Career Mode – Some Ideas That Could Add More Depth to the Experience

First, I want to say that I think Career Mode has made some really positive progress over the years. The changes to transfers in FC 27 are a particularly good step, and I also really like the idea behind Dynamic Potential.

There are already a lot of good systems in Career Mode. What I think is missing is more interaction between those systems and, most importantly, more consequences to the decisions we make as managers.

Some of the things I'm suggesting may already exist in the game to some degree. My main point is that they could be made more visible, more detailed or have a greater effect on the overall Career Mode experience.

The aim isn't to make Career Mode overly complicated. It's about making each save feel more dynamic, so that the same club can develop very differently depending on the decisions the manager makes.

Dynamic Potential

I really like the idea of Dynamic Potential, but I think the way it reacts could be slightly more realistic.

If a player doesn't get into a matchday squad or doesn't play one game, it feels a little extreme for that to immediately affect their development or potential.

I'd much prefer the game to look at playing time over a period of games, perhaps 3–5 matches.

For example, missing one or two games wouldn't have much effect. However, if a young player has barely played for five or six games, then it would make sense for their development or morale to start being affected.

This would also avoid encouraging managers to constantly rotate their starting XI simply to protect player potential. Real managers generally have a preferred starting team and rotate when necessary because of fitness, fixtures, tactics and form.

The idea behind Dynamic Potential is excellent. I think it would just work better if it reacted to longer-term trends rather than individual matches.

Fan Sentiment

I'd love to see a proper fan sentiment system introduced into Career Mode.

Supporters should have an opinion on what is happening at their club, and that opinion should change throughout a save.

Things such as performances, trophies, transfer spending, selling popular players, academy players leaving, players wanting to leave and even controversial transfers could all influence fan sentiment.

For example, if a key player publicly says they want to leave, the media could report it and supporters could become unhappy. If the manager keeps the player, gives them regular football and they perform well, that relationship could gradually improve.

The opposite could also happen. Selling a popular player might initially cause frustration, but if their replacement performs well and the team continues to succeed, supporters could eventually accept the decision.

Players could also become more important to supporters the longer they stay at the club and the more they achieve.

This would make decisions around players feel much more significant than simply looking at their Overall Rating and transfer value.

Transfer Interest & Declare Interest

I think the new transfer system could make Declare Interest much more interesting with one fairly simple change.

The player's interest should initially be hidden.

At the moment, from what I've seen, you can already see the player's interest before declaring interest, while declaring interest can then increase that interest. If that's the intended system, there isn't much of a reason for a manager not to declare interest.

I'd rather have two genuine ways of approaching a transfer.

The first would be to not declare interest and go directly into negotiations with the selling club.

This would keep the transfer more discreet. You could potentially avoid other clubs becoming interested, avoid a bidding war and perhaps negotiate a better price.

The downside is that you don't know whether the player actually wants to join. You could spend time negotiating with the club, agree a fee and then find out that the player isn't interested.

The second option would be to declare interest.

This would reveal how interested the player is in joining your club, but it would also alert the media and potentially other clubs.

That could lead to more clubs entering the race, a bidding war and ultimately a higher transfer fee.

That creates a genuine choice:

Don't declare: potentially get the player for less and keep the transfer quiet, but risk wasting time if they aren't interested.

Declare: find out how interested the player is, but risk attracting competition and paying more.

I think this would give Declare Interest a real purpose rather than simply being an option that increases a player's interest.

I'd also like to see competing clubs handled more naturally. In previous FC games, it can sometimes feel as though a player chooses the club that approached first when multiple teams are interested.

Ideally, the player's decision should consider the overall proposal. Wages, playing time, squad role, club reputation, European football, competition for their position and the player's existing interest in each club should all matter.

Being first to approach shouldn't automatically mean winning the player.

Financial Fair Play

Another major improvement would be a proper financial sustainability system.

When managing a top club, finances can become almost irrelevant after a few seasons. It's possible to continually buy and sell major players until the squad is eventually filled with 90+ rated stars from other big clubs.

That can make long-term Career Mode saves lose some of their challenge.

A financial system could take into account transfer spending, wages, player sales, club revenue, competition income and sponsorships.

