We all want that glorious regen player that comes through and blows the world apart. Unfortunately, they are rare, impossible to find, and you get loaded with just some useless regens instead. Those regens may not be first team members or superstars, but they are just as valuable for making profit then the best of the best. Here are some tips on making money and benefitting from the regens of your save;
Regen Day:
Now I am sure we have done this, especially in the lower leagues, but we do not sign some regens on Regen Days and let them wonder to find a new club instead. This is useful for clubs that are in a financial bind, they are able to save some money to invest in different talents or parts of the squad.
Yet this comes with the obvious possibility of letting an absolute gem slip through your fingers. I know for sure that I have done this. None of us are perfect scouts, and buying back the not signed regens is only a loss in millions. So always try to sign all your regens even if they look horrible, you never know what talents they hold.
Plus, they have the ability to bring you a profit.
Look at Released Youth Players & Low Time Contracts:
This is a fantastic idea not only for youth but also for most players. The free transfer market at all levels…especially in the top flight is a brilliant strategy. Now let us be honest for a moment, you will not find a young Messi or peaked Ronaldo on the free market. But at times you will find some really excellent talents.
Now you may be thinking; “If they are released then they must be crap.” WRONG! Well, most of the times that is true, but there are some really good youth players out there. You need to look beyond your first team. Bringing in such talents can benefit your youth squad, bring you depth, or even your bench.
The main goal about this topic is developing the youth players and other players you buy with the purpose of re selling them on the market. It is like taking a rough gem and polishing it. In the end, he may not be a first team player or sub, but he can be sold for a profit. It generally does not harm your wage bill; and the youth players definitely do not hurt you unless they are greedy.
You also want to take a look at contracts that are running low. Signing players on a free is always better than a club trying to cash in on them. Even though you are unable to sign youth players under a certain age when their contract runs out, if you pursue them enough they may contemplate on not wanting to renew their contract and leave on a free to join you. It is rare but it has happened.
Of course other clubs have been known to make stupid mistakes and let contracts run low on players, always keep an eye out for this and you can bring in solid players on all levels that are at a good age. If they turn out to be greedy or wanting more game time, just sell them on for a fee and you will be making a profit.
Renewing Contracts:
Many times I find that we as managers can be a little bit lazy when it comes to youth contracts, and if they do not seem to be amazing, challenging for the first team, or just look solid we tend to throw them away. Now of course this lightens the wage bill and gives the opportunity for younger players to move up the ranks and hopefully push into the first team. But again you waste time and money on a youth player that could potentially have been useful to your club.
Renewing youth contracts are not all that bad, in fact the positives outweigh the negatives by a longshot;
You have not seen them develop. Giving professional contracts usually happens around a year or so after Regen Days, and those contracts hardly last long. In that time frame a youth player may not look like he is developing, but that does not mean he is crap. We have seen it in FM where suddenly his stats start to rise and he becomes decent, plus you have only had him for a short time frame. Don’t jump the gun.
Your youth players will most likely be fans of your club…especially if you are a big club, and youth players that are brought through the ranks have more respect for you then foreign talents or brought in talents. With that being the case you have much more control over the amount of money they earn through their contract in negotiations. Plus, while you renew their contract it gives you more time to monitor them and give them the opportunity to develop in your hands rather than taking a chance on an import.
If you buy a youth prospect, there are so many possibilities that could go wrong. You may even have a better player and may not know it. They always have the possibility of being a late bloomer as well. If you give them enough time and they still do not develop to what you want, you can always sell them on.
Use the Loan Market Wisely:
Now this will take extra time in your part unless you designate it to someone else in your management, but that is not recommended in developing your players. Think about where the player is going. There is now the ability to discuss how much game time youth players must receive when negotiations on loan deals come through. That will help a lot in helping develop youth players, but it can all be useless if we do not focus on one key component.
Where are they being loaned too?
