AI can't handle transfers

[Draakon]

I played FM13 before getting FM16. So I've got that to compare to. I've played long term save with Ajax in both versions. Perhaps it's just me, but I feel that AI intelligence about transfers and long-term development of the club have become worse in those years, at least what comes to Eredivisie.

Eredivisie is packed of young talent and whole league is clearly selling by far more money than clubs spend for new players. Youth development in clubs like Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord is world class, but occasional superstar might be in smaller clubs too. In FM13 clubs tried to hold onto their key players and if finally relented and sold, then for big money. Big money meaning £3-8m, big clubs for even more (PSV and Feyenoord reaching as high as £20m for top players).

I play as Ajax, and to make things more challenging I have no signings transfer policy with a rule that for good offer I have to sell. That means I'm amassing a huge pile of cash for the club without spending it, and continuously working with youngsters to keep squad at good level.

I'm now in 2017 and without decent success in Europe, I've sold players for almost £100m in two years. Few examples - El Ghazi £14,5m, Cillessen £16m, Gudelj £11,5m, Riedewald £10m, Bazoer £8m, even Mitchell Dijks for £8,5m. I've replaced them with other home grown players.

In FM13 it got really challenging, because PSV constantly made big sells and invested 70-80% of that money to good players (2-3 at least) which meant that by 2020 their squad was actually superior to mine and they spent more money on wages.

Now, what PSV, Feyenoord and others do in FM16 does not make any sense - they are unable to hold onto their key players and upcoming talents, letting them go for small money.

FC Twente giving up their best young talents for £2-3m. PSV letting Guardado go for £2,4m. They haven't been able to replace their key players with equal transfers and already in 2 years their squad level is getting worse. If I'd use only a half of that £100m transfer funds that are in my disposal, I'd steamroll the league without much effort.

Anybody else noticing that AI can't handle transfers and economy side of the game any more?

[NotMyCat]

Personally I've noted that bigger clubs seems very keen to hold on to so called 'big names' and play them well past their useful dates rather than give youth a chance. This in turn usually means that the youngsters don't end up accruing much value and so go cheap (usually to a team I'm managing) where they become much higher rated/priced due to actually being given games.

The amount of times I've bought a youth from, say, PSG for £2 million, actually played him for a couple of years to have them offer £20 million plus to take him back is a bit unrealistic. Can make the game a bit easy after a few years as well as you've said.

[mikenevo]

Personally I've noted that bigger clubs seems very keen to hold on to so called 'big names' and play them well past their useful dates rather than give youth a chance. This in turn usually means that the youngsters don't end up accruing much value and so go cheap (usually to a team I'm managing) where they become much higher rated/priced due to actually being given games.

The amount of times I've bought a youth from, say, PSG for £2 million, actually played him for a couple of years to have them offer £20 million plus to take him back is a bit unrealistic. Can make the game a bit easy after a few years as well as you've said.

I agree that it can become way too easy as well. One thing I've started doing in my most recent save is to move around clubs once I've achieved what I set out to achieve. I've managed Manchester United for 1 season, then Rangers for 2 seasons, then Manchester City for 1 & half season (whilst also in charge of Chile national team) and just managed Spain U23's in the Olympics.

I find it much more challenging and to be honest, more fun

[cseyoum]

AI behavior is not only lacking when it comes to transfers, this also applies to squad rotations and overusing key players in unnecessary situations particularly when a game is already won. All this contributes to making the game far too easy after a few seasons.

[cseyoum]

just to elaborate on this, I find myself even having to use in game editor to remove all injuries from all 19 other teams in the league a couple of times a season just to make it more challenging for me; this is how bad it gets after a couple seasons.

[Guest]

If anyone has reproducible examples of strange AI transfer behaviour then a pots in the forum will do significantly more good than yet another thread on the subject in GD, btw I wouldn't use your FM13 experience when assessing FM16 as the economics, rules & patterns are constantly changing irl & this happens in FM.

How does the transfer activity in game compare to real life transfers from this season & the previous season?

[Draakon]

Barside, it's not a question of bug. It's how game is set.

What seems to me is, that according to game rules, these low-priced transfers are all legitimate, because AI managers let themselves to be bullied by unhappy player. First bid comes in, they somehow can't prevent player to become unhappy and then finally sell them to small amount of money, which leaves them with nothing to improve remaining squad with.

Or they can't decide fairly if current 29-31 year old first team player is worthy of big salary and refuse to offer him contract he wants, so that key player either moves out for free or is (again) sold for small money one year prior his contract expiring date.

Sure - those things happen in real life too. Unhappy players and transfer decisions based on broken personal relationships. What I intended to point out that as human manager is way more skillful handling those situation + using gained money to improve current squad, game becomes more easy in long term.

From my thread in career updates forum (I'm Ajax):

First season

Davy Klaassen from Ajax to Chelsea for £10,5m

Nemanja Gudelj from Ajax to Everton for £11,5m

Hakim Ziyech from FC Twente to Tottenham for £10,5m

Joel Veltman from Ajax to Wolfsburg for £9m

Riechedly Bazoer from Ajax to Real Madrid for £8m

Jetro Willems from PSV to Bayern for £5,75m

Jeroen Zoet from PSV to Fiorentina for £3,4m

Second season:

Jairo Riedewald from Ajax to Real Madrif fo £15m

Viktor Fischer from Ajax to Shakhtar for £9,25m (minimum fee release clause)

Jasper Cillessen from Ajax to Everton for £16m

Anwar El Ghazi from Ajax to AC Milan for £14,5m

Mitchell Dijks from Ajax to Hoffenheim for £8,5m

Rick Karsdorp from Feyenoord to Southampton for £4,3m

Sven van Beek from Feyenoord to OM for £3,1m

Those are all transfers (in and out) in Eredivisie that are priced over £3m.

[Guest]

You've identified what is probably the key bug of AI manager being rather poor at managing player personalities & their willingness to let players go once they become unhappy, in fact it's one that I have spotted & raised with SI. Any additional examples that you find of AI manager being weak willed wusses who cave under the slightest provocation from a player would likely be appreciated as the best way to address issues like this one is to have as many examples as possible.