Football Manager 2021 Winter Update Available

Sports Interactive has posted their winter update, which includes 3.7 million changes in the database. Can you imagine being that guy? Anyways, the winter update includes updated rosters, following the January transfer window and a gameplay patch.

A final winter update will arrive in a few weeks, covering the transfer window for February. That update will include Chinese and Russian leagues, along with MLS, free transfers in the EFL and more.

Here are the patch notes. You will need to begin a new career for the data changes and competition updates to appear. All other changes are save game compatible, allowing you to continue your pre-existing managerial careers.

Database and Research

• Over 3.7 million updates reflect real life, including (but not limited to) transfers, managerial changes, and player attributes

Stability and Technical

• Number of stability fixes and improvements

Gameplay

• Further improvements to total player count and number of newgens generated in youth intakes
  
• Number of improvements to keeping player promises
  
• Re-enabled option to ask board for Reserve/U23 team
  
• Improvements to Club Vision logic
  
• Tweaked logic to make user manager appointments more realistic
  
• Fixed press conference questions being asked incorrectly following certain results
  
• Recruitment meetings being driven more by agreed club visions
  
• ‘Interest in transfer’ filter player search fix for when user manager changes clubs
  
• Improvements to staff given non-playing staff appointment responsibilities
  
• Newgen staff now correctly having second nationalities set
  
• Improved transfer logic for MLS teams at game start
•  Improved MLS teams salary cap management 

Match Engine 21.6.0

• Further balancing of player ratings across both full and quick match engines
  
• Number of improvements and fixes to match stats, including key tackles, clear-cut chances and interceptions
  
• Improved goalkeeper distribution when set tactically via instructions
  
• Improvements to assistant advice during pre-game build up and matches 

Competitions and Rule Groups*

• Removed salary cap for EFL League One and Two
  
• AI teams making better player registration choices in England
  
• Fix for user not being able to register squad changes
  
• Champions Cup sub rules corrected for second knock-out round
  
• Fixed incorrect age restriction appearing in Germany
  
• Improvements to MLS transfer window and roster freeze dates
  
• Added MLS 2021 Schedule dates and updated Superdraft process
  
• Fixed incorrect Serie C and D teams appearing in Italian Cup in 2020/21
  
• Updated structure in India for 2020-21 season
  
• Various Brazilian state championship updates
  
• Resolved Portuguese transfer window and registration window end date mismatch
  
• Resolved French transfer window and registration window end date mismatch 

User Interface

• Added assist details to the goal caption in matches
  
• Fix for blank speech bubble appearing when discussing broken promise with player
  
• Sent off player now clearly shown during team talks
  
• Fixed rare issue where goal captions could get stuck on screen
  
• Fixed team beaten in the cup incorrectly displaying as the previous winner
  
• Addressed issue where users unable to return to team talk after entering tactics at half-time 

Pre-Game Editor

• Enable users to be able to search by player attributes
  
• Fixed warning when verifying any advanced European club continental rules file 

Network Games

• Fixes for mid-term draft process in Fantasy Draft
  
• Fix for clients being able to set highlights level outside those set by host 

The winter update is also available for FM21 Mobile and FM21 Touch. For FM21 Xbox and FM21 Nintendo Switch users, you will need to wait a bit longer for the update to arrive.