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iNickStuff
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FM11: A Small Guide to the Transfer Market
Hello and welcome. Recently, I realised that only on Football Manager 2010 was there a guide to the transfer market and players on FM-Base, which also begs the need for one in 2011 and 2012. But for now, sticking with 2011, I hope to endeavour into the transfer market in helping those who maybe unfamiliar with it to strengthen their business skills within the game by knowing how to buy and sell players, offer fair contracts and stay within a good medium of transfer and wage budgets. A step-by-step guide that also highlights important parts within searching transfer targets, contract negotiations and dealing with players within your squad. I will note that I am using Foss' Football Manager Update during this guide and coinciding with the last patch available for the game - 11.3.
[Released] Foss' Football Manager 2011 Summer Update (latest update on Pg. 34, post #334)
Football Manager 2011 11.3 Patch [Now available for download]
The update does not use any CA/PA changes, so unfair increases or decreases in players' attributes are not in my game, or anyone else's who have downloaded the update. Meanwhile, I will try to make this as simple and as easy-to-read as I possibly can. If you have problems reading this guide, please post on the thread and I will try to edit it accordingly. If problems persist, please notify again. Lastly, I would like to make it strongly clear that any plagiarism or unintended copyright in this thread is will be credited to the original author. I do not intend to plagiarise any work that may be from anyone in the FM-Base community, or on any other Football Manager forum. I hope I have made that abundantly distinct to all viewers of this guide and thread.
Thank you.
A. Signing players
Improving on last year's transfer system, the FM2011 transfer market now involves more factors and components than the previous version to bring more realism in interacting with other clubs, players and handling transfers. In this year's transfer model, there is an enhancement in the filters available when searching for players of specific categories or parameters, a slightly more advanced way of purchasing players and the most visible change - the inclusion of agents. Missing from the last installment, agents now arrive into the change to completely alter the way that contract negotiations between clubs and players are dealt with. They are responsible with their contracts, as well as their desires in either staying or leaving their current clubs. It will come as no surprise to people that agents can be stumbling blocks within the game for some, but advantegous to those who have found ways around them. But for now, let's get into the basics of the transfer market.
Player Searching
Upon the Home Screen, you will have the ability to go to the Player Search tab. To do this, you must click your name in the top bar, select Search and then Players. This will then bring you to the screen pictured above. The transfer market in simpler terms. Here, you will find a number of things. The more important are within a red square, which highlights. In the Player Search, the game will load all of the players that are in the database, but then compressed to a certain amount of players, restricted by the club's knowledge of players and leagues around the world. This is also affected by the size of the databse that you loaded at the start of the game, and the amount of leagues. If you loaded England on a small database, it will be indicated at the bottom, before you start the game, how many players will be in the databse.
At the top, you will be able to see the amount of well-known players in your region. Region can spread across the world and into different continents and is also affected by your club's scouting knowledge. Coaches and scouts' knowledge of countries in particular either maximizes or minimizes the players you will see. Searching a certain player in particular requires your to type his/their name into the search bar located under the 'Continue' button. It has a magnifying glass within it. Click into it.
The screenshot above only shows players by default, and can be altered, and with default, it also filters out all the unrealistic targets for the club (so basically the likes of Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres do not continually show up in searches). This also goes for recently-transferred players as they are highly unlikely or if not 99.99% unlikely to move clubs so quickly. Younger players, however and under the age of 21 differs.
At the bottom, you will find your respective transfer and wage budgets. The transfer budget shows what you were given at the start of the season based on the expectations that you agree with yourself and the board and what is now remaining. The wage budget sounds tricky, but it just indicates that the total wages, in the club for players, is £81k on a weekly basis. This is then covered by the £750k per week budget (p/wk = per week).
Once you've grasped all of that, you will then recognise a few tabs available for you to make your Player Search far more specific. You will find the following tabs in 'Shortlist' 'Views' and 'Filter'. For now, we're going to look at the Filter button.
