There aren't many managers in the world who would confess to being completely happy with their current playing squad. Let's face it, half the fun of being a football manager is wheeling and dealing! So, with that in mind, let's have a quick look at how best to go about buying and selling players.
As soon as you take over at a club you will be looking to add new players to your squad as you ship out the dead wood and look to find the right players for your team and tactics.
Buying Players Under Contract
To make an offer for a player, go to the player's screen. Select 'Make Offer' from the Action Bar.
When making a transfer bid, your primary focus is on how much you are willing to pay. Setting an appropriate Transfer Fee' will be looked upon more favourably by the club you're making the offer to; try to ensure that you're offering at least 100% of the player's current valuation as a starting point.
You can set a Transfer Date and include a Sell-On Percentage in the deal in order to entice the player's club into selling. The latter is perhaps more valuable to a club when they are subject to an offer for one of their younger talents.
Should you just wish to enquire about a player's availability or what a team might be looking for should they sell him, change the 'Offer Type' to 'Enquiry'. They will respond quickly, at which point you can consider your options accordingly.
Your Assistant Manager will offer his opinion of the player to you at the top of the 'Transfer Offer' screen.
When you are satisfied with your offer, select ‘Suggest Terms’ and you will receive a response from the players’ current club. You can then tweak your offer to entice the club to sell the player.
Each time you press Suggest Terms you will get a response from the selling club.
Once terms have been agreed press Submit Offer to finalise negotiations.
If the player's club accept the offer, you will be given the opportunity to offer the player a contract. See the section on Negotiating Player Contracts earlier in this manual for more information on doing this.
Bosman Moves and Free Transfers
A player with six months or less remaining on his contract may be subject to offers from other clubs without permission from his current employers.
To sign a player who is coming towards the end of his contract (known as a Bosman move), go to his Profile and select 'Offer Contract'. You will be taken to the 'Contract Offer' screen to put together the details of your offer. Under the Bosman ruling, players aged 24 and above may move freely without cost. If he is below 24 years of age, you will be required to pay his club a compensation fee which is decided by an independent tribunal. When managing in England, Bosman moves are restricted domestically until 4 weeks before the player's contract expires.
Signing a player who is without a club is far less complicated as you merely have to convince the player that he should sign for you. Most players will be pleased to get back into football but if your club isn't big enough or he doesn't like the terms on offer, he may well prefer to remain a free agent.
Selling Players
To sell a player, go to his Profile and select 'Transfer Status'. From here you can either place him on the Transfer List, or make him available for a loan move.
You may also wish to take advantage of the 'Offer to Clubs' option, which can be found in the 'Actions' menu. The player's availability will be circulated around interested parties with the hope of attracting an offer.
If one or more of these clubs become interested, you will notice the 'Wnt' icon in the player's status section on his Availability page (see the section on 'Player Indicators' earlier in this manual).
Any subsequent bids will arrive in your Inbox.
Loaning Players
In a football world where money is becoming increasingly scarce, loaning players has become a popular method of adding to your squad without spending big. It has become increasingly common for big clubs to take advantage of the system by loaning out younger players to smaller teams in order for them to gain first team experience, or simply to get out-of-favour players off the wage bill.
Should you wish to loan a player, simply change the type of transfer offer. You can now determine the length of loan deal in the same way as you changed the value in the offer for a permanent transfer. You can also offer to pay anything up to 100% (in 10% increments) of the player's weekly wage whilst he is on loan as a potential sweetener to get the deal done. The percentage you are able to offer is restricted to your current Maximum Wage, displayed on the Finances screen.
Loan-to-buy deals can be negotiated for situations where you want to make a temporary deal permanent, either for the arrival of a new player or for getting someone off your books.
Loaning Players Back
Clubs are increasingly on the lookout for young talent to build their squad around in the years to come, but with so much competition for their services they're often forced to act early and sign a player before he's ready to contribute fully.
These players are often signed and then immediately loaned back to their former club. You will have the option to leave the player at his club when making a bid in order to allow him to develop in a more stable environment.
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