All my players want non-contracts!

Currently halfway through my first season with Dorchester (BSN), doing alright with a 3rd place and slowly climbing towards the first spot. Anyway, it's almost the 1st of january, and I thought it would be wise to look at which contracts I would extend. I have about 10 player contracts (part-time) that are expiring in june 2011, and thought to extend about 4 of them. The others are crap or are on wages too high for their qualities.

However, it turns out to be pretty much impossible to extend the contracts of these 4 players. They are currently on part-time contracts with wages between 150 and 350 euros a week. Every single one of them, now wants a non-contract with an appearance fee ranging between 250 and 375 euros. I've tried offering them part-time contracts, but they keep on refusing. If I lock the option of part-time contract, 2 of them have refused to talk any further with me. All the players I have offered a contract are regulars and had either very good or superb morale before entering the contracts. What's up?

Bumping this one on top, kind of afraid to continue my game cause I don't wanna risk losing my star players

I've had this issue a bit too - it's like every player thinks they're above your club and thus doesn't want to be tied down to a proper contract. I usually just offer a part-time contract to my key players with maybe a slight payrise and if they don't take it, I leave it until the end of the season when they often will. If squad players want non-contracts I usually oblige as it saves my wage budget, and if someone comes in for them and I offer a new non-contract, they generally come back with "I'm very happy with the offer....". Just got to watch the appearance fee, I don't pay one that is more than I'd pay them weekly on a part-time deal anyway.

It's a really good feature in theory but I don't think it's been implemented that well.

There isn't anything you can do if they reject it when you lock Part-time. If you are afraid somebody will come along and sign them immediately for free, check this out.

Basically what CityAndColour said - just re-offer the same contract when an bid comes.

You would think that, if half of the season has gone with no one higher up coming in for them, at least some players at a lower level would want to sign the security of a part time deal. I've even tried it with the "leave at any time" clause included and they don't want a bar of it.

Ahh, that's what I was afraid for. Another issue with the non-contracts then I think, as these players are already on part-time contracts so it's weird that suddenly they all demand non-contracts, right?

Well, I'm a bit further in-game now and they still only want the non-contracts. However, some of the players have a really high potential (as in, 18 year old kids already being my stars with good stats) and I don't want to risk them walk away on a non-contract for free, instead of catching 100k for them. I can't imagine no other LLM-players are struggling with this?!

I'm certainly finding that where I have brought players in on youth contracts and played them in the first team, at the end of the season they want to go non-contract with exorbitant per-game rates rather than part-time. Classic example, my starting left winger (in BSN 2011-12) asks to go from youth hot prospect to non-contract hot prospect at £250/game and £250/goal; if I lock in part-time and offer backup status, he'll suggest £275/week... and £230/game and £230/goal. So actually, I'm better off signing them non-contract as it's massively cheaper!

I get around it, offer them a part-time contract, Key-player, then you can offer them up to 2-3 years length at around £30-40. Then I just change their status to rotation. Works well with my Evo Stick Prem team.