Transfer market in the football manager – guide

Terms

Minimum bid

Bidding starts here. The price is made by the competition.

Handshake

Agreement with the player on his wage - required before you may bid.

Committed budget

The sum of your open bids. It stays blocked until the auction is decided.

Free agents

No fee, just a signing bonus (half a year's wage) and the wage itself.

Market value

Estimated value from strength, age and transfer history.

Good to know

• Order of play: agree the wage with the player first, then bid. No handshake, no bid.
• A negotiation gives you three attempts. Below 70 % of his demand he breaks off at once (3 matchdays blocked for your club); in between he shows his displeasure, and the estimate range narrows with every attempt.
• His demand is not only about strength and age: a step up to a higher league lowers it, a step down costs a premium (only half from age 30), and if you already have equally strong players in his position you pay extra for the bench.
• Bids are binding and tie up budget - there is no withdrawing. A bid on the final day extends the auction by one matchday (three times at most).
• Selling: you set the minimum bid and the duration (5 or 7 matchdays, with Premium also 3). Withdrawing works only while there is no bid. The association keeps 10 % of the fee.
• Free agents cost no fee. They first ask for 15 % more wage and get 5 % cheaper every 5 matchdays without a club (down to 15 % below normal) - and they decide themselves whose offer they accept.
• Everything is calculated once a day: awards, signings and the bids of the AI clubs.