Player Filtering
This is when the Player Search has been filtered. I have added a condition to it to only show players that have been transfer-listed by their clubs. Unfortunately, I cannot get a picture of the filter search itself, but if you click on Filter and then Edit Filter, you will have several options at your disposal. From then on, you have the ability to make the Player Search as specific as you want. This can be combinations such as transfer-listed midfielders, defenders aged 27 and below - even goalkeepers that have both Turkish and German nationalities for example, but can also speak Spanish. This is just an example.
At the bottom, you will also tick a box called 'Include own players in results'. This is useful for if you want to see whether or not your players fit the criteria of a certain position, or are good enough amongst other players who may be more efficient. If you look at the screenshot more carefully, you will notice an icon next to many of the players transfer-listed. The 'Wnt' sign demonstrartes that other clubs are interested in them, and that they may have a difficulty to be obtained at a smaller price. Another icon is 'Lst', which also shows that they are listed and available for a cheap price. To find out more, you can just put your mouse over the icons and it will describe them too.
Across from the names you will see the 'Nat', 'Height', 'Weight', 'Position' and 'Value' tabs. It is important to acknowledge the 'Value' tabs due to them implying how much they are worth. With transfer-listed players, these can decrease over time should interest in them drop, but can also mean that they can go for that price too. So, for example, if you were to purchase the player at the top valued at £4.9M, you can put in a bid for him that usually will be accepted for that price - due to the fact that he is unwanted by his current club.
Like mentioned before you can also specify certain things. You can make it so that the Player Search only shows players above a certain height, weigh a certain amount or even be of a certain value. The more that you play around with the filter, the more you will be able to understand it and the better you can use it to your advantage. It does not take long, but it is recommended that you get accustomed to it for use in the future.
Approaching a Player
Once you have found a player, click on their name. You will then be taken to their profile, which you will then see the players' attributes, statistics from the current season, details beneath their attributes such as height, weight, value, international appearances and more. But in the red boxes, you will also find several things.
Talk to Press: Interaction allows you to speak to the press and declare interest in the player. This can bring a psychological advantage to the transfer target and make him more interested in joining your club
Contract: The details of his current contract. You can then see his current wage, the start and expiry date of his contract and what bonuses there are in it. In some contracts, you will find players with clauses that indicate the smallest amount they can go for. This is more evident in the Spanish leagues, and with important players at clubs, to avoid losing their key players for small prices at the hands of other teams that can offer far better terms.
Transfer: Shows the current details on what the club feel about the player. He will have a status that shows what he means to the club and his value. Sometimes, he will have an asking price added to them. You will rarely find this in players that may have important statuses at their clubs, which often means that they will not let them leave unless they receive a substantial offer.
Report: The tab for scout reports. You can request for one of your scouts to give a report on this player, which can usually show what price that the opposing club may sell him for. They are very useful and can also show if they are good enough to be in the team. Next to the reports, you will see stars ranging from one to five. Even at other times, they will have silver stars. More on this later.
Talking to the press, like I had said before, can come in handy. The 'Talk to Press' feature allows one to admire a player's abilities, comment on their ability to have potential in the future, or even just declare interest in them. At other times, you will find that they will player in a game against you, and will be the main threat. This can be another way of strengthening your relationship with them whilst you try and purchase them for your club. In the screenshot, you can see that I can release a statement to the media in regards to Niko Kranjcar.
Here, I can admire or declare interest in Kranjcar. This usually breaks down into another category where I can choose another couple of options. The same goes in declaring interest. They will usually be flattered by this, but others at times may find it a nuisance, and ignore it. Check their profile in 'Personal' to see their current happiness beforehand. This can be a guideline in the way they react to it. Another is their personality. Kranjcar's personality is 'Fairly Professional', which establishes that he takes everything with a solid and prepared stance. But not everyone is like Kranjcar, so you have to be weary.
In this case, I know he will react well, so declaring interest in him should give a positive outcome.
