Ridiculous transfer costs

I'm still trying to get used to the handheld version. I'm in my second season and trying to get some depth for Liverpool. Having a bit of a problem with that though since transfer costs for basically everyone is 20m+ and everyone I already have wants a new contract.

So I have no wage budget and I'm given like 15-20m to spend while I see other clubs just throwing out 50-80m all the time on just anyone who absolutely isn't worthy of that fee... What gives? Do I have to unlock the sugar daddy thing to sign players in this version or something?

Jens Keller has a price tag of £71m

Sergio Busquets goes to Real Madrid for £51m

Arsenal sign Marek Hamsik for £42m

Chelsea sign Hatem Ben Arfa for £35m

Really see those guys going for those prices? Thats just a few. I really don't feel like naming them all.

And I'm fully aware Liverpool are not Man City. Man City have signed nobody over 10m as of season 2. I won the league though, and in my 2nd term I'm given the same amount I was given my first term pretty much. Pretty sure Henry would give me a touch more.

Alright, it's not worth arguing. If you think everyone is worth those funds then there's nothing I can do. I'll take my 14m and buy nobody and hope everyone doesn't want another contract again this term... Sure do hope the PC version gets the player name text fixed so I can play that instead.

There are always plenty of lesser known, but still very good, players out there that can be snapped up for a decent price. There are also regens and, while they don't tend to be as cheap as they were in previous versions, you can normally find some bargains.

As long as you don't expect to be able to sign big name players regularly (unless you're one of the rich clubs) it's not hard to bring in new talent.

If your wage budget is stretched are there any fringe players that you could sell off?

I've sold off virtually everyone. I have no depth. Everyone that is decent required a new contract pretty much so I have no further wages. Everyone I bid for is worth 3-5m with an asking price of 20-40m. Just gonna have to do it with the same squad and hope nobody gets hurt. Probably be a while before I'm that bored though.

Its also worth considering the 'time of window' when making bids - early on in a transfer window lots of clubs have money and are more likely to counter bid - however most will have 'spent up' towards the end and players might be more desperate to move than at the start of the window when they feel they have more time and options etc. (prices will always inflate if there is more than one interested party in a player).

Marc can it also go the other way? That the price may go up at the end of a window because the selling club thinks you are desperate?

jase19 - are you able to pad out your squad with loan signings?

No wage room left. Considering saying bye to Stevie since he's been worse than Henderson and Lucas since the start of the game with attributes. Season 2 he really drops.

Decided to look up where Ben Arfa would've placed all time. 25th highest xfer fee lol

7th for busquets.

Sorry, haven't played in a long time. Don't really plan to any time soon, so I haven't checked back on this. Can still email it to you, but it won't bother me one way or the other.

Out of interest (and because I like a random challenge now and again) - fancy emailing me the save game so I can see what talent I can find and how I do? (marc.vaughan@sigames.com if you'd be so kind).

Here's some from my career:

Mathieu Debuchy goes to Real Madrid for £30m (as a 29 year old)

Matej Vydra goes to Man City for £34.5m

Victor Wanyama goes to Juventus for £31.5m

Davide Santon goes to Real Madrid for £25.5m

Martin Skrtel goes to Real Madrid for £19.75m (as a 31 year old)

Jefferson Farfán goes to Real Madrid for £30.5m (as a 30 year old)

André Ayew goes to Man City for £25m (after a season of 14 games, no goals, no assists)

This is just a few completely unrealistic transfers, especially the Santon one haha

EDIT: Chelsea just signed Yassine Benzia for £78m

This is just a few completely unrealistic transfers, especially the Santon one haha

Santon was once rated as one of the best young full-backs in Europe.

Santon was once rated as one of the best young full-backs in Europe.

Yes, once. But at 24 he's worth £4m

Yes, once. But at 24 he's worth £4m

As valued by you.

He's worth whatever someone will pay for him.

If Real Madrid will pay £25.5m for him, then that's what he's worth (to them).

Out of interest, how much do you think Fernando Torres is "worth"?

As valued by you.

He's worth whatever someone will pay for him.

If Real Madrid will pay £25.5m for him, then that's what he's worth (to them).

Out of interest, how much do you think Fernando Torres is "worth"?

No, as valued by the game. And that's not my understanding of worth, worth is how much they should cost, not how much a team with billions is able to splash on them. The point of this thread is to focus on ridiculous transfer fees that happen every transfer window, like my current one with Hamsik going to Man Utd for £50m as a 30 year old, not how much you or I value a player.

Just to give people an update - I do agree with some of the comments in the thread and for update+1 (ie. not the one which should be out in the near future, but the later transfer data one) I've tweaked a fair bit of the transfer AI ... with the most noticeable effects being what clubs will consider 'acceptable' purchase values for older players, but also some other tweaking with regards to players targeted and AI valuations etc.

(finally please do bear in mind that as always the transfer side of the game will always open up debate about what is 'realistic' and what isn't - especially once the game is a few seasons in and has evolved - after all Torres and Carroll's transfers a few years back irl were fairly unrealistic imho )

I think one thing that I feel should change is the asking price for players when you offer for them, some of them make it really difficult to build a good squad. On my QPR career I had to battle for 5th, yet it was difficult to stay competitive when no CB's joined my team due to their asking prices.

No, as valued by the game.

