Okay so I've finally started a proper ML for the second time, this time I can't be bothered editing with option files on my 360 version so I've gone with Marseille, using the default ML players (Minanda et al) and on Top Player.
Though I have £82 million in the bank, I'm investing it in coaches, scouts, and youth to begin with. Signed Schwarz, Palmieri and Schmidt to begin with, and have set the player growth to dynamic so I have to play the youngsters for them to develop. I presume this also means that if they play when out on loan, it has the same effect. Hopefully that works.
Despite having all that money to start with, I've decided to limit myself to just a handful of signings, and younger players with potential, as they're still the only players who might be willing to join. I failed to agree terms with several players in the first transfer window, but come January I'll be making bids again for Chicharito Hernandez at Man Utd, who seem happy for him to go, Affelay from Barcelona, and Jovetic from Fiorentina. All are fringe players with huge promise, and there is also Lukaku who I want to sign from Anderlecht. I'll only try and sign a couple of these in the first season as I want to struggle on in my first season with what I've got.
I'm expecting a struggle, I've never really tried Top Player and so it'll be tough. Three games in, I lost the first away to Lyon 0-1. They shaded the game but I was unlucky not to come away with a draw, which was surprising considering it's a top team on top player, I thought that would be tougher. Second, I got a 1-1 draw away at Lens, Minanda curling in a beauty of a free kick before Lens pulled level.
Third, in my first home game of the season, Llorient tore me apart in the first hour, raced into a 3-0 lead, before Schwarz scored his first ever goals to pull it back to 3-2 but that's the way it stayed.
So, three games in, one point, no new players, a slow, cumbersome team of old journeymen and rookie youth players, and a struggle is afoot. At least until the summer.......
One thing I have noticed is the AI in ML on Top Player seems more forgiving, less prone to racing all over the pitch, which is odd, because in friendlies I struggle to keep posession before being hounded off the ball, but in ML all three games have been great fun, quite slow paced but really technical games where the AI is more adventurous and leave more gaps at the back. Which is far more fun.
Anyways, my transfer targets are as follows;
Realistic, younger players I'm interested in signing as a team trying to get a bigger reputation. Hopefully I can get some of these and develop them;
Chicharito (Man Utd)
Lukaku (Anderlecht)
Pavlyuchenko (Spurs) - quite like him in PES, and they're willing to let him go, unlike Modric and Bale!
Jovetic (Fiorentina)
Affelay (Barcelona)
Sulejmani (Ajax) - a real surprise, his dribbling in PES is awesome
Wilshere (Arsenal)
Miljevic (Brescia)
Perin (Genoa)
Other youngsters worth looking at are Santon (Cesena) and Pedersen (Vitesse).
Older players to compliment the younger ones, on the cheap;
Kranjkar (Spurs) - great older 'head' to join the squad, again Spurs will let him go
Hargreaves (Man Utd)
Pienaar (Spurs)
Other players I hope to sign once I have the sufficient reputation and cash;
Canales (Real Madrid)
Modric (Spurs)
Bale (Spurs)
Drogba (Chelsea) - would be cool to re-sign him before he retires back at his old club, then maybe re-sign him as a coach if his affection for the club is reasonably high.
Anyways, that's what I'll be up to

What is odd however is how I tried to sign Jovetic and Lukaku, but got knocked back because the players felt they would be up against too stiff competition for a place in my team, even with my old ML default players! Does anyone know how to change their minds?