Part-time and full-time contracts change between specific things, for example teams in non-league. Players on part-time contracts will usually have lesser clauses and bonuses on their contracts, so signing them on full-time also garners the ability to add the clauses and bonuses that you would usually find. All contract expiry dates end on the 30th June, and the same applies for Kranjcar's contract. His ends in 2013, which disables the ability to sign him on a free transfer, in spite of compensation. For that, you must approach a player whose contract expires within the next year for them to be able to sign for your club on a compensatory deal. Sometimes, agents of those players will notify you during the season about their current status, so watch out for that. But you can also look at the Player Search every now and again, and filter in players that have contracts which expire within the next year. You may find a bargain in them.
And now, we approach the 'Transfer' tab. Here, you will find the player's availability, value, asking price, squad status and transfer offer options given by his current club (Tottenham Hotspur). On the side, you will have the list of clubs' interest in Kranjcar assorted. Majorly interested clubs will have their interest of what to approach the player with on the side and the clubs with minor interest undefined. Of course, the more clubs interest, the harder he will be to obtain and the more likely he may divert his interest into other clubs. Talking to the press and either admiring him may sway his decision, in which shows how helpful it can be.
And then, at the bottom of it, you can then see where the main interest in coming from. Usually, this is a short statement of who the media feel are the greatest contenders for the player, and then your team. This will change if/when you make a bid for the player, and then alter what the media feel about the current transfer situation.
And this is what comes up when you show interest. Instantaneously after declaring interst, you will have a message in your inbox from talking to a press officer about it. Beware that this can also change. Depending on your relationship with the media can result in mixed words and manipulation. Attending press conferences without storming out, answering very negatively and avoiding the use of expletives in added comments are the main benefactors in staving off bad press relationships - which are often quite difficult to repair. The same can be with agents.
Scout reports
As I could not screenshot the whole of my scout's report, I split it into two sides. This is beneficial because I can then go into analysis with it a bit better. The first side shows Kranjcar's personality, preferred position(s), strengths and weaknesses. The scout report will often consist of comparisons to your squad, in order to see how well they may do in gelling with the squad and blending in. For example, Ricky Sbragia indicates that Kranjcar is professional about way he does things and in comparison to the Sunderland squad, who are determined, he would fit in well.
With positions, you can see where they play best and another position that they may be more comfortable in. The first position is the best place to play that player in, so it would be wise to do so. The secondary position, however, gives versatility. Watch out for the key phrase in the scout report though. As much as he may be able to play as a left winger, he could be. The key phrase is 'could be', which means that he is not fully operable as a left winger. Other players, in scout reports, may be far more efficient as a left winger, and would describe it differently, such as equally adept. That means that they are just as good as a central midfielder, for example, as an attacking midfielder.
So here, you will see more comparisons to both your own squad of players and the division you are playing in. Here, you will find details about their current abilities (CA), potential abilities (PA), transfer information, and overall standing on if the club is able to acquire the player. In my case, I am within benefit. My transfer and wage budget both cover the player's requirements as well as the opposing club's asking price, and sounds like a good transfer target by the looks of the scout report.
With Kranjcar's CA, Sbragia has taken the best attacking midfielder in the Sunderland squad, Sessegnon, and compared him to Kranjcar. The phrase isn't too much difference shows that he would provide healthy competition for a spot in the squad as an attacking midfielder. He is just as good as Sessegnon. You can then see below it Sbragia has the opinion of Niko being a leading star in the Barclays Premier League. I would warn that with this comes several factors. As followed:
Scout: The scout's Adaptability, Determination, Judging Current Ability (JCA) and Judging Potential Ability (JPA) will affect their scout reports and how good or bad they may feel about the transfer target. Especially in comparison. Ideally, you should have scouts with these attributes over 13, so that they can be better knowledged in providing scout reports for you.
Club's current players: If you are a club with players that are of high opinion from your coaches, then the chances of your transfer targets being at that sort of standard would be difficult to come by. If the opposite, their standards would be raised higher and put with more importance and priority. If, for example, you are a club predicted for relegation, then you will find players like Kranjcar bargains and put in high opinion. The stars will change and their comparison against other players in the division will change too.
