The summer transfer window has shut in most countries, but there might be some more drama lurking in a corner somewhere thanks in no small part to Jean-Marc Bosman.
Free agents — players who are not currently contracted to a football club — can be signed outside of the transfer window, which means teams can still be upgraded into the autumn, if the right option for your side is out there.
The current crop of free agents may not be the most awe-inspiring but there are some decent options for recruitment teams to consider. The Athletic ventured into the free-agent market to shortlist 10 players who might be a decent option for your club. As with moves of this type, there are caveats — if there weren’t, these guys probably wouldn’t be on this list.
Adrien Rabiot — central midfielder
Rabiot was in this position last year before Juventus offered him a second consecutive make-or-break one-year deal last summer. The Frenchman, who scored eight goals and provided four assists in Serie A in 2022-23, saw those numbers drop to five and three respectively last season.
The regression extended to his passing and creativity as well, as the table below shows, though he was better defensively.
A mitigating factor in his favour was the tactical imbalance within Massimiliano Allegri’s system last season, which failed to bring out the best of most of his players. Rabiot is still a decent player capable of playing across central midfield and is, importantly, a left-footed option in a depleted No 6 market. He started all of France’s matches at Euro 2024 and his height and pressing are likely to be useful to most teams in the Premier League.
The 29-year-old’s inconsistency is a cause for concern, though. Additionally, as Manchester United found out a couple of years ago, dealing with his agent (his mother) can be a difficult process.
(Daniele Badolato – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)
Memphis Depay — centre-forward/left-winger
Memphis endured a difficult 2023-24 with Atletico Madrid, starting just nine La Liga matches due to a combination of injuries and issues with integration. His underlying numbers, though, suggest he maybe deserved more minutes.
Memphis ranked in the top nine per cent of La Liga forwards in passes into the final third (2.0) per 90, while his 3.7 shot-creating actions per 90 placed him in the top 15 per cent.
He was also a threat on the ball, completing 1.8 of his 3.7 take-on attempts per 90, though this came with its risks; Memphis’ 4.2 miscontrols per 90 ranked him in the bottom three per cent in the league.
(Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images)
Across his career, the 30-year-old has thrived when cutting in from the left to create opportunities for his teammates. However, Memphis has been used as a centre-forward by both Atletico and Barcelona in La Liga, which has not brought great returns.
Any club that allows him to function as their primary creative outlet off the left will be a good fit; fancy a move to Italy or a return to France, Memphis?
Anthony Martial — centre-forward/left-winger
Martial’s career at Manchester United will go down as one of several what-ifs the club have had over the last decade. A talented player who showed glimpses of genius, Martial never blossomed into the superstar United thought they were signing from Monaco, and left the club after playing in just 34 league matches across the last two seasons.
During the 2022-23 season, Martial looked sharp and fitted well into Erik ten Hag’s system until injuries hampered his progress once again. The Frenchman displayed excellent link-up play and off-the-ball movement, getting into goalscoring positions, and beating his marker with quick acceleration.
Martial was also a capable finisher when he got into the box, converting a decent 43 per cent of his big chances in the five Premier League seasons where he hit double-digits in appearances between 2018 and 2024. He also managed to get 52 per cent of his shots on target and a 20 per cent conversion rate during that period.
However, Martial remains a very injury-prone and inconsistent player who does not contribute much defensively. This means, despite the quality he would bring to teams that require their forwards to assist with build-up play, Martial would represent a gamble, even if at 28, he is among the younger options on this list.
Martial scoring on his Premier League debut against Liverpool in 2015 (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Andre Gomes — central midfielder
Gomes struggled for minutes last season but still made an impact for Everton, starting in league wins over Burnley and Nottingham Forest in April. The Portuguese midfielder played just 14 times though, scoring twice.
The ease with which Gomes carries and passes the ball when fully fit suggests that he still has something to offer teams that need a central midfielder who can progress play from their own half, as evidenced by his loan spell at Lille in 2022-23. Gomes’ stats from the 26 Ligue 1 matches he started placed him on par with some of the best midfielders in the league.
Unfortunately, Gomes, who turned 31 in July, has missed 10 or more matches for club and country due to fitness issues in all but three of the last nine seasons.
Anton Miranchuk — attacking midfielder
Miranchuk first attracted attention when he featured alongside twin brother Aleksey Miranchuk for Russia at the 2018 World Cup. More than a year later, the Miranchuk brothers, playing for Lokomotiv Moscow, became the first pair of twins to take on another pair of twins in the Champions League when Bayer Leverkusen fielded Sven and Lars Bender in a group-stage encounter.
Anton Miranchuk was already a Lokomotiv regular by then and continued his rise in the following years. Barring an injury-ridden 2021-22 season, he contributed to nine or more league goals in each season between 2020 and 2024.
Miranchuk has a knack for being at the right place at the right time, as he showed multiple times on his way to eight goals in 38 matches across competitions last season. Standing at 6ft (184cm), his long strides allow him to cover ground at speed as he shows below by initiating and finishing a move against Rubin Kazan.
