Insane Youth Wages; Changing My Strategy

With more and more managers learning Scouting 5 and subsequently Judging Potential, the competition for youths has intensified, leading to crazy wages. We've seen several players go for insane wages. I've compiled a top 10, including my own comments as well.

1 - Younous de Souza - 26k

Probably never worth this much, but yes, he as a five star PA rating so the price went mental on him. He doesn't have the stats that go with his status though and he doesn't look like developing at all.

2 - Nando - 23k

Nick Brookes signed this kid and Nick generally knows what he's doing with these kids. Considering his stats, Nick might be the last one laughing with this deal, but right now Nando doesn't have the stats to warrant this excessive wage.

3 - Cléverson Nery - 21k

I've got him down at a three star potential, but he does have a tremendous attribute set. Taking into account the kid is only 15 years old, one can imagine the carnage of the bidding war. Too bad there's no guarantee he will develop at all. Still, he's currently one of the better youth AM's in the Game World. Alternatively, his wage might drop during the next wage auctions, since his contract is not protected.

4 - Marco Antonio Aquino - 20k

More proof that the youth market is sick. Yes, Marco has the potential and the skills to become a great player, but the 20k wage is killing the team that bought him. Marco was placed in an auction today so he will probably leave by tomorrow, with the selling team losing all profit (if there is any at all, at the moment I'm writing this the highest bid is still one quid...) on pre-sale taxes and the buying team getting a 15 year old on a 22k wage.

5 - Alessandro Gardini - 18k

One of the few players in this list who is actually worthy of such a wage. He's only 16 years old, but darn what a player... He's already good enough to perform well in senior matches and he excels in youth matches. What else can I say, he's a genius on the pitch.

6 - Scott Birch - 17.5k

Bought by the same manager who signed Aquino. This 16 year old striker has the physique of a grown man but that's about it. Average at best and like Aquino, placed in a transfer auction already. A waste of money...

7 - David Novillo - 16k

Again a player who is worth the effort and money spent on him. Tremendous skills and he's been ripping up the youth leagues for several seasons. At 19 years old, he looks poised to start doing the same on a senior level.

8 - Fernando Cortés - 15.5k

A very very young player. Perhaps he will go the same way as Novillo, but perhaps he will be another flop. Like Cléverson Nery, he has the skills to be a good player but there's no telling how he will develop in the future. Another huge gamble. Alternatively, his wage might drop during the next wage auctions, since his contract is not protected.

9 - Jonny Vallejo - 15k

Another very young player with a great skill-set. He's not yet good enough for first team, but he might get there. He does need some developing so as said before, the buying manager has taken a huge risk here.

10 - Simone de Gregorio - 15k

Pretty much the same as Vallejo, good talent, very young, big gamble, yadda-yadda.

I've probably left out quite a few players as well, but this is the top 10 of newgens with excessive wages.

This increase in wages works a long way. Even the poor(er) players are going for insane wages. PA isn't even an indication, as we have two-and-a-half and three star players in the above list as well as the more standard five star players. This means that average players are still going at 2k a piece, which is a huge blow for the wage budget.

I'm changing my strategy to keep my wages low but maintain a certain level of quality. I've noticed that most these high wage players are either European or South American. Most managers have focussed their scouting skills in this region. Admittedly, it's where most talents originate from, so it makes sense too.

It also means that most managers have not bothered scouting in Asia and Africa. Admittedly, there's less talent originating from these regions, but they are there and they're still fairly cheap because they're not spotted by most managers, meaning the competition is less fierce and the wages are fairly normal.

This morning, I managed to get several promising Asian youngsters, all three stars, to my club at a base wage of 200 quid. Hardly a great loss if they don't develop, so I can take a chance on them. A player of similar class from Europe or South America generally goes at 1,500 quid or more, so I'm not very inclined to take a chance on them.

My tip for youth managers is basically to move away from the familiar South American and European fishing grounds. There are too many people trying to muscle in on the action, causing the wages to sky rocket. Instead, invest some time and effort in looking in less familiar and standard region. You are often rewarded with some bargains and a few gems.