Transfer information is what will give you the most help. It tells you the approximate price your transfer target can go for. Sometimes, you will not even have an approximate price given due to their importance at their current club, and be very difficult to predict. It can also show their feelings towards moving to your club. For Niko, transferring to Sunderland would be in his interest, as indicated. Sbragia believes that Niko would be extremely interested in joining the club. And with his current status at the club, he would be very much in favour of joining.
I believe that I had also mentioned before that since Niko is transfer-listed, the price of him moving to Sunderland would be lowered by quite a bit. Bear in mind that this is an approximate of what he can go for, which also defines why there is also a £5.25million price tag for him too. Should you negotiate an offer that may be below the standards of his [Niko's] current club, you are more than likely to pay above his value. Obviously, this is where you need to be careful about the way you go about it.
Moving on, you will also find that you can loan players, based on their current situations. For transfer-listed and younger players, loan transfers come as a great method of obtaining a player. In this case, I could take Kranjcar on a loan-to-buy deal.
And just like the transfer details, he may not come on a free loan. Usually with transfer-listed players, you will have to pay a fee ranging between £0 and £3million. This differs between divisions, the player and the club's intentions. You will experience this the further you go along. Again, the £190k - £250k is an estimate, and could be higher.
Of course, in comparison to Niko's current contract, it is believed he may want an increase from his current deal. But this can also go from person-to-person, depending on their personality. This is another thing you will experience over time when dealing with players that have different personalities between them.
The final comment from Sbragia only adapts to those who may be waiting for players that could become available on free transfers due to their club either being unwilling to offer a new contract since they feel that he is unneeded by them, or himself not wanting to sign a new contract, in order to leave the club on a free transfer and be snapped up by another club. Strained relationships between players and managers usually cause this, but also can be because they have belief that they will not find it difficult in having interest from other clubs. Players with Ambitious personalities are culprits for this too.
Making a bid for your transfer target
So, now that we have all of that information (thanks to the scout Ricky Sbragia) what do we do with it? Well, we make a bid for the player. You will also notice at the top that the Report tab is now enabled, which allows you to view the report anytime you want within the next year or so. After a year, your transfer target may be removed from list, as it is assumed that you have either bought the player or lost interest in him. But you will now approach this screen. This, is where you may your bid.
Now here, you will find several things. At the top, you will see the overview of the player, the player's current club and your club. Simple information is given in regards to him, which also reminds you prior to making your transfer bid for the player. It also indicates his current value as a foundation to what you may offer, but also your transfer budget, which acts as a barrier.
With it, below, comes the basic offer. These are the simple things that come with an offer. The transfer type, the fee, when they will transfer (either immediately or at a certain time, such as the end of the season. This is often available when you are in the midst of your season and he can transfer at the end alongside other signings that you may bring in), the flexibility of the transfer and a deadline for the opposing club to respond to the transfer offer. The following will be explained in more detail.
Transfer Type
There are more than one types of a transfer. A normal transfer whereby it's a simple process of the player moving from one club to another, but others may be more complicated, but also in the favour of the club who is offering.
Transfer: A simple process of moving from Club A to Club B. A fee and contract is agreed between both the club and the player, and then Player X will move accordingly, depending on the clauses of the contract. Whether it be during the current window or at the end of the season. Seasons can differ and end at diffierent times. For example, the American (MLS) season ends earlier in the year, around December/January whilst the English (Premier League and lower) season ends in May. This leads to different transfer windows and such.
Loan: Player X moves to Club B temporarily and will move back to Club A after a certain amount of time. Club B, however, can adopt a transfer clause in the loan contract which states a certain fee has been agreed by both in which Player X can move to Club B at any time. The fee and contracts can be agreed and they will then move to Club B permanently depending on the closest transfer window, either Summer or Winter.
Co-ownership: Frequently used in Italy, co-ownership transfers basically is an agreement between two clubs whereby a player is co-owned. Both clubs A and B own the player equally in 50% measures. During the time that they both own the player, one of the clubs (Club A) for example will pay Player X's wages for however many years that were agreed between the clubs and what is written in his contract. He will then play for Club A for a y amount of years and then return to the club that owned him originally before becoming a co-owned player. Can be tricky to explain, but this often happens with young and promising players, or players who were contracted to clubs before that have regained interest in them. Can become an advantage for smaller clubs in a way of gaining money, but can also be a downfall as the other club can buy the player for a much cheaper price.
