In FM26, the Director of Football gave advice on almost everything, but vanished when it was time to close a deal. In FM27 that changes. Sports Interactive published a 34-second clip from the 22 October livestream. In it, the director sits at the table with you during a transfer. We went through the video frame by frame, with subtitles, and explain what it shows.
What the video shows
The example is a bid to Nottingham Forest for striker Arnaud Kalimuendo. On the left is the offer screen, with the fee, date and clauses. On the right, a new panel shows Adam McCartney, the club’s Director of Football, dropping advice as if in a chat.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
The advice follows a logical order:
- Assessment. First, the scouts believe Kalimuendo would be an excellent signing.
- Limits. As the player is transfer listed, the director would not spend above £25.5M and would open the bidding at around £19M.
- Competition. He also flags who else is interested: Fulham, Wolverhampton, Bologna, Monza, Torino, Sassuolo and even Benfica.
- Proposal. He then suggests starting with £13M up front and £2.6M in instalments.
- Clauses. Finally, he recommends £3.4M after 50 league appearances and 20% of the profit from the next sale.
Below the advice there are three buttons: make the offer, suggest terms or use the director’s suggestion. In the video, the presenter picks the last option and the offer fills itself in.
(Image: Sports Interactive)
The bid ends up with £13M immediately, £2.6M in three instalments of £867K and £3.4M after 50 games. In other words, you no longer have to guess how to split the payment.
The numbers add up
In the video comments, one player found it confusing that the director talks about opening at £19M and then proposes £13M plus £2.6M. But just add it up. £13M up front, plus £2.6M in instalments, plus the £3.4M clause comes to exactly £19M. So the director did not lower the bid: he only split it, so you pay less now and the rest if the player delivers.
What changes from FM26
The video’s own explanation is simple. Until now, the Director of Football offered all sorts of advice about the game world. However, according to SI, this is the first time he feels like a real part of the negotiation. That matches what we read in the 2D and In-Game Editor deep dive. Transfer advice now runs from scouting to live negotiations, with fees and payment structures.
For long-time players, negotiating has always been trial and error. For newcomers, instalments and clauses are among the hardest parts of the game. Concrete advice, with numbers, helps both. Even so, the suggestion is only a starting point, and you can always make your own offer.
What the community and the sites said
The main FM sites have not analysed this clip specifically yet. So far, they have only added the feature to their lists of FM27 changes, using the same line from the deep dive. On Facebook, the reel passed 780 reactions. Most comments are positive. Some say the director is finally useful and not just another scout. Others like saving time on instalments and clauses.
There were doubts too. One player pointed out that the suggestion only helps if the player’s value is calculated correctly, because the game does not always get it right. When we looked at the livestream reactions, the director’s advice was already among the details people liked most.
What comes next
We do not know yet whether the quality of the advice depends on the director’s attributes, such as negotiating. Nor do we know if he gets it wrong when the selling club is bluffing. You will be able to see for yourself: the free Launch Preview opens on 29 October at 18:00 Portuguese time, and the game launches on 10 November.
Our take
It is a small change on screen, but it could save a lot of mistakes. The list of interested clubs is great for knowing when to hurry. Splitting a bid into instalments and clauses is also the kind of trick many players never use. However, we will only know if the director is a good adviser once we test him across dozens of deals. For the rest of the news, see our FM27 news roundup.
Watch the video
A closer look at the Director of Football role in FM27 (Football Manager on Facebook, 34 seconds).
Sources
- Official reel about the Director of Football (Football Manager, Facebook)
- FM27 First Look Livestream (Football Manager, YouTube, 22/10/2026)
- Official deep dive on 2D, the In-Game Editor and staff advice (footballmanager.com)
