Football Manager 2019: 10 Essential Fan Demands It Must Include

5. More Of A Bidding War To Sign Out-Of-Contract Players

Play FM 2018 long enough and there becomes a method to scouring the globe for talented players with expiring contracts. There's nothing wrong with this; real-life footy teams do it all the time, and grabbing a quick bargain is part and parcel of the game's feel good factor.

It shouldn't be quite so easy though.

Whereas AI teams are happy to buy, buy, buy top talent (sometimes without ever playing them regularly, which is a separate issue SI must sort out), you're often free as a bird to soar over the heads of stiff competition and sign out-on-contract players without much fuss.

Why is this? It's simple: there isn't any competition for these signatures. Realistically, other clubs would be circling like vultures around skilful players who are about to become available. This would also be true of your own team. If someone is happy to let their deal tick down, then they'd be pursued heavily by potential suitors.

This rudimentary realism, and any bidding war to speak of, has been overlooked for too long.