Trial: Player X and Club A agree a temporary contract whereby Player X plays for Club A in the maximum of four weeks. After that, he is either released from the club, signed on a permanent contract or even signed from the club he was on trial from. A very common method in England when clubs look at players released from bigger clubs in an attempt to get talent. Older players, who were released on free transfers can also have trials at clubs, which then can often lead to them signing permanently. Players who are on trial cannot compete in any league or cup matches, but friendlies. If they are signed during the course of the season, they would be usually put into the reserves team of that club and allowed to showcase their talent before the club decide whether or not they will sign them, to which they then transfer at the closest transfer window.
Enquiry: Not actually a transfer, but almost instigates Club A to make a transfer offer for Club B. You may get this from other clubs when they are interested in one or more of your players. These can be either rejected or allow Club A to name a price for Player X. Beware that this can be anything, but it's a foundation point for if you do not believe what your scouts have said. After Club A names a price, Club B can then compromise, but this can result in back-and-forth negotiations - and a break-down in the negotiations due to an agreement not being reached between them.
What you see in this screenshot is a very common offer. Players, who have strong transfer and wage budgets will be able to cover this, but it highly recommended against if you are not in a strong financial position. You can see that it is an offer where no money is given upfront, but rather over the course of 48 months, which is the equivalent of four years. Every month, I would have to pay Tottenham the total of £4.9million over the next 48 months to make up for the full transfer. So, over £102.8k every month will be going to Tottenham in the case of Niko Kranjcar's transfer. This will be deducted from your transfer budget every month and hences the need for clubs to be very strong financially to do these sorts of transfers.
On top of that, I have added the bonus clause of £325k to be paid back to Tottenham if/when he plays over 20 games during the course of the season. I like to round numbers up to either 2.5, 5 or 7.5 and hences why the total of the transfer is £5.25M. This can 'sweeten the deal' and make the opposing club more inclined to accept the offer over most. And besides, if you did not notice already, other clubs do the same sort of transfers with transfer-listed and especially if they are yours. So it's no different.
Another is the obvious, which is a full transfer. This has the likelihood of being accepted, but can be altered by Tottenham themselves to their liking. Be aware of the fact that you could lower the price and bring in installments, as well as bonus clauses to make it more easier on the other club to accept.
Lastly, there is the loan-to-buy that I had said previously. You will find here that Tottenham are asking for a fee of £240k, with £22,500 of his wages paid during the time that he is on loan, which is until 30th June. You may also want to notice that I have installed a transfer clause of £5.25M so that, at any point that I feel necessary, I can go back and buy him on a permanent transfer. Additional loan options includes the ability for him to play in any cup matches, so long that he isn't cup tied. For example, if he played in the UEFA Europa League with Tottenham, he could not compete in any European matches over the course of the loan, but rather in domestic competitions.
And then there is just the enquiry, where Tottenham can come back to me with a bid.
Also bear in mind that, if you make a loan bid for a player whilst a club makes a transfer offer, 99.99% of the time the transfer will go through rather than the loan.
B. Contract Negotiations
So I went with the 'no cash upfront, money over x time' transfer and it had been accepted. This is phase two of acquiring the player, and can just as easily break down here as it could in agreeing a transfer fee for a player. You need to be aware of what the player wants and what you have.
But, before I go into detail, I would like to point out the agents, and their attributes:
Willingness (to tout players) : Means their willingness to conduct business with players. The higher the attribute, the better, as it means that he is more inclined to get the best for his player, rather than the other way round and leading to selfishness.
Fee (demands) : The lower the worse. Combined with a poor relationship and dislike of you, you will find agents demands ridiculous wages just for the fact that you don't get the player you want. But a good relationship, with high agent fees instilled within the contract of the player would create a medium.
