Should I renew the contract this season or wait for the league draw next season

[EastsiderSG]

From past experience, it “appeared” that players pending renewal were not counted as part of the top 14. In seasons where several of my top players were unsigned at the beginning of the season it always seemed as if we had an easier draw. This would also be logical to me as there is no guarantee that a manager will re-sign a player not under contract.
Is it certain that unsigned players are counted? If so, has it always been this way?

Post 105 and 106. “Appears” to have been the case since 2015 at least.
https://forum.topeleven.com/tutorial...in-cup-11.html