James M

Players have an increased sense of individuality in this version of FM, to go with the depth already in the game regarding their stats. Over time, this section will include stat analysis

- what each stat means in terms of playing the game, stat/player relationship

- how important the stats are to each position, how to deal with different personalities and what you can already see below, transfer tips for maximizing your chance of buying the best player.

Transfer Tips

It's a big world out there, and when you're looking for a certain player there are many opportunities. Here are some tips on how to get the best player at the best value:

- This is a MAJOR POINT. Put December 31st/January 1st in you diaries, as this is when in the game many players contracts become unprotected, 6 months
before expiry. Simply go into Player Search, then filters, then contract status, expiring.

Here you can search for all the players you can get on a free, and it's especially useful if you're on a tight transfer budget. It can be handy for the bigger clubs too - now and again a big name can appear on there, I've snatched up Ibrahimovic in the past for nothing. Don't let any players demand too high a wage though
It is likely you can get one similar with better wage demands.

- When offering for a player you desperately want, it is possible to get him much cheaper. If the club are specifically looking for a player, it will tell you when you make the offer (i.e. Bayern looking for an ML) at the bottom of the screen in yellow. If you have a player you want to get rid off in this position, try offering him as well, and it may knock some of the price off.

- Don't go mad spending money on one player. Set a limit - say £8m for a player worth £5m, and don't go above that. You can get someone as good for a better
value.

- Look in South America and obscure European Countries. Players values are worth less here, but the players can just be as good, even better, than their expensive counterparts.

- When offering for a younger player, the percentage of next sale, money after international appearances and league appearances will be highly influential
in the offer.

- When offering for an older player, the first two in the above will become less significant in helping lower the up-front fee in the offer.

- When buying a player, look at the languages he can speak and his teamwork stat. If he can speak the same language as the nationality of the club, and
has high team work (determination may help too), he'll fit into the team quicker. If he doesn't speak the language of the nationality of the club, but many
squad players can speak the same language as him, it'll still be helpful.

- When buying South American players, if they have a second nationality that is an EU one (like Spanish or Italian), they'll be granted a work permit.

- When selling players, don't always offer them to clubs. This makes you seem desperate, and you'll get ripped off with an undervalue offer. Also, when setting their status to transfer listed, if you set their squad status to indispensable or important you may get better offers. Also, clubs tend to offer a good bit lower than a player's asking price. Set the asking price around 25 percent higher than his value to accommodate for this - clubs should still be
attracted, and their offers should near enough match his value.

- Loaning players in can be incredibly useful. Also, if you look through the bigger teams and see which players they're not playing (the nearer to 0 appearances the better), they may accept a loan offer for that player.

- Always check through teams like Chelsea's reserves. They may neglect a good player who'd be useful for your squad. When looking for players, view their
contracts and see if they have the status 'not needed by club' or 'backup to squad'. They may not be listed but a club will listen to offers for this player.

- It may seem obvious, but any player who is indispensable to a club is going to cost a lot more than his value, regardless of if it's a small club or big
club.

- Regularly check the transfer list. Players can become unhappy and placed on there, and you'll get them at a knocked price the majority of the time. It's always worth offering a lot lower than the asking price, and the club will negotiate with you. It's best to do this when offering for any player, but specially useful for those who are listed.

- The more the managers dislike you in the game, the more they'll charge you. If they like you, you may get their players for cheaper.

- If the player has your club in his favoured clubs, or a squad member is one of his favoured personnel, he will be more likely to join.

- It is harder to sell an injured player, but you can use this to your advantage. See a good player you want who is injured? You may be able to get him at a knock down price.

- As a lower league team, check the players who's contracts have expired, or who aren't attached. You can find some golden oldies here, whose experience
can be vital for your team. As they don't have a club they won't be demanding too high a wage either, and are useful for tutoring talent in your club.

Hopefully that will help you when searching for players. If there is anything that isn't here that you've picked up on, tell me about it and I'll stick it in the above list.