Patience: Is quite obvious. After a certain period of time, agents start to get tired and frustrated by the contractual negotiations, and may end it altogether. This can strain the relationship between you and them. The higher the better. Their patience, in spite of long and drawn-out negotiations would be much longer if he has high patience.
This is a new feature in Football Manager, so people may find it difficult to navigate, and as you would with most new things. Contract negotiations can be like walking a tight-rope, and need balance in them. Concentration on the target and a compromise between you and them. Here is the screen for where me, representing Sunderland are in negotiations with Niko Kranjcar's agent, Aaron Simmonds. His Willingness, Fee and Patience attributes are 18, 2 and 16 respectively, so it has a fair balance in itself.
Upon entering the contract negotiations, he came up with this. Notice what I have highlighted in red. At the very top, you can see that he has warned me about the interest from other clubs, which comes as a concern for if I don't meet the demands well enough. He then goes on to show what his client's [Niko's] demands are. The basics show the contract offer, the job, his squad status and when he will transfer to the club. Obviously, his job will be a player and on a full-time contract as the club is professional and has a strong financial footing.
Next to it is the wages he wants, the length of the contract, the signing on fee and the agent's fee for being part of the process and basically being Niko's agent. I will go into detail about the bonuses and clauses parts of the contract negotiations, but you can see that there are the options of resetting the entire contract (nothing offered at all) the ability to use the terms that I had offered before and put down a final contract offer where it has to be either accepted or rejected. Be careful of the 'non-negotiable contract' box, because you can ruin the negotiations entirely and strain the relationship between you and the player's agent. Now, about bonuses and clauses:
Bonuses
Appearance fee: The fee that is paid to the player for everytime he plays for the club throughout the contract.
Goal bonus: The fee that is paid to the player for everytime he scores for the club throughout the contract.
Team of the Year bonus (division) : The fee that is paid to the player for if he makes the annual club Team of the Year.
Clauses
Minimum fee release clause: The minimum the player is allowed to be sold for throughout the contract.
Relegation release clause: The minimum the player is allowed to be sold for if the club is relegated at the end of the season. Usually done by clubs favourites for relegation in hopes of selling key players for substantial sums.
Yearly wage rise: For every year, throughout the course of the contract, the wages rise. For example, every year, Player X's wages will rise by 25% after 30.6.XXXX. Can only rise up to 50%.
Relegation wage drop: The percentage that the player's wages will drop by should the club be relegated at the end of the season. Often done by smaller clubs to not be choked by a player's wages and cannot afford them, thus decreasing their ability to sign new players.
Sell on fee percentage: The percentage that Club A would receive for a player being sold on. Done by smaller clubs who have players that may catch the interest of clubs who are superior to them reputation-wise and financially.
Sell on fee profit percentage: The percentage of profit that Club A would receive for a player being sold on. Again, done by smaller clubs, but is starting to become more common amongst bigger clubs who want to cash in on important players should the time come that they want to leave for bigger and better things.
Seasonal landmark goal bonus: The amount that the player would receive if he reached x amount of goals during the season, or a season. Done to sometimes dictate whether a striker or high-scoring player was worth purchasing, or even just to make them more motivated to reach the target.
One-year extension after league games (final season) : Contract will be automatically extended for another year if Player X plays y amount of games in a season. Done by clubs to avoid having to renew their contract with increased demands and terms wanted by Player X and Agent Y.
Match highest earner clause: Contract will be automatically renewed for Player X to match the wages of Player Y who may have higher wages than him. So, if Player Y earns £90,000 and Player X earns £84,000, then the clause in Player X's contract gives him the right to earn £90,000 too. Done by clubs in order to meet the demands of ambitious players.
Wage after reaching club current league games: Contract will be automatically renewed to the agreed amount should the player reach the x amount of games instilled within his contract. Often done if the club cannot currently meet the player's demands, but can do so in the long-run, perhaps later.
Top division relegation wage drop: The percentage that the player's wages will drop should the club be relegated from the nation's top division. Again, done should the club be unable to offer the high terms that Player X is asking for.
