What is your transfer policy

[phnompenhandy]

i mostly buy youths, but if i need a top quality player immediately, then i'll spend BIG if i have the funds to spare(e.g. 50mil - ramos, 70mil - fabregas)

Both of whom are very young! Could add the likes of Aguero, Bojan, Messi, Micah Richards etc. If I have the dosh, I'll spend it - on youth!!

[BurakUeda]

First attempt is search for good freebies (got Vossen for free last season! Yay!).

And then youngsters

If I am desperately in need of a player, I will pay...

[srwlml23]

i have been known to get free players in and sell straight away to make a fast buck.. and it tends to work, and then go for the player that was just out of my budget.

[TMLS]

Depends on the club. But wherever I am, my main "policy" is not to give signing on fees - something I picked up from a comment by my RL club's Chairman quite a few years ago now. If they want to sign, the wages should be enough. Most players seem to sign without one. If they insist on one, I drop their wages accordingly.

[Samsung]

I usually buy 1 or 2 big big signings and just stock up on little freebies. Then the next window buy another 1 or 2 big signings in different positions and stock on on little freebies. I used to buy heaps of youngsters and good buys but were in the end useless and I just had a massive average squad. My policy now allows for me to have a great team within 3 to 4 years with great players and recycle them when they get a bit older or someone wants them for heaps more... I spend alot so unless I win something we hit the red pretty hard...

[Nomis07]

I went for normal, but only because my bizarre transfer policy doesn't fall into any of those categories

- I won't spend more than my clubs current record transfer fee.

- I won't spend more than 2.5 times a players value on that player.

- I have a set of att for each position and if a cheaper player has those att's I sign them, even if they are non league.

- A wage structure of never paying more than £45k pw to a player limits my options.

- I try to fill my team with players from that country.

- If the player isn't from the nation i'm managing in they have to be under 24, if they are from the nation i'm managing in they have to be under 32.

With all that in mind, over 16 seasons with Bayern Munich my highest ever transfer spent was £9.75m

[UnlikelyStory]

I tend to buy youngsters, as I like to build for the future. However that does sometimes mean splashing the cash to the teams that don't want to let them go. Took me ages to pry Bojan away from Barca in the third season.

[opul]

I get youngsters en masse and keep the ones that turn out promising after 2-3 years (which is not many). Also I am a bargain hunter and can rarely say no if a good player is available for free, even so I got too many for that position already. As a result I end up with some money pretty soon, which again allows me to buy the player I really want, no matter what price.

Certainly never ever buy a player above 28 and that is already pushing it. I like to stick with a team and sort out players at 31 the latest, unless for sentimental reasons (e.g. record scorer for team)

[jbrowes]

I normaly start each game trawling the Argentina & Brazil clubs and usually find about 3-5 that I buy for peanuts and send on loan. They usually become hot prospects and 1st team candidates in a few years.

As I prefer a settled sqad I normally bring in perhaps one possibly 2 top players as and when they are needed - I have no problem paying £30m for a particular player I know will fit in and improve my team.

If I join a club that needs a substantial change of personnel and, providing I have the funds, I tend to do in one fowl swoop during a single transfer window - both selling & buying. I will also change Captan if required. Then hoppefully, I can gradually get the team to settle in and bond.

[Arsenal_Fan_1986]

I always invest in youth players, even sell some of my star players when the others shine through. At arsenal bendtner and walcott both started playing well and became very good players. I kept adebayor but sold Van Persie and Eduardo. I usually have lots of money but never spend it. If there is a player younger than 22 and is brilliant, I will spend what it takes to get him If i need him.

[llama3]

Current young squad fails, llama3 sacked, new manager appointed who spends 160m on 5 29 year old players, 2 of them keepers.

ah but that wont happen, havent won the league in first 3 seasons, but board are ok with my progress, been consistently close every season, and had a horrendous injury crisis in the latter half, yet still finished champions league runners up and carling cup winners!

[watsonsclarets]

i always buy youth but have no choice i always start at lower league clubs

young romanian like most on fm2008 are my choices

[FM BEAR]

I tend to spend on players in the first team. I go Rangers at the start so I dont have huge amounts to spend. I scout every available country for youngsters and build the U-19's from their. I've lost count of the number of youngsters I've sold for 7 or 8 million (plus future fee clause) who have only a handful of first team appearences.

Incidentally, I cant believe how many on here get rid of players justr because they've turned 30.

[Daley]

I generally buy youngsters but will buy an established player if I need to replace someone who has retired/got past it or I've sold. However I never buy anyone over 28 regardless of ability.