See you need to find a proper balance, no team is perfect but there are ideal places for them. You need to send them to a team where they will be used regularly, but also be surrounded by good quality FOR THE PLAYER. It will not be good for a player to be loaned to a struggling relegation team. It hardly ever works and it hinder the player’s development as they are being continuously battered by better clubs in the division. They need a club in the top half of the table, where there is competitiveness within the squad and they are able to put up fights with the best clubs in the division. It would be even better if you could get them in a top team in the division.
It does not need to be Barcelona or Bayern Munich even though that would be lovely.
Using the Youth:
Now the issue that I am sure many of us managers have is finding the opportunity to involve youth players. See they need to develop properly, and if you have the best facilities out there...then there is some hesitation in letting them go out on loan. The new U23 system in England may help the matter a bit but it is still an underlying problem no matter where your save is. Of course with the new loan contract possibilities, matters could be sorted out...but no lower team in their right mind would want to take on a youngster and be forced to play him every single game.
There is another aspect to this problem as well. This also occurs in real life quite often and all teams are guilty of it to some extent. Now we all want a really good bench, to have an impact player of some sorts or when injuries occur you want someone to slot in nicely. Now I remember spending some extra money or bringing in free transfers to help with depth and filling my squad...similar to the real world.
Well...what about using those youth players instead?
See we are all guilty of only focusing on the best of the best, when there are some pretty decent squad players out there...especially when they are near the age of 20 - 22. They may not be fully developed but they may have the possibility of filling in that role off the bench or bringing in depth.
Now this is a really good idea. First off they are homegrown...most of the time. Therefore, the restrictions in your designated league when submitting your squad for homegrown talent will be fulfilled easier. Plus, if you generate and play with enough homegrown talent at the top levels it also benefits the national team.
Secondly it saves a crap ton on the wage bill. If you were to bring in a new player, whether out of contract or on a fee or even a good looking prospect; their wage demands will guaranteed be higher than that of the youth player. Plus, you will be paying extra agent and transfer fees and all that absolutely annoying contract stuff. See with your homegrown talent, they will most likely be requesting nowhere near as much money for their wage bill, plus many may not even have an agent, and you do not have to pay stupid transfer fees.
Thirdly, the players that you will bring in, will most likely want to play more regular football, they usually cause disruption in the squad. They also will need time to adapt to the country and your tactics. Your youth players on the other hand will have a tenancy to stay quiet and take their chances when it comes. Also, they know the language 99% of the time, they are used to the style of play and culture, finally they also will be able to slot into your tactics easier if they are taught in the same format as your first team. Now of course it becomes a tad more difficult when they are older, but the loan market can help with that aspect or selling them on
Raking in the Money:
There is a lot of good advice in getting the most out of your youth players and why you should cling onto them for an extended period. When you go to sell them you make a lot more money then you originally think.
Your youth players that you will not use, guaranteed other clubs will use them or want them. So even if he is really crappy, and you only get a bid under 100,000. You still get an amazing profit. Remember it is more than just one player…you have loads of yearly regens and other players coming in that you can turn and sell. Plus, if you hold onto them longer till about 21 then the bidding price will increase.
Now of course there is the possibility that you hold on to them too long and no one will want them and you end up selling them on dirt. You need to remember that clubs in FM and real life buy potential especially for the first team, so you have the ability to rake in more money. This is a higher risk when you buy regens and try to sell them on.
Finally – Sell Your Player Correctly:
Okay I am almost done, I promise. Sometimes we just want to get rid of players, and other clubs will take advantage of that. So right from the get go in any transfer window you need to do things right. If you want the most money, the most benefit from selling any player and making a profit, but especially your youth players you need to do more. The focus is NOT JUST on the upfront fee as many lazily assume.
Here is where you need to focus;
• You reduce the growing wage bill. At the age of 20 or 21 your youth players will probably be making more than 1,000 pounds at the top flight and will want more money and game time. This is also the ideal time to sell most youth players. By selling them they have the chance to increase their wage and game time at the new club, releasing you of stress and giving them what they want.