Minimum fee release clause (foreign clubs) : The minimum that the player will go for should clubs offer that are outside of the nation's divisions. Often done by clubs who have players that have attracted interest from other clubs in different nations.
Contract negotiations went well, and it is just the waiting of a few days before a decision is made. The text in the green box obviously displays that the negotiations had a positive effect and gained a good relationship between me and the player's agent. Should this happen more, this may well strengthen my relationship with him and allow me more leverage in buying players.
And finally, I have signed Kranjcar. That is very much the basics of acquiring a player.
Board signing player
Sometimes, you will have the option to ask your board to sign a player if you are unable to do yourself. Whether it is after failing to agree terms with the club or feeling that making a bid yourself has a large risk of it being rejected, your own boardroom can try to sign the players themselves, which can have it's advantages and disadvantages.
In this screenshot, you'll see me about to bring up my case in signing Neymar as Napoli. Now this has it's own drawbacks. Eventually, the board reject my plea and I am left unable to sign the player, as Santos go on to ask for £57million after turning down my initial £23.5million. When you ask the board to sign one of your transfer targets, it has pro's and con's.
Pro's:
- You are more than likely to sign the player.
- They will have more faith in the player as they signed him, as well as more leniency should he have turns in form.
- If he turns out to become a good signing, they will have a better respect of you bringing it up and increase your job security.
- The board may not even sign the player, which also means that you have no choice but to come back another time.
- The board will not be geniuses businessmen and women when it comes to signing players, so be prepared for a chunk of your transfer budget to be slashed.
- It does not come up very often, so if the player turns out to be a flop, be prepared for a backlash.
To get your board to sign a player, you must click 'Make an Offer' and locate it on the right hand side. It will have a button to say 'Interact with Board'. You can also find it after a club re-negotiates your original offer to sign a player. You are then taken to the boardroom to deal make your case. Note that it is not easy to persuade the board to sign playes, so be prepared for a 'no' answer.
Failing to agree terms
You will come across this eventually and it is something FM users have may not gotten used to. This screenshot brings to light signing players on big contracts. Here, you will see the demands of Ribery's agent, Mr. Jerome Labarthe. Of course, I cannot come to terms with the large amount that they are demanding, and had to fold. This becomes a commodity amongst players who want large contracts and be one of, if not the highest earner(s) at the club. Bayern Munich are unable to pay the considerable £210,000 per week that is on the table.
And what follows that is the inability to re-negotiate again. In Football Manager 2011, unlike last year, you cannot just jump back into contract negotiations as quickly as that, and may have to wait. The breakdown did not bode well with Labarthe, and therefore resulted in him not having a distinct like for me. I mentioned this before that if you are unable to reach terms very well with agents, they may start to have a dislike for you, which can also become detrimental to you signing players in the future, or renewing the contracts of key players.
And, it shows.
Here is a much better chance in signing Stephane Sessegnon onto a longer contract. After my offered terms, his agent Jean-Guy Carlotti offers this. It is a good idea, when this happens to look at things such as what you previously offered, the current suggested terms and finding a compromise. This will then find a better deal for both you as the club and the player with his agent. You should also maybe consider what the average wage is at the club in comparison to what is being demanded/offered. You can then use it to either match the average wage, go above or under it. Being aware of such makes it, again, more balanced and fairer for the two parties.
If you are still struggling to get the player's agent to agree terms, adding a higher agent fee with a larger signing on fee and bonuses act as 'candy' for them. So long as you don't cave into higher and ridiculous terms, you will find yourself making better deals with agents, not struggling to come to terms with them and building a good relationship in the midst of trying to increase the stay of someone who could be an asset to your plans.
Thank you for reading this guide ...
All of the contents within this article are of my own work, bar the links to the other pages such as Foss' Summer update and the 11.3 patch. I do not own the rights to any of the work of others that may be in this thread, and if I have accidentally added anything into it without permission, I apologise and give credit to where it is due. As mentioned before, if you have questions, please post them on the thread and I shall edit this accordingly to help those who many be struggling with it.
now i have like 22k budget. :O