[Majkee]

Spend Spend Spend on Youngsters

Every year I have added one or two top class youngsters (5 stars or more). If youngster is not reachable in that year, I am going for experienced top class player (y. van den Borre, Ménez, Love, Ochoa... o. Santana, Dagoberto etc.)

Budgeting from selling older players at the peak of their abilities, from PL finish and CL qualification.

I am playing for Aston Villa.

[Sagna-del-toro]

Youth raided from Eastern European Countries, i left Red Star Belgrade like a dust farm

[cskamoscow]

usually when i start a game, i first review the team; then i consolidate the team with those i want and tie them down to long term deals; i then offload those i feel i don't need and try to generate extra revenue...

i try to keep a policy of at least 5 home grown players in my first 11 and build a team around my defence...

[tomtuck01]

What is your transfer policy?[/Quote]

Buy players who will benefit my team, be they young, old, cheap, or expensive.

[MSCCG]

I don't like the way this is, most people buying youth etc. I believe its the game that makes doing this necessary, because older players become quite useless, and unsaleable, and egotistic, and demand giant wages. Most big clubs don't buy youth players like crazy like the people that play the game do.

For the record I vigorously try to focus my transfers as realistically as possible, a good mix of youth, established, and experienced players. At realistic prices. Not a bargain hunter, but I will not spend unrealistic sums of money for a player.

[nick...]

I used to spend my entire transfer budget every season; going on the notion that the board wants me to achieve x, and has given me y funds to do it.

I don't get any extra kudos for saving money if I don't achieve my targets - in fact it only looks like I could have achieved them had I spent what I was allowed to.

I never felt any guilt over doing this. Whenever I've asked for more funds, I've been told in no uncertain terms that the financial running of the club is none of my business.

So, I was never much concerned f my reckless spending spiralled the club into horriffic debt, after all - the financial running of the club is none of my damn business - I've got my targets, I've got my budgets - if it all goes down the tubes, then it's the board's fault...

Hovever much later in my save I discovered the immense fun of running a selling club.

I now only buy cheap and mostly young players - and sell my best players at their peak to pull in maximum revenue.

It keeps the squad fresh and in a world full of regens, it does mean that wherever I play, from Chelsea to Chesterfield, there's usually a former player or two in the line up I can keep an eye out for, and identify a bit of personality in.

[Harryseaess]

I do a bit of both, I will buy really young players that are future stars (e.g. Sakho, Saivet etc.) and then I will also buy players that are already well established first team players but are still quite young (e.g. Matias Fernandez, Rafael Van der Vaart etc.).

[Scottish Lad]

Usually buy lots of youngsters and some players that look good and eventually blend them into my first team as the years go past.

[iamweesel]

It depends on my team

I'm not going to buy hot prospects,because they need to reach higher levels,so it's the freebies and the golden oldies

If i'm a Premiership team,want to challenge for the title,ie West ham,i bring in youngsters and th eplayers which get scouted by my scouts

[SFraser]

I generally look for one instant impact signing every season with the remainder of my budget devoted to the future, whether that is long term youth if my squad is strong, or saving up for a long term replacement for a key player.

I generally prefer youth over experience unless the player is likely to be decisive.

[millwallrules]

I play mainly lower league games so I basically have a deal of getting the best I can for the cash. I do though like to have 3 or 4 old(30+) players in my squad of 16 just to provide experience and most of the time quality.

[zaon47]

for the first season, it's a major overhaul

then second season onwards invest in youth.

every now and then i would sign players on a free if they are of quality.

two key signings per season.

[smithers08]

I rarely spend big bucks on players , regardless of the team i am .

[roooonaldooo]

I do a lot of them and bring in a lot of youth. But the one i picked was golden oldies in my save with man u in 2012 i have in the first team pirlo deco heskey

[toysattic]

a mixture really but i like to try to generate at least 50% of money spent on players with money coming in for the players i sell!

[PaulHartman71]

I don't like to spend big. For instance in my current FMO game, instead of spending 5/6 even 7M on a RB, I spend 1.8M on Paulo Ferreria from Chelsea

[Otter]

At the start I always buy cheap young talent who have world class potential. As sucess increases, I then make more big money transfers.

[Pr3D@T0r]

When I'm just establishing my team I like to have at least two or three 32+ year old experienced players who can lead the more inexperienced and naive members of my squad. Usually I will take this as an opportunity for them to teach and help blood young talent. For example, in my Leverkusen game I had Barberez, Hamann, Worns, Schneider, and Bohme, with at least three of them being in the starting XI in my first/second seasons. I find this to be crucial to the formulation of my squads. So golden oldies are very important when taking into account my transfer policy.

My favourite aspect of CM/FM is moulding young players from my youth set-up into first team members. So I'm always on the look out for <20 year olds to secure the future of a club that I am managing.

Great poll by the way.