Contract end dates 31 Dec 2021

There's a lot of players in the data update showing as released but they should show as leaving when contract expires on 31/12/21 then that way the player will still be at their old club until 01 January 2022 only then should they show as a free agent.

If I start a save in England in July 21 then I don't want to find some of my players showing as free agents when the reality is that they should be at the club until 01 Jan 2022 only then should they leave the club. 

Really and truly it all boils down to the fact that the FM database always shows, and always has shown, the status of the person at the present day and not when the game world starts. At this moment in time, all those players are unattached.

Many people have made the argument that starting in July 2021 with the data as of January 2022, for instance, isn't very realistic and that transfers should be set as future transfers on the date they happened etc. However, how do you then deal with staff movements, contract expiries etc?

Since having two versions (one with players starting at their new club and another set as future transfers) not only adds a whole extra layer of complexity but is also tremendously difficult to administer, the decision taken is to have the starting data reflect that of the present-day real-life situation.

Yeah I do get what you mean. When I start a new save it's mainly in a European country starting off in July 21, I do at times add the US league, so basically players in the US with contracts to 31/12/2021 (and they're not being renewed) will show up in my game as free agents in July 21?  

I guess if I started a US save starting in 2022 then it would give a truer reflection as those players would be free agents. I do understand that it would be difficult to administer.

If Mbappe and Pogba sign for other clubs on a free, would they just show as joining their new clubs on 01st July 2022? 

They'd have a future transfer since they wouldn't have started playing for the new club yet.

Cool nice one 👍