• You leave room for more talent. When selling a youth player, you have the ability of bringing in new blood and more talent through the system. It is a constant cycle that will have the ability to challenge not only the sub players, but the first team players as well.
• Sell On Clause. You should do this for every single transfer regardless of who the player is. Always, always, always, always oh did I mention ALWAYS try to make more money out of selling a player. The benefit with youth and young talent is that buying teams will accept ridiculous sell on fees of 50% or more. If he doesn’t move on for a big fee, hey something is better than nothing. Plus if he does not move you can always sell the clause and bring in money then.
• Buy-back Clause. Look we are not gods. We will make mistakes and let players slip through the cracks. The benefit though is the buy-back clause. That means rather than making my stupid mistake of wasting the majority of your transfer budget trying to buy back a player…especially if they are homegrown…you can spend a fraction of the price or a reduced amount getting them back.
• The Homegrown Fluctuation. Last but not least, the ridiculous price increase when buying homegrown talent. Now this is big in England, but I found it big everywhere you go not only in FM saves but in real life. The need for homegrown talent is huge and starting offers will be higher than that of a foreign talent of the same caliber, bringing you more money.
• Stereotypes. I lied, it is not the last one but it is important to keep in mind. I have found this a lot in FM and it is true in real life. If the youth are from a popular football country like Brazil, Argentina, Spain, or the Netherlands. The prices go up for these players just because they are from there. If you have a foreign player to sell, if they come from a popular country then they will sell for more. To spin it though, if they come from a not so popular country like Canada or Aruba or somewhere that does not produce the best talent consistently…you can get them for a way cheaper price than equally talented players from popular countries.
Conclusion:
2500 words later and hopefully a big profit for you. Remember that sometimes players do need to go past the age of 21 and 22 before being sold on profit or bursting into the first team. Do not expect your players to burst through at the age of 18, and be patient when researching other regens later on in your save, sometimes the best pop up in the craziest of places.
This is like a factory process, consistently working year in and year out. Now this is not an immediate cash grab, it takes some time, but after 3 or 4 years you will have a good income from selling youth. If your youth income is not high, more research on the free market or other players may be needed, but in the end…I had an income of 1 billion pounds in 15 years from this.
Enjoy FM17!!!
Regen Day:
Now I am sure we have done this, especially in the lower leagues, but we do not sign some regens on Regen Days and let them wonder to find a new club instead. This is useful for clubs that are in a financial bind, they are able to save some money to invest in different talents or parts of the squad.
Yet this comes with the obvious possibility of letting an absolute gem slip through your fingers. I know for sure that I have done this. None of us are perfect scouts, and buying back the not signed regens is only a loss in millions. So always try to sign all your regens even if they look horrible, you never know what talents they hold.
Plus, they have the ability to bring you a profit.
Look at Released Youth Players & Low Time Contracts:
This is a fantastic idea not only for youth but also for most players. The free transfer market at all levels…especially in the top flight is a brilliant strategy. Now let us be honest for a moment, you will not find a young Messi or peaked Ronaldo on the free market. But at times you will find some really excellent talents.
Now you may be thinking; “If they are released then they must be crap.” WRONG! Well, most of the times that is true, but there are some really good youth players out there. You need to look beyond your first team. Bringing in such talents can benefit your youth squad, bring you depth, or even your bench.
The main goal about this topic is developing the youth players and other players you buy with the purpose of re selling them on the market. It is like taking a rough gem and polishing it. In the end, he may not be a first team player or sub, but he can be sold for a profit. It generally does not harm your wage bill; and the youth players definitely do not hurt you unless they are greedy.
You also want to take a look at contracts that are running low. Signing players on a free is always better than a club trying to cash in on them. Even though you are unable to sign youth players under a certain age when their contract runs out, if you pursue them enough they may contemplate on not wanting to renew their contract and leave on a free to join you. It is rare but it has happened.
Of course other clubs have been known to make stupid mistakes and let contracts run low on players, always keep an eye out for this and you can bring in solid players on all levels that are at a good age. If they turn out to be greedy or wanting more game time, just sell them on for a fee and you will be making a profit.
