Transfers
From Soccer Manager Wiki
Please read the following for help with buying and selling players via the Transfer Market.
Top 5 Transfers QuestionsHow do I search for free agents?
You cannot currently filter out free agents from the advanced search.
Transfer List
The 'Transfer List' displays all of the players within your setup who have been placed on there by their respective club manager.
How do I put a player on the transfer list?
Go to your Squad page and click on a player to view their Player Profile page. You will see a tab called Transfer Status, select 'Transfer Price', enter your asking price and then click the Confirm Transfer Status button.
How do change the price for a player on the transfer list?
Go to your Squad page and click on a player to view their Player Profile page. You will see a tab called 'Transfer Status', select 'Transfer Price', enter your new asking price and then click the 'Confirm Transfer Status' button.
How do I remove a player from the transfer list?
Go to your Squad page and click on a player to view their Player Profile page. You will see a tab called 'Transfer Status', select either 'UnKnown', 'Available', or 'Unavailable' and then click the 'Confirm Transfer Status' button and this will remove your player from the Transfer List.
Short List
The shortlist is primarily used to track any player you are interested in buying either now or at a future date.
What is the shortlist?
Your shortlist will contain all the players who you have tabled a bid for and been unsuccessful or who you are thinking about making an offer for in the near future. To add a player to your shortlist you will need to click on 'Add to Shortlist' in the players profile. Any news related to that player will then be displayed in your club messages.
How do I keep a list of players I'm interested in buying?
Firstly, find players via the Transfer Market or similar. When viewing a players profile click 'Add to Shortlist' and they will be added to to your Player Shortlist for future reference. By making a bid for a player they are automatically added to your shortlist.
How do I remove a player from my shortlist?
First, you will need to access your shortlist. Second, you will need to click on a players name who is on your shortlist to access his Player Profile. Once on the Player Profile page click on 'Shortlist Player', then 'Take Off Short List' and finally 'Set Shortlist Status'.
Buying & Selling
How do I buy a player?
There are several different ways in which you can approach to buy a player. You can approach to buy players directly either by clicking on a squad or player name anywhere in the game or using the 'find club/player' page to search for a particular player. All you need to do is enter part of the players surname or part of the club name you know he currently plays for.
You can access the transfer list to find out which player(s) have been put on the transfer list and what their current asking price is. If you don't have the necessary funds then you can see what free-agents are available (these are players not contracted to any club). Players on the transfer market are often listed for less than there value and so you can usually buy players for less then approaching a club directly for a player.
If you find a player you wish to make an offer for then you will need to place a bid for him. If the player is on the transfer list then he will have an asking price as a guideline which you can use otherwise you can use the players value. In order to make an offer, click on the players name to access his Player Profile and then on the 'Make Transfer Bid' button above the players profile. You will then be asked to enter your offer by filling in the available boxes before you click on 'Propose Offer'. The first box is the amount in millions and the second box is the amount in thousands. You will also have the option of adding up to two player(s) to the deal in a straightforward player swap or cash plus player deal. To offer one or more of your players in exchange simply click on the drop down box under 'offer player(s)'. This will display all your players available for transfer in your squad which you can include in any potential deal. Again once you have selected which player(s) you wish to include in the deal you need to click on 'Propose Offer'. When you submit an offer for any player you have the option to make the transfer undisclosed. You can do this by ticking the Hide Offer Amount? box. An undisclosed offer will mean that only you and the other party will know the amount of the transfer fee involved and it will remain hidden from third parties.
Once the offer has been made you can see the deal details in a message on the 'Club Messages' page. You will have to wait until the other manager makes a counter offer, accepts or declines your bid before you find out if you are successful or not. If the player you have made a bid for is from an unmanaged club then the response usually happens the next day. If you wish to withdraw an offer at any time before the player moves club click on the player's name and click on the button 'Withdraw Offer'.
To find out if your deal has been successful or not you will have to view your 'Club Messages' which can be accessed from the main navigation bar. On the page are any messages which you receive from other managers and clubs. You will be notified if you bid has been accepted, rejected or if they have made a counter-offer. If the deal has been successful transfers are usually completed the next day.
Not all managers will respond to a transfer offer for one reason or another, and if your offer is not responded to within 14 days then the offer will automatically be rejected by the AI.
Please Note: You can not conduct ANY transfers if your club balance is negative.
How do I sell a player?
There will probably be numerous reasons why you would want to sell a player, either to raise some much needed finance, to offload dead-wood, lower wage bill or for other reasons.
