing well in my first season after promotion but (and despite each of the players clearly not being in their prime, four season's on) I can't help but feel it's just not realistic.

[MrPompey]

Yeah I've experienced this too and can't help but think it's a big hindrance on my FM experience (despite the fact it's allowed me to sign some decent players). I'm Portsmouth, fourth season having just won promotion to the Premier League and I managed to sign Lampard, Arshavin, Malouda, Rio Ferdinand, Djorou, Nelson Valdez, Saviola, Ike Uche, David Pizarro, Tim Howard, Paul Robinson, Jamie O'Hara all on wages of £20k or less.

Obviously it's helping me in that I'm doing well in my first season after promotion but (and despite each of the players clearly not being in their prime, four season's on) I can't help but feel it's just not realistic.

I'm Pompey also, finished 8th season 1 and currently 3rd nearing the end of Season 2 signing Beckham in the jan 2011 transfer window but I've not noticed anything in the Championship and only getting low-Medium quality free signings plus with Utaka up front as a poacher with 16 goals and Nugent as target man with 12 we are doing OK

However do remember irl Pompey signed in the past:
Kanu on a free
James for next to nothing

In the Championship we picked up:
Sherwood
Sherringham
Merson

All over the hill players age wise but with much to offer playing wise. Perhaps the change in clubs rep now being dynamic Portsmouth are seen as a good side. After all we've had two very recent visits to Wembley in an FA Cup final

I think the FM issue is
a) AI manager's having problems with the new contract module and then players not wishing to renegotiate and running down their contracts. Perhaps the AI should attempt to renegotiate / adjust its salary budget giving up transfer funds, bail out of contract negotiations midway through when you realise the player wants more than you have and then waiting until you have enabled a larger salary cap
b) Players morale
c) AI managers / clubs not identifying and attempting to sign out of contract players and causing competition for the players
d) Player negotioations I notice sometimes I can bring a player down to half his original request e.g. 20k to 10k.....is this right?

I think the current issue is mainly due to the new agent modue for player contracts and player morale so sensitive
b) AI teams selling key players or high rep players for lower than expected prices
c)
Ohara would have signed if we had the money

[Pipson]

in my game kalou didn't renew with Chelsea, so he signs for a german team and 1 or 2 seasons later chelsea buy him back for 7m..a bit pathetic.

[Be¢kham]

I'm Pompey also, finished 8th season 1 and currently 3rd nearing the end of Season 2 signing Beckham in the jan 2011 transfer window but I've not noticed anything in the Championship and only getting low-Medium quality free signings plus with Utaka up front as a poacher with 16 goals and Nugent as target man with 12 we are doing OK

However do remember irl Pompey signed in the past:
Kanu on a free
James for next to nothing

In the Championship we picked up:
Sherwood
Sherringham
Merson

All over the hill players age wise but with much to offer playing wise. Perhaps the change in clubs rep now being dynamic Portsmouth are seen as a good side. After all we've had two very recent visits to Wembley in an FA Cup final

I think the FM issue is
a) AI manager's having problems with the new contract module and then players not wishing to renegotiate and running down their contracts. Perhaps the AI should attempt to renegotiate / adjust its salary budget giving up transfer funds, bail out of contract negotiations midway through when you realise the player wants more than you have and then waiting until you have enabled a larger salary cap
b) Players morale
c) AI managers / clubs not identifying and attempting to sign out of contract players and causing competition for the players
d) Player negotioations I notice sometimes I can bring a player down to half his original request e.g. 20k to 10k.....is this right?

I think the current issue is mainly due to the new agent modue for player contracts and player morale so sensitive
b) AI teams selling key players or high rep players for lower than expected prices
c)
Ohara would have signed if we had the money

My post was by no means a cheap dig or with any intended disrespect to Pompey and the calabre of players they can attract but, even with your valid point that the club are recognised on the football map with their FA Cup final appearance and Europa League stint a couple of years back, even in their early to mid-thirties I can't see the club being able to sign many of my aforementioned list. Kanu and James hardly equate to Arshavin, Rio, Malouda, Lampard etc. You can defend it all you like, which you will no doubt do as a Pompey fan, but, this is a direct consequence of the now somewhat infamous, around here anyway, transfer bug.

[MrPompey]

Yep, there is the transfer bug and cetainly I've not taken any offence with any remarks about my club. I agree the balance is not quite right at the moment...bring on the patch

[dontask]

i hate spending money so im always looking for freebies and seem to be able to sign plenty as well.

[Martyr1777]

There do seem to be lots of real quality out there for free... I picked up Buonanotte on a free, playing Colorado... played half the first season got the league MVP would probably get it again easy, unless a current deal goes through. Get him for free, get some shirt sales and massive match performance, then sell him for 6M, makes the game a little too easy.

It's bad enough when a player with that kind of caliber is available on a free, it's a totally other thing when Colorado can sign him with no one else trying to get him.

[virtual11]

Whilst it easier to get players on free's, I do find I am always having to make sure I don't sign too many and go way over my wage budget. This seems quiet realistic to me.

[ommerson]

At a whole different level I get the same with free agents like Gert-Jan Tamerus (pretty well known dutch striker, 28, released from dutch prem. club Heracles I think), who was willing to do it for nothing at dutch 4th league amateur minnows DTS'35. And he's not the only relative big name I signed for no salary what so ever, making it quite easy to become champions of the "Hoofdklasse" and winning the amateur cup, kicking 3 or 4 higher league clubs out in the process.

I posted a thread on the fact that I can out-offer a 2nd tier dutch (and english) clubs pro-offer by offering this guy (all my players in fact) a 'new' € 0 amateur offer, which is even stranger than him coming to play for my club in the first place.. Who wants to stay for scrap at DTS'35, when he could be earning serious money at Derby County?