If a club continually spends beyond what it can realistically afford, there should eventually be consequences. That could mean restrictions on transfers, board intervention, needing to sell players or limitations on the wage budget.

The aim wouldn't be to make finances frustrating. It would simply make them something the manager has to consider when building a squad.

Rival Clubs

I also think rival clubs should be difficult to negotiate with rather than completely off-limits.

Using Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham as an example, rivalry obviously makes a transfer between the clubs much more complicated, but it doesn't make it impossible in real football.

Rather than preventing the transfer altogether, rivalry could influence the negotiation.

A rival could demand a higher fee, be much less willing to sell, add a rival premium or require the player to push for the move.

That would create a more realistic challenge while still allowing unusual transfers to happen.

There should be a difference between a transfer being extremely difficult and a transfer being impossible.

Squad Dynamics

I'd like to see the squad dynamics system developed further and made more visible.

There may already be elements of this in Career Mode, but I'd like to see it have a much greater influence when making transfers.

A player's nationality, language, previous league, previous club, personality, playing style and tactical suitability could all affect how well they fit into the existing squad.

This would give managers another reason to look beyond Overall Rating and Potential.

A 90-rated player isn't necessarily the perfect signing if they don't suit the team. A slightly lower-rated player who fits the system and integrates well could potentially have a much greater impact.

It would make transfers more about finding the right player, rather than simply finding the highest-rated player.

Smarter Scouting

I'd also like scouting to become more connected to the actual needs of the squad.

Rather than only sending scouts to particular countries or asking them to find a certain position, there could be an option to identify a specific squad weakness.

For example: Centre-back depth – High Priority

If I only have four senior defenders, the scouting system should recognise that this is an area where the squad could be vulnerable to injuries and suspensions.

Scouts could then recommend realistic players based on ability, potential, age, affordability, tactical suitability and availability.

This would make scouting feel much more like managing the needs of an actual football club.

Transfer Ratings

I'd also reconsider the current transfer rating system.

The game doesn't always know why a player has been signed.

If I sign an 18-year-old with a 60 Overall rating, the transfer may look poor immediately. But perhaps I've signed that player specifically as a long-term prospect.

The same applies to backup goalkeepers, squad players and players brought in for tactical reasons.

I'd much rather see transfers judged over time and in context.

If that 18-year-old eventually develops into an 85-rated player after several seasons, the game should recognise that as a successful transfer.

Personally, I'd even consider removing the immediate transfer rating altogether and replacing it with a longer-term assessment.

Making Squad Decisions Matter

Finally, I think Career Mode needs to make major squad decisions carry more weight.

One of the reasons Career Mode can become repetitive is that it's very easy to continually rebuild the squad.

A player could score 40 or 45 goals in a season, but I can simply decide that I want someone different, sell them and replace them with another superstar.

I'm not saying the game should prevent managers from doing that. Managers should have the freedom to make whatever decisions they want.

What is missing is the reaction to those decisions.

If I sell a player who has been at the club for five years, is hugely popular with supporters and has just scored 40 goals, that should mean something.

There could be an initial reaction from supporters, the media and the dressing room.

If the replacement performs brilliantly, the decision could eventually be seen as a success.

If the replacement struggles, the manager could face criticism for selling the original player.

That would make squad building feel much more meaningful.

The Bigger Picture

I think the biggest opportunity is for these systems to interact with each other.

A player wanting to leave could affect their relationship with supporters and the dressing room. The manager then has to decide whether to keep them or sell them. If they are sold, finances and scouting become important. A replacement then needs to fit the squad and could affect team dynamics. If the replacement succeeds, supporters become happier; if they fail, the manager could come under pressure.

None of these individual systems needs to be hugely complicated.

It's the interaction between them that could make Career Mode feel much more alive.

Career Mode doesn't necessarily need to become a completely different type of game. It can still retain the accessible, pick-up-and-play experience that makes FC enjoyable.

But adding more depth to the decisions within that experience could make every save feel different.

The same club could be managed by two different people for ten seasons and end up with completely different squads, finances, player relationships, supporter sentiment and club identities.

I think that is the real opportunity for Career Mode.

It doesn't necessarily need more features. It needs the features and decisions already in the game to mean more.