Renewing Contracts:
Many times I find that we as managers can be a little bit lazy when it comes to youth contracts, and if they do not seem to be amazing, challenging for the first team, or just look solid we tend to throw them away. Now of course this lightens the wage bill and gives the opportunity for younger players to move up the ranks and hopefully push into the first team. But again you waste time and money on a youth player that could potentially have been useful to your club.
Renewing youth contracts are not all that bad, in fact the positives outweigh the negatives by a longshot;
You have not seen them develop. Giving professional contracts usually happens around a year or so after Regen Days, and those contracts hardly last long. In that time frame a youth player may not look like he is developing, but that does not mean he is crap. We have seen it in FM where suddenly his stats start to rise and he becomes decent, plus you have only had him for a short time frame. Don’t jump the gun.
Your youth players will most likely be fans of your club…especially if you are a big club, and youth players that are brought through the ranks have more respect for you then foreign talents or brought in talents. With that being the case you have much more control over the amount of money they earn through their contract in negotiations. Plus, while you renew their contract it gives you more time to monitor them and give them the opportunity to develop in your hands rather than taking a chance on an import.
If you buy a youth prospect, there are so many possibilities that could go wrong. You may even have a better player and may not know it. They always have the possibility of being a late bloomer as well. If you give them enough time and they still do not develop to what you want, you can always sell them on.
Use the Loan Market Wisely:
Now this will take extra time in your part unless you designate it to someone else in your management, but that is not recommended in developing your players. Think about where the player is going. There is now the ability to discuss how much game time youth players must receive when negotiations on loan deals come through. That will help a lot in helping develop youth players, but it can all be useless if we do not focus on one key component.
Where are they being loaned too?
See you need to find a proper balance, no team is perfect but there are ideal places for them. You need to send them to a team where they will be used regularly, but also be surrounded by good quality FOR THE PLAYER. It will not be good for a player to be loaned to a struggling relegation team. It hardly ever works and it hinder the player’s development as they are being continuously battered by better clubs in the division. They need a club in the top half of the table, where there is competitiveness within the squad and they are able to put up fights with the best clubs in the division. It would be even better if you could get them in a top team in the division.
It does not need to be Barcelona or Bayern Munich even though that would be lovely.
Using the Youth:
Now the issue that I am sure many of us managers have is finding the opportunity to involve youth players. See they need to develop properly, and if you have the best facilities out there...then there is some hesitation in letting them go out on loan. The new U23 system in England may help the matter a bit but it is still an underlying problem no matter where your save is. Of course with the new loan contract possibilities, matters could be sorted out...but no lower team in their right mind would want to take on a youngster and be forced to play him every single game.
There is another aspect to this problem as well. This also occurs in real life quite often and all teams are guilty of it to some extent. Now we all want a really good bench, to have an impact player of some sorts or when injuries occur you want someone to slot in nicely. Now I remember spending some extra money or bringing in free transfers to help with depth and filling my squad...similar to the real world.
Well...what about using those youth players instead?
See we are all guilty of only focusing on the best of the best, when there are some pretty decent squad players out there...especially when they are near the age of 20 - 22. They may not be fully developed but they may have the possibility of filling in that role off the bench or bringing in depth.
Now this is a really good idea. First off they are homegrown...most of the time. Therefore, the restrictions in your designated league when submitting your squad for homegrown talent will be fulfilled easier. Plus, if you generate and play with enough homegrown talent at the top levels it also benefits the national team.
Secondly it saves a crap ton on the wage bill. If you were to bring in a new player, whether out of contract or on a fee or even a good looking prospect; their wage demands will guaranteed be higher than that of the youth player. Plus, you will be paying extra agent and transfer fees and all that absolutely annoying contract stuff. See with your homegrown talent, they will most likely be requesting nowhere near as much money for their wage bill, plus many may not even have an agent, and you do not have to pay stupid transfer fees.
