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| Football Manager 2012 Tips |
With the release of the Football Manager 2012 game just around the corner, I thought I would write an article on how you can get the most out of your transfer budget in the game by buying and selling players. I will discuss which types of players are best to sign, when to sign them, what not to do, and how to make the biggest profit when it comes to selling them on in the future.
Everyone dreams of being given a massive transfer budget on football manager, but that usually limits you to picking only the rich clubs to manage which can sometimes become a boring or unfulfilling game to play. Well have you ever considered taking it upon yourself to build your own transfer budget at less wealthy clubs? This can make a fun game and is a great alternative to managing an already cash rich club.
You may not be able to build a budget the size of Manchester City's, but with a few clever strategies you can build your own transfer budget gradually season upon season.
The money making strategies all involve a bit of wheeling and dealing of players and the main principle is to simply buy low and sell high. We want to try and sign players that will be good investments so we can sell them on to other clubs in the future and make a tidy profit that can be pumped back into your transfer budget. When looking for players to sign for investment purposes, the aim is to target players who are currently undervalued by their current club and whose value could be set to rise in the future. I will discuss a couple of key strategies for making money on player transfers which can help boost your transfer budget on football manager.
Target young players
Young players have time on their side so generally unless you totally overpay for a young player you will at least make your money back on them in the future when another club comes in for them as they will still be relatively young of age. If the player you choose to sign has any ounce of potential about themselves then you are sure to make a profit. The key is to not overpay when trying to acquire the player in the first place. I usually find that big clubs hold certain youngsters in very high regard, these players are usually extremely expensive as they have massive potential. It doesn't mean you shouldn't sign them however, but just be careful and make sure you don't spend beyond your means in acquiring the player. For example, Santos won't let Neymar go for anything less than £20million, however if you can afford him you are looking at doubling your money over the next couple of seasons when clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City come calling.
But this guide is not about signing expensive players, this is about tips on how to pick up bargains and sell them on for decent profits in the future. I would advise targeting two types of youngsters. First of all you have young players at large clubs like Barcelona who have a lot of competition for places, there will always be a couple that aren't going to be the cream of the crop and break through into the first team, these players often languish in the reserves/B teams and get put on the transfer list near the end of their contracts. These are good players to pick up on football manager as they clearly have pedigree and will turn out to be decent players but you can usually pick them up for a couple of thousand pounds each. In a couple of years after getting games here and there in your first team squad their values can easily rise by a couple of million each.
The other type of youngsters are players that are at relatively small clubs, these players usually are the top talent at smaller clubs, but you can pick them up for a cheaper fee than bigger clubs best young prospects as they will generally accept smaller bids for their players. You can usually structure a deal where you pay out bonuses on goals scored and international appearances which allows you to offer a lower fee up front. These players go for more money than the transfer listed players at the bigger clubs but they are still worth the money as they are usually good enough to go straight into your first team where if they perform well, their market value will soar.
Target players near the end of their contracts
The final types of players I would recommend are players that are nearing the end of their contract. Once a player is in the last year or two of their contract their value will drop dramatically and you will be able to agree a much lower fee with the selling club. I usually go for players under the age of 27 so they still have a few more playing years left in them before they reach their peak between 28-30. Once they hit their peak you can sell them on to other clubs for a profit.
The contract situation also works both ways, when it comes to selling a player it is always best to keep your investments under longer term contracts as you will be able to demand a higher transfer fee for them. This is a handy little football manager tip that a lot of people miss out on.
