FM22: An honest review of the Deadline Day Revamp

This is an honest, and somewhat pessimistic look at the new Deadline Day Revamp in FM22. In case you've missed it, you can also read our previews of the other FM22 features Data Hub, Animation and Match Engine Changes and Wide Centre Back Role.

Transfer Deadline Day has been a part of Football Manager for a while now (although for the life of me I can't find which game it was introduced in). But FM22 features a revamped transfer deadline day "upping the immersion factor and making it an unmissable part of every season".

It's supposedly based on discussions with those who are involved in the real life drama. Although it's difficult to see how exactly it could replicate real life. My deepest understanding of the realities of it was watching Sunderland sign Will Grigg, are my mates gonna be standing around me telling me "he's not worth it" Maybe we'll finally be able to respond to a question by saying "hold me back, hold me back"... Is the new animation engine ready for such a scene?

Most likely the realism will simply come through the media and a slew of questions from journalists. We all love those right?

We do get a new "Deadline Day Hub", where the entire game gets taken over, even featuring a deadline day specific skin, as well as a live ticking clock and news feed.  No doubt you can fast forward this and don't have to sit watching for 24 hours straight.

The Transfer News Page features:
- Stats for the number of deals and total amount spent
- The 3 biggest headline transfers
- A live feed of the latest rumours, offers and done deals
- Social Media Reactions
- Fan Polls

Social Media feeds and Fan Polls might give you an idea how fans will react to a player you're considering, or highlight someone you've never even heard of but should be looking at. The live transfers feed isn't just a list of completed transfers, but also includes rumours and offers, meaning you can try and swoop in on a player your rivals are trying to bring in.

The next big introduction is "Agent Offers". Offers from agents don't come in that frequently in FM22, but it seems like on transfer deadline day you'll be getting multiple per hour including estimated costs and wages. I'm guessing you won't have the time to scout them but there is a "recommendation" column.

There's also a new "Attracting Interest" tab. This is your players who are attracting interest from other clubs. So even if you haven't received an offer, you'll know if you're likely to be able to ship a specific player. This could of course be annoying if you're filled Borehamwood with wonderkids and every single player has 20+ Wnt notifications. We'll have to see.

I find it strange that there's so little interaction with your staff and board here. Why are you being told if the fans want to sign player X but not if your staff? I'd rather take a vote from Head Scout, Assistant and DoF than the fans! This is especially surprising considering the revamp of staff meetings this year, they'd complement each other perfectly.

There's also no suggestion that you can watch deadline day's in other countries. SI say a single transfer can "send shockwaves through the transfer market", if so, why are you limited to following transfers in your own nation, when other nations can have such an affect on you?

All in all, I do like the improvements to the Deadline Day. But it's also something that happens fairly infrequently and I could well skip. Especially if i'm not really looking to make any signings and, as often happens, every player in my squad has Wnt icons from all the best teams in the world.

You can also join in the discussion in our Twitter Thread with the same content

Awesome feature preview and review 🙂 I think Deadline Day is mostly a construct for fans and media, getting the buzz of that last day with last-minute transfers. I do agree staff is missing, although the talents/players you'd like to buy on that last day should have been scouted already. At least, I almost never leave it until that day to get my squad ready. That is why I'm not sure if I'll use the agent recommendations often, since you're likely to buy players that you simply don't know about if they are good or have a nice potential.

I think from what we are less likely to see in the UI but is changed is that SI also changed the algoritms behind the Deadline Day, with a developments (Chelsea selling their left back to PSG) leading to a whole chain of transfers in rapid pace (maybe Chelsea buys the left back from Real Madrid, Real Madrid from Ajax, Ajax from AZ Alkmaar and so on). At least I hope so, since only a new UI screen would be a bit disappointing indeed. The ‘shockwaves’-comment would suggest that.

Deadline day won't improve if the SI don't sort out the AI.

It's just too easy to sign top players, quite often for nothing. Unless AI squad building and tactics improve its a waste of time. I'm constantly try not to pay too much attention to what's happening outside of my own team because so much of it is immersion killing.

I'm pretty sure we'll all be saying this is nothing more than UI changes when we get our hands on the game.

Yep it's distraction from the poor ai issue as you point out