Thirdly, the players that you will bring in, will most likely want to play more regular football, they usually cause disruption in the squad. They also will need time to adapt to the country and your tactics. Your youth players on the other hand will have a tenancy to stay quiet and take their chances when it comes. Also, they know the language 99% of the time, they are used to the style of play and culture, finally they also will be able to slot into your tactics easier if they are taught in the same format as your first team. Now of course it becomes a tad more difficult when they are older, but the loan market can help with that aspect or selling them on
Raking in the Money:
There is a lot of good advice in getting the most out of your youth players and why you should cling onto them for an extended period. When you go to sell them you make a lot more money then you originally think.
Your youth players that you will not use, guaranteed other clubs will use them or want them. So even if he is really crappy, and you only get a bid under 100,000. You still get an amazing profit. Remember it is more than just one player…you have loads of yearly regens and other players coming in that you can turn and sell. Plus, if you hold onto them longer till about 21 then the bidding price will increase.
Now of course there is the possibility that you hold on to them too long and no one will want them and you end up selling them on dirt. You need to remember that clubs in FM and real life buy potential especially for the first team, so you have the ability to rake in more money. This is a higher risk when you buy regens and try to sell them on.
Finally – Sell Your Player Correctly:
Okay I am almost done, I promise. Sometimes we just want to get rid of players, and other clubs will take advantage of that. So right from the get go in any transfer window you need to do things right. If you want the most money, the most benefit from selling any player and making a profit, but especially your youth players you need to do more. The focus is NOT JUST on the upfront fee as many lazily assume.
Here is where you need to focus;
• You reduce the growing wage bill. At the age of 20 or 21 your youth players will probably be making more than 1,000 pounds at the top flight and will want more money and game time. This is also the ideal time to sell most youth players. By selling them they have the chance to increase their wage and game time at the new club, releasing you of stress and giving them what they want.
• You leave room for more talent. When selling a youth player, you have the ability of bringing in new blood and more talent through the system. It is a constant cycle that will have the ability to challenge not only the sub players, but the first team players as well.
• Sell On Clause. You should do this for every single transfer regardless of who the player is. Always, always, always, always oh did I mention ALWAYS try to make more money out of selling a player. The benefit with youth and young talent is that buying teams will accept ridiculous sell on fees of 50% or more. If he doesn’t move on for a big fee, hey something is better than nothing. Plus if he does not move you can always sell the clause and bring in money then.
• Buy-back Clause. Look we are not gods. We will make mistakes and let players slip through the cracks. The benefit though is the buy-back clause. That means rather than making my stupid mistake of wasting the majority of your transfer budget trying to buy back a player…especially if they are homegrown…you can spend a fraction of the price or a reduced amount getting them back.
• The Homegrown Fluctuation. Last but not least, the ridiculous price increase when buying homegrown talent. Now this is big in England, but I found it big everywhere you go not only in FM saves but in real life. The need for homegrown talent is huge and starting offers will be higher than that of a foreign talent of the same caliber, bringing you more money.
• Stereotypes. I lied, it is not the last one but it is important to keep in mind. I have found this a lot in FM and it is true in real life. If the youth are from a popular football country like Brazil, Argentina, Spain, or the Netherlands. The prices go up for these players just because they are from there. If you have a foreign player to sell, if they come from a popular country then they will sell for more. To spin it though, if they come from a not so popular country like Canada or Aruba or somewhere that does not produce the best talent consistently…you can get them for a way cheaper price than equally talented players from popular countries.
Conclusion:
2500 words later and hopefully a big profit for you. Remember that sometimes players do need to go past the age of 21 and 22 before being sold on profit or bursting into the first team. Do not expect your players to burst through at the age of 18, and be patient when researching other regens later on in your save, sometimes the best pop up in the craziest of places.
This is like a factory process, consistently working year in and year out. Now this is not an immediate cash grab, it takes some time, but after 3 or 4 years you will have a good income from selling youth. If your youth income is not high, more research on the free market or other players may be needed, but in the end…I had an income of 1 billion pounds in 15 years from this.
Enjoy FM17!!!
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