The easiest way to sell a player is by placing him on the transfer list. To place one of your players on the transfer list you need to click on the player's name to access his Player Profile and then on the 'Add to Transfer List' button in the players profile section. You will then be asked to enter the asking price for that player, the first box is the amount in millions and the second box is the amount in thousands. Once you have done that you need to click on the save button. Your player will then be placed on the transfer list. Then you just need to wait for an acceptable offer to come in. You will be informed on any offers in your message screen on your 'My Home' page. Once an offer has come in click on the 'Response' link next to the message and respond to the offer. You could decline, accept or counter the available offer.
You could also be approached by another club who has tabled an offer for one of your players. This offer will be displayed in your message section on your home page. Click on the 'response' link next to the message and respond to the offer. You could decline, accept or counter the available offer.
If you wish to cancel a deal you have accepted at any time before the player moves club, click on the 'Cancel' link next to the message on the 'My Home' page saying the deal has been accepted.
Please Note: If a player is placed on the transfer list you will eventually receive an offer from an external club. However, the time it takes to receive this offer can vary from a few days to a few weeks.
How do I negotiate a deal for a player?
If you are buying or selling a player you can negotiate a transfer deal instead of just accepting or declining transfer bids. Simply respond to a Transfer Game Message and click the 'negotiate' button. Another way to negotiate a deal for a player is via Private Messages.
Transfers and Player Rating Changes?
If you are buying or selling a player on the day that their rating is changing, then the deal will still go through (if both Chairmans are happy with the deal) after the players rating has changed.
Transfers after club becomes managed?
If you are buying a player from an unmanaged club and have submitted a transfer bid, and the club becomes managed later in the day, your transfer offer will collapse due to a change in management.
Loans
In some cases you might wish to loan a player from another club to cover for injuries, suspension, to improve your squad or due to lack of funds. Or you might wish to place one of your players on the loan list to loan him out to a smaller club to gain experience or to get out an of favor player off the wage bill or to keep the player happy with some regular football.
Can I get a player on loan?
If you want to loan a player you can either view the loan list or select a player you wish to loan. To make a loan offer simply click on the player's name to access his Player Profile, then select 'Make Loan Bid' and then on the Confirm Loan Bid button. You will be informed of any outcome(s) via your club messages page. Please note you cannot loan players from unmanaged or external clubs and you can only have 3 players on loan in your squad at any one time.
Can I loan out my players?
You can loan out any player in your squad apart from your best players i.e. those that your chairman classes as key players or are your 'first teamers'. To place a player on the loan list simply click on the player's name to access his Player Profile, then select 'Transfer Status' follolwed by Loan List and then on the 'Confirm Transfer Status' button. You will be informed of any loan offers via your club messages page.
Free Agents
Free agents are players without a club. New players that are added to the database are often also added as free agents. Please note a player will become a free agent in your setup if the club he plays for in real life is a club within your setup. However if the club he plays for in real life is not in your setup he will be added to his clubs respective squad.
How can you buy Free Agents?
Searching for Free Agents is currently unavailable.
How to release a player?
A player within your squad can be released from his current contract and become a 'Free Agent' On the Player Profile page you will need to click on the 'Release tab and then you will be asked if you are sure you want to release that player. If you are sure you want to 'Release' him as a 'Free Agent' you will need to click on 'Confirm Release. Please note that ANY player who is classed as an important player within your squad by the Chairman will not be allowed to be released as a 'Free Agent', and the action will be blocked immediately.
Deal blocked?
Most transfer deals will go through at the first attempt, however a small percentage of transfers are blocked by either the the SMFA or your Chairman.
SMFA keeps blocking your deals?
The SoccerManager.com Football Association (SMFA) is designed to stop deals between multiple accounts and does this very effectively using our sophisticated cheat prevention system (CPS). If you are cheating in this way we will know about it and you will be banned from doing deals between these two accounts. The SMFA also stops deals that are unusual and dubious. The vast majority of deals never reach the SMFA.
Please Note: Gold Membership does not affect the SMFA's decision.
If managers have checked all of the above from the perspective of their own club, the oppositions, and from SM's, and they still see no reason for their transfer being declined then join the SM Forum and ask senior members for their advice. Soccer Manager will NOT read or reply to any support emails regarding deals being stopped by the SMFA.
Chairman keeps blocking your deals?
The chairman makes their transfer decisions based on a number of factors which are designed to look after the best interests of both clubs involved. The chairman acts as a level playing field to keep the game fair and balanced. The vast majority of deals are approved by the chairman. Gold Membership does not affect the chairman's decision.
The chairman bases his decision on a number of factors which are listed below.
