Transfers, skill updates and the "mini-CR"

One of the features of Xpert Eleven that I don't think is described in enough detail is the transfer market and how it works. There's a lot goes on when you sell a player (and when you buy a player as well) which isn't explained much anywhere, but it's very important when deciding when to buy, when to sell and what to look for in a player, particularly in the official leagues. I'm hoping that I can shed some light on transfers and what is commonly referred to as the "mini-CR".

What happens when a player is sold

When a player is put on the transfer market, the system does some behind the scenes processing to update the player's skill when they switch clubs. This update is what causes players to have different skill when they are evaluated. Note that the skill shown before evaluating is the player's skill at the selling team, and the evaluated skill is that after the update.

To calculate the skill update, the system estimates what the player's development value would be at the end of the season if average form stayed the same, and the player continued to get the same amount of game time as they do now. This development value is then converted into a skill increase / decrease (as you would get at the end of the season), but is then scaled down to the percentage of the season that has elapsed while the player has been at the club i.e. if 30% of the season has elapsed for a player that was with the team form the beginning of the season, the skill change will be 30% of what it would be come season's end. This is why the skill change is referred to as a "mini-CR", since it's governed by the same rules as the change report, but is always a smaller update.

What happens when you sign a player

When you sign a player (from the transfer market), they undergo a process called "cashing out". Depending on how far you are through the season, the player will have their skill change at the end of the season capped. If you are 40% of the way through your season, then 40% of the player's skill update will be "cashed out" and your player will only be eligible for 60% of a full skill update at the end of the season. This is immediately reflected in the player's Development Value - it will start on a higher value than usual (because players would lose less skill at the end of the season), but it will increase more slowly. You may also find that, if you sign a player particularly late in the season and their AF is high, you may never get DV as high as average form, no matter how many games the player gets.

What this means for buying players

There are a few things that you should remember when buying players (particularly in the official leagues, where you can view most players at their current club by clicking on their name):

• You should buy young players for developing as early in the season (ideally before the league kicks off) as possible to reduce cashing out;
• Players are more likely to have skill increases if they have had plenty of game time, and will almost certainly lose some skill (even if not visibly) if they have no game time. Don't just check the number of games played, look to see how many minutes they've played;
• It's worth checking that a manager looks like they maintain the form of the players they are selling;
• Players are more likely to have bigger skill increases (or decreases if they have no game time) if their league is further through their season.
• It may be worth checking the player's history, such as their skill and age when they joined the team. If a young player looks like they've had a change report and not gained a visible bar, it could be that they are high in their skill band i.e. they gained some skill over the CR, but not enough to show up. Likewise, if they have had a CR and gained two bars, then they are likely to be low in their skill band and probably not worth the investment.