View attachment 27701
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2018
22 DAYS UNTIL PLAYERS RETURN FROM HOLIDAYS
Rafael Sóbis joins Inter
So, the plan was to start the offseason by reducing the wage bill as much as possible and getting as much money in by selling players who will be of no use to me this season. That meant selling all youth prospects, cancelling loans immediately for players that would be returning to their clubs anyway, and also cancelling youth loans. For some reason, in Brazil, most clubs have a large number of loan players in the youth systems.
One of the players I had my eye on to bring in was Rafael Sobis. In a test save, he played really well for me on the left wing and, like most players, his price would drop as we got closer to the end of the window. I had expected to bring him in sometime in February but this all changed over the weekend when I got word that Cruzeiro had accepted a 375k offer for his services from Mexican side Leon.
I immediately offered 250k, with a 1 time installment payment of 300k (which, conveniently, wouldn't be due for 12 months). This was accepted and I negotiated Sobis' contract full of incentives and a yearly wage rise of 50% while keeping his wages down for the coming season.
The problem I noticed right away was that, even though the wage rise doesn't affect my season, it does affect my committed spending for nexrt season and this hurts my bargaining power for future players. I'm also over my wage bill for the year and have to severely decrease this if I'm to bring in any other players, even loan players.
Hopefully, the other guys make the same mistake. I've encouraged just that by bragging about my shrewd business in this transfer. On the surface it seems like I've captured a top player for less than market value while also paying him less than market value. Anyway, worse case scenario, I've filled a huge hole in the lineup. The left wing is now secure with Sobis and another weekend signing, 37 year old Nene, formerly of PSG, is still capable at the position and will add leadership to the club.
Palmeiras sign two
Palmeiras didn't waste anytime using up their 2 million euro budget as soon as the offseason began. Recognizing an issue at rightback, with their two starters both on loan deals that were due to end this month, they have secured the services of Marcos Rocha on a permanent deal. Rocha was the starter for 2018 with Mayke as the backup.
(I have a soft spot for Mayke as he was the starter for my Sevilla side that won the Champions League in FM16)
Rocha cost Palmeiras 2.5 million from their budget of 2 million, so they had to reduce their wage budget to afford the transfer. Mayke will return to his club, Cruzeiro at the end of December.
In a case of the strong getting stronger, Mike lucked out by having Arthur, a solid striker who played at Ceara, come into the fold in a pre-arranged transfer. So, he didn't even cost anything, just a free striker to add to, perhaps, the most potent strike force in South America.
View attachment 27698
Arthur potted 24 goals in 2018 for first division side Ceara
Gremio lose a player
Gremio have kicked off the preseason doing exactly what I had planned to do, by selling off players and building up the budget. Starting left wingback Cortez has been sold to NY Red Bulls of the MLS in a deal reported to be around 1.3 million. Roughly half of that should be added to the transfer budget.
This is a little worrisome for me as my budget has all but been spent while Lou seems to be in a good position to grab those good deals at the end of the window.
OFFSEASON REVIEW SO FAR
With all the players on holiday until December 31st, I will also take a little break from posting and enjoy the holidays. So, I'll take a quick look at how things are shaping up so far.
View attachment 27697
As talented as Palmeiras is, I consider Gremio to be my main competition. That is, until I see more from Mike. He had a dismal performance in our 3 year La Liga save. I will say this though, he didn't actually own his own copy of FM16, the last time he purchased the game was FM15. He does have his own copy of this years game, so I'll have to wait and see what difference that will make.
Even though I'm currently 7th favourite, it may as well be just the three of us. We'll all be making deals to mortgage the future of our clubs just to win this season, so we will all improve dramatically.
As it turns out, the FM version of Gremio finished 12th in the table in 2018 so, I'm not exactly sure how the rules work but they are qualified for the 2019 Copa Libertadores. This could be because they were in the final last year or from some other rule altogether. Either way, they are in there but will have to go through two qualifying rounds in order to get to the group stage. Inter and Palmeiras are directly through to the group stage already.
So, there are 5 trophies that each club will be competing for:
State Championships
Copa do Brasil (Cup)
Brasileirao (League)
Copa Libertadores (South American Champions League)
Club World Cup
I'll preview each competition as they begin, starting with the State Championships next month. I will post a few updates this month, but the action really gets going in January. The players report back on New Years Eve (that's gotta suck) and first friendlies are on the 9th, from there, it's nonstop action right through to next December. Perhaps the roughest schedule in all of world football!
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING UP IN JANUARY
View attachment 27696Gremio
Gaucho State Championships
: 37 (2nd most)
View attachment 27695Internacional
Gaucho State Championships:
45 (Most)
View attachment 27694Palmeiras
Campeonato Paulista Championships: 22 (2nd most, Corinthians-29)