Age of player (too young or too old is not good business)
Value of player (too much or too little offered is not good business)
Players Rating to the average squad rating of both the selling and buying clubs(selling a star player for less than value or poor player for more than his value).
Size of transfer budget (spending all budget on one average player is not good business)
Your managers reputation level (less than 40 is a potential unsporting manager, 40 is a new player and a potential higher risk)
Manager's length of service (brand new manager blowing their transfer budget or selling their stars is suspicious and unrealistic)
Both manager's past transfers (Multiple dealings between two seemingly unrelated clubs)
Please Note: Soccer Manager will NOT read or reply to any support emails regarding deals being stopped by the SMFA.
Player refuses to sign for your club?
Sometimes a player may reject a move to your club if you average squad rating is not high enough.
How do I report a transfer deal to Soccer Manager?
To report a transfer deal go to the All Transfers page (on navigation menu SETUP > Transfers > All Transfers) and click the Report? link in the 'Suspicious Deal?' column.
Transfer Deal Tips
Hint 1: Before placing a bid for a player from a managed club we recommend sending the manager a private message (PM).
Hint 2: Before placing a bid for a player add him to your shortlist. This will generate a message with a 'rumoured bid' price that will help you decide how much to bid.
Hint 3: When you go to approach to buy a player a players chairman will give you an amount he believes you will have to pay at least to sign the player.
Hint 4: Look at the squad you are buying a player from. If you are trying to buy one of a teams top defenders then you will have to pay more than buying a defender who is there 6th choice defender for example.
Hint 5: Use the player valuation as a guide only. You may have to pay twice the players valuation or more if he is a key member of the club's squad.
Hint 6: The same applies with selling players. Your chairman will not let you sell key squad members for cheap but may let players who are not 'first teamers' go for less.
Hint 7: After playing the game for a while you should be able to decide what is an acceptable deal and what is not. A good tip is to look back on the previous transfers to see what deals have been completed in your setup.
Hint 8: You may have to spend over 3 times a player valuation for the top players on the game.
Hint 9: Every setup and club is different. Chairman's decisions are based on individual players and squads. What you paid for a player in one setup may be different from another. ie the chairman may let you sell Ted Smith for £3m in one setup as he is not a top player at your club but not let you sell him for £3m in another setup as he is a top player in that club.
Hint 10: The amount of funds you have available will have an effect on how much the chairman will let you spend on a player.
Transfer Banned Players
Once a player moves club on a transfer he receives a 20 Turn transfer ban. This means that the player cannot be sold on again for 20 'game' Turns (20 league games) which is equivalent to 10 real life weeks. The club cannot receive any bids for the player and the player cannot be placed on the transfer market.
Why is my player cup tied?
Any player who makes an appearance for a club at any stage of one of the domestic competitions within the various setups is Cup Tied for all future matches during that season in the same competition. This means that if the player transfers clubs during the same season he will not be eligable to represent his new club in that competition for the duration of the season.
How long do Transfer Deals take to process?
Transfer deals take up to 24 hours to complete, and can be processed at any time during the following day.
Unmanaged Club Protection
Unmanaged clubs will become protected as their chairman will prevent any transfers with the club for a period of time.
Therefore if you try to make a transfer with a club which has recently become unmanaged you will see the following message:
“You currently can not do any transfers with this club as the chairman has recently lost their manager and it is in a transitional period. This period could last upto 48 hours.”
This will allow ample time for a new manager to take control of the club whilst its chairman protects its assets, and it will also mean that the club could be more desirable to manage due to holding on to key players.
Pre-set Transfer Responses
A manager can select a reason for rejecting a transfer/loan offer.
Once you have accessed the ‘Transfer/Loan Bids’ tab you can see if any transfer/loan offers have been made for the player in question. When you click on the ‘Reject’ button underneath ‘Action’ you will be asked to select the reason you are rejecting this transfer/loan offer. You will have a choice of several pre-set transfer responses to choose from within the drop down box, and once you have selected the most appropriate reason you will need to click on the ‘Reject Offer’ button to action it. The reason for rejecting the transfer/loan offer will then be displayed within both clubs ‘Club Messages - Inbox’.
Why has my deal been reversed by the SMFA?
The SMFA from time to time will reverse a transfer for numerous reasons, and they will only reverse a transfer is they think it is appropriate. Please note that each decision is based on individual circumstances.
Help Tutorial Videos
Player Search Page - This tutorial will help you search for a player.
Advanced Player Search Page - This tutorial will help you search for a player by rating, age, nationality, position.
