[[FM 22] Teams to manage]

I'm looking for a team to use in England, that isn't in the premier league. Basically, I'm looking for whichever team is setup for long-term success. Probably the most important things would be reputation and finances. I'm less concerned about current roster, but ideally Iwant a team that I can build into a powerhouse once I get them into the premier league. Thanks for any help.

[Winter Update]

Stupid question, but what's the IF/IW issue?

[A FM22 Arsenal Diary]

July 30, 2021- Dear Diary,

 

I still am coming to terms with the past 30 days. What a crazy transfer season it's been so far. The board brought me in to make changes, and that's definitely what I did. This is a different looking Arsenal squad than it was a month ago, and I'm excited about the direction we are headed in. First, let me tell you about the players we showed the door to:

 

Alexandre Lacazette- 7.25m to Zenit. Yes, we have had to cover some of his salary and it's not a huge transfer fee. But I wasn't planning on playing him much this year, and we weren't going to extend his contract. So might as well get some money for him and clear that salary, as well as a spot in our forward line. He's done a lot for Arsenal, and there were no hard feelings. He realized his time here was coming to a close, and he'll get more minutes over there.

 

Sead Kolasinac- 8.5m to Shakhtar. Again, not a huge fee, but another player I had no plans for. Barring a significant injury to Tierney or Tavares, he was never going to get any minutes for us. And at his age, he needed a spot where he could still play on a regular basis. That's money that we can use to help our midfield or forward line. Best of luck to him.

 

Calum Chambers- 11.25m to Wolves. That's a nice little fee for a very mediocre player. He's a nice chap, but he's not at the level needed for a team that has aspirations of returning to the champions league. He'll provide Wolves with some experience and versatility. I'm surprised a team with that budget paid that much for him, but to each their own.

 

Mohamed Elneny- 13.75m to Atalanta. Our midfield is a huge area for improvement, and Elneny is just not a player that I rate. We can do a lot better. That's another nice fee for a player that was surplus to requirements. He gave Arsenal some good seasons, but never reached his potential. Maybe a fresh start is just what he needs.

 

Cedric- 12.25m to Real Madrid. I don't understand football sometimes. What are Madrid thinking? And with the money they have, this is the best they can do with it? That's a nice little profit for us on a player that joined on a free. Is Tomiyasu the answer at right-back? I'm not sure yet. But this sale will make it easier for us to make that assessment. Him and Maitland-Niles will have plenty of chances to make their position their own.

 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang- 29m to PSG. Well then. I would have given him away to any team willing to take his salary off our hands. Not only did we clear his wages, but we got a nice little transfer fee. I have no idea what PSG were thinking. But for us, this gives me the flexibility to make a lot of moves. 

 

That concludes the outgoings from this window. I'm very pleased with that business. Every player sold was not part of my plans, and we brought a good amount of money in. I think I've spent it pretty wisely too. Tomorrow's entry will go over how we spent that money. 

 

[A FM22 Arsenal Diary]

July 1, 2021- Dear diary,

I just moved into my new office today as manager of Arsenal. While it was not a job I was expecting a week ago, I'm so excited to be here. I'm sorry that Mikel got in all that trouble, but you just can't say things like that in this day and age. And certainly not on social media. Look, we all think things from time to time that maybe aren't considered politically correct, including me. But by posting in this diary, I don't have to worry about my thoughts reaching the wrong person. Bottom line, Mikel's mistake has opened a door for me and I'm so excited to get started.

The press conference was fun today. I enjoyed getting to meet some of the folks who will be writing about my every decision and result. They asked a lot of good questions, and I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on how this season is going to go. I'll be honest, the expectations are lower than I thought they would be. A team like Arsenal should not be aiming for the Europa League. Champions League needs to be the minimal goal for a club this size. Anything less is unacceptable to me. But I'll keep that between myself and my coaches. I'll let everyone else think we're aiming for that top 6 spot, and then hopefully we'll surprise some people.

 

But first, this squad needs some refreshing. Especially up time. Aubameyang needs to go. His skills are deteriorating and he's making far too much money. Getting those wages off the books would give us a lot of flexibility to make some changes. I'm going to get on the phone tomorrow and see what interest I can find. And while I'm at it, I'm going to see if Lacazette can interest anyone as well. We have some exciting young attacking players, and I would prefer to see them getting some more time. Lacazette is not part of our future, so what's the point of using him this year? And if I can get rid of those two, maybe that would allow us to bring in someone a little more exciting. And how many left backs do we really need?! What is the purpose of Cedric and Kolasinac? Neither of them are likely to play any minutes, so let's take a look and see if maybe another club can use them.

 

I'm excited to get to work and build this team in my image. Let's get to work!

[[FM22] Arsenal F.C. - Trusting the process?]

Doing an unrealistic save with Arsenal until the winter transfer update is released, at which point I'll do another save with more realism. I exploited the payment system and brought in a lot of exciting young players. Slow start to the season, but I'm expecting great things once the team gels. Here's the first window's transfers: