Do Takeovers Happen In Football Manager?
Takeovers do happen in the football manager game, but they are rare, just as in real life. Before an owner considers selling a club, the game takes into consideration a few things, including but not limited to; the owner’s age and his/her love for the club.
It is possible to pour endless hours into a save game without your club getting taken over. However, if a club in real life is engulfed by rumours that they might be getting new owners, that year’s football manager edition will make the club to be more likely to be taken over by new owners after a few seasons in the game. This was quite common with Newcastle United in FM20, FM21 and FM22 when it became clear that Mike Ashley was looking to finally move on from the club.
5 Types of Takeovers in FM22
The board takeovers that happen in the game are quite varied, and depending on the type your club gets, the results can be quite drastic, from losing your job to getting your transfer budget increased by more than 5 times.
The following are the various board takeover types you can get in football manager;
- Internal takeover – Internal takeovers involve the current head of your club being replaced by another member of the board. It normally has no wild drama, and changes to your transfer budget and wage budget will be minimal if any. Goals for the club both in the short and long term are also likely to remain largely the same
- Fan Group Takeover – This type of board takeover normally happens to clubs in the lower leagues. Since by nature not many fans are moneybags, there is normally no major cash injection into the club. The fan group might also put an emphasis on developing youth players going forward.
- Native consortium – Normally led by a local businessman, the native consortium also targets clubs in the lower leagues. The consortium will have more money to invest into the club compared to a fan group takeover. They are also more demanding and ambitious and might change transfer policy, preferring to sign players in their prime and with good reputation to bolster the club’s image.
- Foreign consortium – They are similar to native consortiums, but they will have more money to play around with. Foreign consortiums target clubs with good reputation, and their demands will be more steep given their willingness to spend. They might also demand that the club signs more players from the owner’s country.
- Tycoon takeover or Foreign billionaire – Probably the best type of takeover if you prefer having serious money to splash on marquee signings. Tycoon takeovers, are similar to what happened to Manchester City and PSG. The owners pump a lot of money into the club every season, and you pretty much never have to worry about managing your finances. However, the demands will also be very high, and within a few seasons, you will be expected to be delivering league and Champions League titles on the regular.
How To Get A Takeover In Football Manager?
It is impossible to initiate or force takeovers to happen in the game, since they are random. Just as a manager is powerless in the real world on matters concerning the board, the game also ensures that you have no say as well. The only thing you can do is play the game and hope.
If you are willing to mess with the editor files, you can make a few changes to the database. This can be achieved by making the chairman to be old, shrewd, wealthy and hated by their club. All these attributes will make the owner to be more likely to sell the club, however it is still not a guarantee that he/she will do it.
If making changes to the database is not your cup of tea, you can instead search online on various forums as various FM managers upload saves where takeovers have happened. Look through the lot, and you might find a save that captures your interest. You will still need to make sure that the save game uploaded is compatible with the current FM version that you are running.
How Long Do Board Takeovers Take?
The amount of time before a board takeover is completed is completely random. You might get an email informing you of a potential takeover, then three days later receive another one informing you whether it was successful or negotiations have collapsed. On the other hand, I have seen managers on different football manager forums lamenting how they spent the entire transfer window under a transfer embargo, unable to sign players while board negotiations are ongoing.
For the really unlucky managers, you can have the board negotiations happen on and off over a span of a few years with no visible progress. A few months of negotiations, talks breaking down then being picked up again after another few months, then the cycle repeats itself. You will still be able to sign players when the talks have broken down, but it is unlikely the owner will be giving you enough transfer budget if he is considering to sell the club in the near future.
Getting Sacked After A Board Takeover In Football Manager
Unfortunately, getting sacked after a new owner has taken over the club is a real possibility. It happens in real life, and therefore makes sense that it is also implemented in the game. From what I can tell, getting sacked normally happens when the new owner is ambitious and wants immediate success. This, when coupled with you underperforming, having little experience, low reputation and lower than expected coaching badges for the level you are managing at, makes you a prime candidate to be replaced.
If you have been sacked, but you do not want to give up on the save game, add a new manager to the club you have been managing and then retire your old one. You will lose all that you have achieved before, including achievements and milestones, relationships with players, coaches and agents, as it is basically a new manager starting with the club
