Guide on how to save money on every single contract on Football Manager.
The goal of every contract negotiation is the same as the goal of the transfer negotiation; you want to save as much money as possible.
I would like to start by talking about squad status. It is often overlooked, but the player's team status will indicate what wages the player and the agent will ask for. It makes sense that the key player will ask for more money than the youngster because the key player will be more valuable to your team in the short term. Also, players don't like short term contracts because this brings them a lot of instability.
1. Squad Status
I would like to start by talking about squad status. It is often overlooked, but the player's team status will indicate what wages the player and the agent will ask for. It makes sense that the key player will ask for more money than the youngster because the key player will be more valuable to your team in the short term. Also, players don't like short term contracts because this brings them a lot of instability.
This rule is a bit different for smaller teams and players nearing the end of their career; they are more likely to accept the short-term contract. But generally speaking, a shorter contract means you will have to pay the player a lot more because you are making up for that uncertainty with cold hard cash.
ALSO READ: Tips for Buying Players More Easily in Football Manager
Whenever you enter a contract negotiation, I recommend lowering every item on the list by a little bit, except for the agent's fee. Mostly the agents in the game will happily accept reduced fees if it means they will still get a lot of money. Once you have brought down initial demands, it is time to start playing around with clauses and bonuses.
If you are looking to purchase a promising youngster, you should offer a low based salary and a lot of future incentives. You should look to give a yearly increase in wages between 5 and 15 percent. You can set a specific salary after appearances or international appearances, which is very useful because if you know you are not going to use someone a lot, you won't need to pay them a lot of money for a certain amount of time. So again, if you are signing a youngster, you want to offer a low base salary and a lot of future incentives to save yourself some money.
Now on to the secret tip, but bear in mind if you don't do this properly, you could royally screw yourself up. If you add a sell-on fee clause of 50% on any contract, the likelihood of the player signing is HUGE.
ALSO READ: Tips for Buying Players More Easily in Football Manager
2. Lower Demands
Whenever you enter a contract negotiation, I recommend lowering every item on the list by a little bit, except for the agent's fee. Mostly the agents in the game will happily accept reduced fees if it means they will still get a lot of money. Once you have brought down initial demands, it is time to start playing around with clauses and bonuses.
3. Incentives and Bonuses
If you are looking to purchase a promising youngster, you should offer a low based salary and a lot of future incentives. You should look to give a yearly increase in wages between 5 and 15 percent. You can set a specific salary after appearances or international appearances, which is very useful because if you know you are not going to use someone a lot, you won't need to pay them a lot of money for a certain amount of time. So again, if you are signing a youngster, you want to offer a low base salary and a lot of future incentives to save yourself some money.
4. Secret tip
Now on to the secret tip, but bear in mind if you don't do this properly, you could royally screw yourself up. If you add a sell-on fee clause of 50% on any contract, the likelihood of the player signing is HUGE.
This fee can be beautiful because it lets you lower all other expenses in the contract. However, you should only use this clause on players you have no intention of selling. So, if you are signing a world-class player or signing someone at the end of their career, this can be a significant fee to sign a player more smoothly. But if you are contracting some youngster from whom you want to profit, with this clause in effect, you will not make any money, and you will lose money in the long term.
If a release clause is a part of your league, then you can also try adding a high release clause of, let's say, 100 million and then add a sell-on fee percentage of 50% as well. The main takeaway here is that the sell-on fee percentage can be a tremendous asset for you, it can help you reduce the rest of the contract costs, and if you misuse it, you will lose on a whole bunch of money.
Always think critically before applying it, because once you apply it and once that contract goes through, the chances are that the player will not give up on the 50% on the next negotiation. This tip comes in handy to all of you who like to switch clubs regularly as it won't affect you anymore once you take charge at the new club.
If a release clause is a part of your league, then you can also try adding a high release clause of, let's say, 100 million and then add a sell-on fee percentage of 50% as well. The main takeaway here is that the sell-on fee percentage can be a tremendous asset for you, it can help you reduce the rest of the contract costs, and if you misuse it, you will lose on a whole bunch of money.
Always think critically before applying it, because once you apply it and once that contract goes through, the chances are that the player will not give up on the 50% on the next negotiation. This tip comes in handy to all of you who like to switch clubs regularly as it won't affect you anymore once you take charge at the new club.