It was only Real Madrid who bought him, no-one else. Only one club in the game thought he was worth that amount. Everyone else thought he was not, or they would have offered the same, or higher. Clearly the selling club agrees with you, thinks that he's not worth that amount, or else they wouldn't have sold him.

And that's not my understanding of worth

That's precisely what "worth" means, do you think the value of a painting is equal to the cost of the canvas and the paint?

worth is how much they should cost, not how much a team with billions is able to splash on them.

Ok, how much "should" Santon cost? £4 million you say? So you think he's almost as good as Maradona was in 1982 when he went to Barcelona for £5 million?

Football clubs are richer now, so they have more money to spend on players, so players prices go up. It's called supply and demand. If Football Manager was trying to be uber-realistic, the prices would continue to inflate over the course of your 30 year career, but this shouldn't happen because it would be very difficult for the player to continually adjust expectations of what to pay for a player.

The point of this thread is to focus on ridiculous transfer fees that happen every transfer window, like my current one with Hamsik going to Man Utd for £50m as a 30 year old, not how much you or I value a player.

Yeah, my point was that ridiculous transfer fees happen in real life too, they are a part of football. I asked what you thought Torres was worth when he went to Chelsea (£50m?). I could equally ask what you thought Shevchenko was worth (£30m? On his debut he was less than 7 weeks shy of his 30th birthday).

(finally please do bear in mind that as always the transfer side of the game will always open up debate about what is 'realistic' and what isn't - especially once the game is a few seasons in and has evolved - after all Torres and Carroll's transfers a few years back irl were fairly unrealistic imho )

Quite.

I got £20m for Tom "the crab" Cleverley from Chelsea.

Please don't remove this option in future updates

The one thing that has put me off buying this version has been the reviews on ios, quite a few people have noted the unrealistic transfers. News that this might be moreover though, means I might take the lunge tonight

It was only Real Madrid who bought him, no-one else. Only one club in the game thought he was worth that amount. Everyone else thought he was not, or they would have offered the same, or higher. Clearly the selling club agrees with you, thinks that he's not worth that amount, or else they wouldn't have sold him.

That's precisely what "worth" means, do you think the value of a painting is equal to the cost of the canvas and the paint?

Ok, how much "should" Santon cost? £4 million you say? So you think he's almost as good as Maradona was in 1982 when he went to Barcelona for £5 million?

Football clubs are richer now, so they have more money to spend on players, so players prices go up. It's called supply and demand. If Football Manager was trying to be uber-realistic, the prices would continue to inflate over the course of your 30 year career, but this shouldn't happen because it would be very difficult for the player to continually adjust expectations of what to pay for a player.

Yeah, my point was that ridiculous transfer fees happen in real life too, they are a part of football. I asked what you thought Torres was worth when he went to Chelsea (£50m?). I could equally ask what you thought Shevchenko was worth (£30m? On his debut he was less than 7 weeks shy of his 30th birthday).

Quite.

I think you've missed the point but okay.

I've just had Oscar join Juventus for 62m

The thing about transfers that bothers me most is that most of the times teams start bidding for players only when i bid.

when i find a talent in South america and i bid, immediately big clubs start a bidding war. (which ends up in ridicolous transfer costs for players that were originally cheap.

If i dont bid the player remains at the club and nobody is interested.

Also if u win a bidding war and cancel the tranfer u can rebid and sign him cheaper sometimes (as an exploit).

Another thing ist that teams rarely try to buy some of my players even if they are very talented and I'm a smaller club.

And if they do and i reject, the players reaction doesnt really matter. He is playing as good as before and when a few months pass i can even resign the same player with a 5 year contract.

The thing about transfers that bothers me most is that most of the times teams start bidding for players only when i bid.

when i find a talent in South america and i bid, immediately big clubs start a bidding war. (which ends up in ridicolous transfer costs for players that were originally cheap.

If i dont bid the player remains at the club and nobody is interested.

Also if u win a bidding war and cancel the tranfer u can rebid and sign him cheaper sometimes (as an exploit).

Yes I have found this to be true also. I often go looking for players through the 'find club' feature. I scout players from obscure teams in the hope to find an unknown gem and really enjoy this part of the game. However, I always end up getting caught up in a bidding war as soon as I bid for a player. That just doesn't seem right to me.

TBF with regards to clubs coming in and bidding on players that we as managers scout from the 'find club' feature. how many times have you seen this

'Man City bid £10,000,000 for ?????' and gone OOOOH i wonder what hes like and bid on him aswell??? be honest? because if he is really good you will bid aswell won't you! so this is precisely what these other clubs will do to you aswell see. they will see that you have bid on whatever player and they might like the look of him and bid too that is what football is all about and VERY realistic imho

Speaking of ridiculous transfer costs........

I tested it and they wouldn't accept a penny less! Can't see anyone paying that much this summer........

Speaking of ridiculous transfer costs........

I tested it and they would accept a penny less! Can't see anyone paying that much this summer........

As and when he leaves IRL he will go for less than £3M!!!

On my new Real Madrid save; City bought Mandzukic for 49m, Carlos Vela went back to Arsenal for 28m?????

on a lot of players the PA will fluctuate up and down and i'd say Josh McEachran had a higher than normal PA and meant more to the team as such but it does seem very high for sure can't argue that did he play much in the first season??