Miranchuk is also reliable from the penalty spot and lateral set pieces, while his passing range allows him to find forwards from a variety of angles. He has played across the frontline during his career but is most comfortable drifting in off the left or playing just behind a centre-forward.
With 29 caps for Russia and a wealth of experience, Miranchuk, who left Lokomotiv at the end of his contract this summer after seven years with the first team, is likely to find a suitor soon.
Steven Alzate — central midfielder
In an interview with The Athletic in February last year, Alzate, then playing for Standard Liege on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, explained that Roberto De Zerbi’s style of play suited him as he liked to pass with “pure composure, no stress.”
De Zerbi has since departed, with Fabian Hurzeler taking his spot, while Alzate, after impressing for Liege, is a free agent. Alzate started 20 of Liege’s 24 Belgian Pro League regular-season games after joining towards the end of the window, recording a goal and four assists. He played as a No 6 and as a No 8, impressing with his recycling of possession and defensive awareness.
Steven Alzate scoring for Brighton against Liverpool in 2021 (Phil Noble – Pool/Getty Images)
However, Alzate started just one game in the Pro League Europe playoff phase — a 5-1 defeat to Gent — and did not feature in six of the 10 matches as Liege failed to record a single win.
At 25, Alzate is the second-youngest player on this list and has a point to prove following a difficult spell in the Premier League, making him a decent enough target for most mid-table teams across Europe.
Aaron Connolly — centre-forward
Connolly, also released by Brighton this summer, is the youngest player on this list at 24, though he seems to have been around for ages.
The Republic of Ireland forward, frequently touted in the past as one of the region’s next big stars, has been criticised numerous times in the past for failing to make use of his talent due to a lack of application on the pitch and issues off it. Connolly ended up playing just 52 times for Brighton despite making his debut in 2017, spending time on loan with Middlesborough, Venezia and Hull City over the past three seasons.
He looked at his best for Hull last season, playing 28 Championship matches – the most league appearances he has managed across his senior career. While starting only 13 times, he racked up eight goals, providing a boost off the bench with his positioning and movement.
While he was in and out of the team during the second half of the campaign, playing in just four of their final 19 league matches, this was undoubtedly the best season of Connolly’s career. He could prove to be a decent scoring option from the bench for teams lower down in the Premier League.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah — right-back
Fosu-Mensah was part of Bayer Leverkusen’s dominant squad last season but did not make a single appearance for the team despite being fit for the second half of the campaign after recovering from a knee injury.
The Dutchman’s career has failed to take off after the 2017-18 season when he played 21 Premier League matches for Crystal Palace on loan from Manchester United. Fosu-Mensah has hit double figures in league appearances just twice since then — at Fulham in 2018-19 and Leverkusen in 2022-23.
When he broke through at Old Trafford, Fosu-Mensah displayed fantastic recovery speed and versatility, playing across the backline before making a name for himself as a defence-first right-back. He read and snuffed out danger well and was among the lone bright spots in a turbulent period at United.
However, two ACL injuries and further problems with his knee and hamstring have already seen Fosu-Mensah miss 146 club matches across his career. It would be a massive gamble but there is still a player in there somewhere and perhaps limited minutes could see the 26-year-old sidestep the fitness concerns.
Fosu-Mensah (right) alongside Marcus Rashford and Wayne Rooney in 2017 (Tom Purslow/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Stevan Jovetic — centre-forward
Jovetic thrived in a bit-part role for Olympiacos last season, scoring eight times in 28 matches across competitions and dropping an impactful performance in their Conference League final win over his former club Fiorentina.
The 34-year-old remains a periodic goalscoring threat and has scored five times in his last eight games for Montenegro, improving his record to an excellent 36 strikes in 78 international matches. Jovetic can score with both feet and his head as the goals below show.
At 34, his best years are past him and he scored just 16 goals across his final three seasons in Europe’s top five leagues between 2020-21 and 2022-23. However, Jovetic boasts genuine top-flight experience and could be a useful second or third-choice striker for a mid-table team.
Iker Muniain — attacking midfielder
Muniain watched his playing time at Athletic Club drop precipitously from 2021 due to the emergence of Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet, culminating in him getting just 585 La Liga minutes last season.
An explosive dribbler who throws defenders off balance with his low centre of gravity, multiple touches, and a deadly change of pace, Muniain’s qualities were relatively more evident in 2022-23. His ability to play as a No 10 meant he linked up well with both Williams brothers. He was also a threat from set pieces, even last season.
In the clip below against Getafe, Muniain positions himself well to receive the ball and then wriggles past two markers to find a pass out wide. The resulting cross into the box is cleared well but is one example of the skill set he brings.
Muniain constantly asks for the ball and works hard when his side are out of possession. However, two ACL injuries have seen his explosivity decline, and he can be outmatched physically. Muniain was rumoured to be close to a move to River Plate earlier in the window, but the 31-year-old remains a free agent for now.
(Header photos: Getty Images)
