How player wages work in a football manager
The wage is what the club pays each player and employee under his contract. It is a club's most important fixed cost and has to be covered every week, win or lose.
In a football manager the wage bill is what weighs most on the finances. Signing a star does not only cost the fee: afterwards you pay his wage every week for as long as his contract lasts. A good manager looks at wages before buying; an expensive squad that does not perform leaves you with no money to strengthen, and a club that cannot pay gets into trouble.
In ELDT the wages of players and employees are charged every week, together with those of the scouts and the academy youngsters. Everything you are about to pay appears in Finances, under Upcoming payments and in the Monday close. Contracts run for seasons and if one expires without renewal the player leaves. The Sporting Director tries to renew expiring contracts on his own every day (more likely the higher his level, never guaranteed), and the Contracts Agent makes players ask for 4% less wage per level when renewing.
If the cash drops below zero your team performs 20% worse and you have to choose between a loan to get out of the red or an emergency sale. Two consecutive weekly closes in the red and you lose the club.
See it in the game: the manager's guide.
Related terms
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See also: online football manager · guides on the blog