Negotiations in FootyAgent

The agent contract

When a player agrees to be represented by you, you settle three numbers: your percentage of every transfer fee, your percentage of his salary and the number of seasons the agent contract runs. These numbers decide what each future deal earns you. When the contract nears its end, it's time to negotiate a renewal – or risk losing him.

Transfer talks: three levers

When a club wants one of your clients, you don't just say yes or no. You shape the deal:

• Playing-time role – Key player, Regular, Rotation or Reserve. The club suggests a role; you can ask for up to one level higher – a gamble the club can refuse.
• Contract length – a short contract means a renewal (and a new commission) comes sooner, but in the final contract year it lowers the transfer fee.
• Wage – negotiated over several rounds, see below.

Wage talks round by round

The club opens with an offer that depends on its size – big clubs pay more, small clubs less. You can accept or demand more. After each demand the club does one of three things: it accepts, it comes back with a counter-offer, or it has had enough and withdraws the transfer offer altogether.

The larger the gap between your demand and the club's current offer, and the later the round, the more likely the talks collapse. Small top-ups usually go through. Your reputation helps, and so does a good relationship with the club: clubs that see you as a partner go further for you.

Hidden limits – and how to read them

Every deal has a pain threshold that nobody tells you. An analyst on your staff estimates hidden values like this as a range; the better the analyst, the narrower the range, until he can name it almost exactly. The Hard-nosed specialisation gives you better chances in every negotiation – wage, role and agent contract – but your toughness rubs off: clients are a little less satisfied on average.

Decisions stick

Closing a negotiation and opening it again doesn't re-roll the club's answer. Each outcome follows from the situation – player, club, round and timing – so a good deal has to be earned, not reloaded.