AI offer absolutely laughable money

[Hunkut]

I have been thinking for a long time whether to buy a new FM! I have every part since 2006.

 Why? I started doing well in the 2nd Bundesliga. I am first in the table and a key player is asking to end his contract, he is pessimistic, despite playing a lot and the club is doing well. Strange behavior when the club is doing well, playing well and a lot, yet he is suddenly pessimistic. The game wants to take another key player to another club and he is unhappy if I don't let him go. And so on. Gradually I got the feeling that less rich clubs are not worth playing for, because as soon as a player shows a little more, the AI knows how to pull key players from you already at the beginning of the season and if you don't let them go, they play badly. And that wouldn't be the worst thing, but they offer absolutely laughable money for talent, for which AI would never sell! I resigned and it is very annoying that the season has just started and the AI is trying to buy out key players in the club for ridiculous money, when their market value is much higher!

Edited February 19 by Hunkut

[turnip]

I agree that AI transfers are - at best, really annoying; at worst, random-number-generation garbage - but in your situation, you've got a player who's told you he's going to run down his contract. Why would the AI not offer you significantly less than he's worth? Your choice is either to lose him for nothing at the end of his deal, or get a bit of money now for him. That's just good business sense. 

The thing is, a lot of the time you can just not sell the player.  If his contract runs another couple of seasons, he'll be angry but a lot of the time they will eventually calm down. 

[santy001]

As mentioned, you can just not sell players. But when it comes to selling players you have to be open to the fact you need to sell when in a position of power. I sold Joao Veloso to Man City for £196m all-in. A good player but I don't quite think worth that much, he has improved further since as here he is at 29, and this is six years after I sold him.

Here's the transfer history that shows it, and below I'll explain how you put yourself in that position of power.

Veloso signed a 5 year + 1 optional year when joining, that's my standard approach. Season 2 he was doing quite well, some clubs were interested around the £40m mark. Knocked them back, knock back his requests for a new contract but going into 27/28 I offered him a new 5 year + 1 optional deal on £125k per week to start the end of the season. So he has a brilliant year and a new contract at the end of it prevents any unhappiness from his contract. 

So his contract starts in 28/29 and Man City come knocking that summer. Veloso is on £125k a week so that wage isn't going to put Man City off at all, in fact its rather an enticing prospect for a top club as they can beat it easily. Veloso is now only 1 year into a 6 year contract, so the AI with Man City now starts at a little over £100m. Rejected the first couple of bids, in part to find out if Veloso is going to kick up a stink or not about me not letting the move go ahead. He did and we agreed a price at which he could go. If Man City can't meet that, then there's no issue with player happiness.

Over the course of the summer bids kept getting higher, I would reject and once the total package was around £150m that's the point where I started to negotiate (and I mean with the negotiate option rather than suggest terms). Through monthly instalments and appearances I put it to Man City that £200m would be enough, they came back with £196m so I accepted. 

A player who at the time £60m probably would've been a good fee for sold for £196m. In fact, I had an improvement upon him lined up in my mind in Cher NDour who was transfer listed for around £60m (and then sold on for £105m the next summer to AC Milan)

If you're letting key players, or even high value players you do want to cash in on, get to 2 years left on their contract you're making a huge mistake. My approach is you're only ever safe for the first 2 years of a 5 year contract, after that you have to consider facilitating wage increase demands, transfer market value etc. 

[Sunstrikuuu]

5 hours ago, santy001 said:

Over the course of the summer bids kept getting higher

With my luck they'd keep being the same.

[wazzaflow10]

6 hours ago, santy001 said:

As mentioned, you can just not sell players. But when it comes to selling players you have to be open to the fact you need to sell when in a position of power. I sold Joao Veloso to Man City for £196m all-in. A good player but I don't quite think worth that much, he has improved further since as here he is at 29, and this is six years after I sold him.

Here's the transfer history that shows it, and below I'll explain how you put yourself in that position of power.

Veloso signed a 5 year + 1 optional year when joining, that's my standard approach. Season 2 he was doing quite well, some clubs were interested around the £40m mark. Knocked them back, knock back his requests for a new contract but going into 27/28 I offered him a new 5 year + 1 optional deal on £125k per week to start the end of the season. So he has a brilliant year and a new contract at the end of it prevents any unhappiness from his contract. 

So his contract starts in 28/29 and Man City come knocking that summer. Veloso is on £125k a week so that wage isn't going to put Man City off at all, in fact its rather an enticing prospect for a top club as they can beat it easily. Veloso is now only 1 year into a 6 year contract, so the AI with Man City now starts at a little over £100m. Rejected the first couple of bids, in part to find out if Veloso is going to kick up a stink or not about me not letting the move go ahead. He did and we agreed a price at which he could go. If Man City can't meet that, then there's no issue with player happiness.

Over the course of the summer bids kept getting higher, I would reject and once the total package was around £150m that's the point where I started to negotiate (and I mean with the negotiate option rather than suggest terms). Through monthly instalments and appearances I put it to Man City that £200m would be enough, they came back with £196m so I accepted. 

A player who at the time £60m probably would've been a good fee for sold for £196m. In fact, I had an improvement upon him lined up in my mind in Cher NDour who was transfer listed for around £60m (and then sold on for £105m the next summer to AC Milan)

If you're letting key players, or even high value players you do want to cash in on, get to 2 years left on their contract you're making a huge mistake. My approach is you're only ever safe for the first 2 years of a 5 year contract, after that you have to consider facilitating wage increase demands, transfer market value etc. 

Whats the difference functionally between negotiate and suggest to the AI? Is it more like I'm open to talking but you need to increase your offer where suggest is we're on the phone trying to hammer out the deal sort of interaction? Never really thought there was much difference other than immediacy of reply.

[turnip]

If nothing else, Negotiate gives you more time to make a decision. Could be useful if you need a player for an important game.

Or, could be useful if the transfer window is coming to a close. Drag out the negotiations with them and they may feel they have to agree to your increased demands because they don't have time to negotiate a deal for another player. 

 

It feels like 'Suggest Terms' has a higher likelihood of being rejected if your suggestion is too far from what was initially bid. If a bidding club offers me, say, £1m in cash, plus 30% of profit from next sale, and I 'Suggest Terms' on £1m plus 50% of next sale (basically my standard clause these days), it feels more like they'll reject that than if I click the 'Negotiate' button, where they might come back with the 50% of next sale but, say, £850k.