Top quality players signing for Conference team on non-contract

I've posted this in the bugs forum. However, I am keen to know if anyone else has experienced this, if it is indeed a problem and what others' would do?

Playing as Leamington, it is the 2016/2017 season. I was promoted from the Conference North in 14/15 and finished 5th in the Conference, missing out in the play-offs, in 15/16.

As the new season approached I went through some of the clubs in the leagues above me to see who had not agreed a new contract and was set to be released, as I often do. I made some relatively standard signings, strengthening in a couple of positions with players of a good conference/lower League 2 ability, all of which were end-of-contract free signings.

Then, as July 1st arrives and those players not able to agree a new contract at their clubs are released, I start scouring the frees list. To my delight some of the players I was unable to approach whilst they were still at their clubs now seem willing to talk to me; so I hand out a few trials to get a better look and help me narrow down the choice. As the days go by I offer out more and more trials, and to my great surprise some of my (very) speculative offers come off (e.g. Scott Parker).

Now Scott never actually even considers signing for me permanently, he keeps joining my club on trial but has no intention of joining Leamington as it would "not be a good career move". Fair enough, it probably wouldn't!

However, plenty of other players do not seem to agree with him. I am able to sign, among many others, Samba Diakte, Jamie Ness, Giorgos Samaras, Royston Drenthe, Chris Herd, Andre Bikey-Amougou and so on. To compound matters, the vast majority of these agree non-contract terms (backup squad status, £300-£500 appearance fee). The ones that haven't still sign for below £1k a week, part-time.

I feel as though I really shouldn't be able to attract players of this quality whilst at one of the smallest clubs in the Conference (my manager is nothing special, started off with badges/experience auto for Leamington). Many of these players are rated by my coaches as good for League 1, and realistically could probably get a game with a Championship club.

I wonder if a couple of my initial trial signings, specifically Scott Parker and Steve Sidwell, have 'fooled' the player AI into believing I've got a much stronger squad/reputation than I actually have. The fact that plenty of players have refused to talk to me about signing in the past based on the fact that our "squad is not strong enough" sways me further towards this explanation.

Below I've linked a screenshot of my signings that summer (over two screenshots), as you can see they get better and better, with many of my early signings becoming redundant due to the better players arriving later in the window:

http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Sechwa/media/Screenshot2015-01-17120749_zps2c74fcfa.png.html?sort=3&o=1

http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Sechwa/media/Screenshot2015-01-17123026_zpsae94ab6f.png.html?sort=3&o=0

I feel I can't really continue with the save at this moment, as it just feels like cheating!

You're not playing an unpatched version of CM4 are you?

Never came across this although I did report what I thought was a bug back in December when good players from top clubs were willing to drop down to bottom leagues even on loan, even players valued at 8 million were willing to drop down.

Nice you reported in the bugs forum as it should certainly not be working that way.

I think there are examples of these kinds of deals taking place, Lancaster City (level 9) get several decent players on non-contract basis that then go to sign for level 5 and 6 clubs. Problem I think with it is the amount of players doing it, although that said, you seem to have captured that market rather than 40+ clubs all doing it- you've jumped the gun.

I think there are examples of these kinds of deals taking place, Lancaster City (level 9) get several decent players on non-contract basis that then go to sign for level 5 and 6 clubs. Problem I think with it is the amount of players doing it, although that said, you seem to have captured that market rather than 40+ clubs all doing it- you've jumped the gun.

If there is something deliberate behind it on the part of SI, perhaps in order to address the old problem of good out-of-contract players retiring at a relatively young age after not being able to find a new club, then fair enough. But I think, even if my save is something of an anomaly, it isn't quite balanced right.

Maybe the fact that I managed to grab one led to the fact that I could then get them all? Reputation/quality of my squad average increasing above a threshold level due to one far superior player perhaps. It certainly did seem to occur in stages. If you look at the screenshots, I start by being able to sign realistic (but good quality) players for my level, and it gradually continues to the point where I'm signing Championship quality players, even Premiership in Diakte's case. Something of a domino effect perhaps, where signing one player led to the next player of a slightly higher quality considering my club.

Still doesn't quite explain why they'd be willing to take 1% of the wages they'd most likely earned earlier in their careers however.

P.s. Ha, not playing CM4! Sounds as though it could be related to your find though daylight?