General Help/FAQ: Real-Life Transfers

June 23rd, 2008 by SM Dev (Ste)

Now and again I try and do an odd article to offer help in relation to playing the game. However, the last article I did called ‘Play the Market‘ was back in February, and I think it is time to offer some little pointers in relation to transfers.

I am not going to tell you how to beat the Chairman in relation to transfers before any of you get excited, and started getting your pen and paper out to take notes. However, I am going to give some little pointers in relation to real-life transfers, and how you could possibly come across a little gem or a nice money-maker.

Each year a handful of relative unknown players are signed by clubs around the world, and they can either turn out to be a success or dud. A manager should try and pay particular attention to the transfer of players they have not heard of, do a little research, and then make a decision of whether to take a chance on the unknown.

You only have to look back to the summer of 2007 when  Athletic Bilbao signed unknown left-back Koikili Lertxundi from Segunda B team Sestao River for an example. The 27 year old was a 76 rated player at the time, and due to ousting Asier del Horno from the left-back position ended the season as an 88 rated player. Koikili was mentioned in the ‘Talent Scout’ section back in December, and those of you who invested in him when he moved to Athletic Bilbao now have a solid left-back at their disposal.

Again you can look at another recent example in Viktor Fayzulin who at the end of the 2007 Russian season signed for champions Zenit St. Petersburg from Spartak Nalchik. The attacking midfielder was only an 82 rated player at the time. However, due to breaking into the Zenit starting XI, he recently had an increase to an 86 rating, and again was mentioned in the ‘Talent Scout‘ section at the start of April.

The above named players are prime examples of relatively unknown players who signed for a ‘bigger’ club that turned out to be a success. Therefore if you followed the real-life transfers of players from all corners of the globe you could have taken a gamble, and signed both of them for your clubs within the game.

However, not all realtively unknown players who signed for ‘bigger’ clubs turn out to be a success, and an example which springs to mind is the transfer of Mohamed Shawky to Middlesbrough from Al-Ahly. So therefore a degree of caution is required as well as research, and a little bit of lady luck.

Two players who stand out for me from this months transfers are Bilbao midfielder Joseba Del Olmo and Genoa striker Abdelkader Ghezzal who have transferred from Eibar and Crotone respectively. Del Olmo has been plying his trade in the lower regions of Spanish football, and the midfielder could break into the Bilbao starting XI and end up as the new Koikili. Like Del Olmo, Ghezzal  has never played top flight football, has spent the start of his career in the lower reaches of Italian football, and now has a chance to shine in Serie A after hitting 20 goals in Serie C1 last season.  

The choice you will have to make if you decide to follow real-life transfers is do you take a gamble on the unknown and hope to end up with another Koikili but at the same time risk another Mohamed Shawky? This is because the strategy does not guarante that any of the unknowns will break into the starting XI of their respective clubs. However, if you do a little research, this could help you make a decision of whether to take a chance on the unknown.

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Posted in: General Help / FAQ

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