The January transfer window has come and gone and all the excitement that came with it appeared to dissipate as no major signings were complete (maybe outside of Vlahovic to Juventus). Hopefully the spending in the summer transfer window should be more chaotic, and we may seem some of the biggest names in the sport switch allegiances to rival teams. Names such as Messi and Lukaku moved in the recent summer window so we should be in for a treat.
Today we are going to be looking at some of the top players on the continent who’s contracts are running out with their current clubs. Once their contracts have expired, the said players are allowed to negotiate deals with other teams. This means that their former clubs will receive no transfer fees as they no longer own the rights to that player.
Between now and July we are likely to see a lot of the players on this list sign new contracts with their current clubs. Teams will not want to lose out on money from some of their top assets. Players will also be looking to stall on said contracts in order to gain better deals for themselves.
One point to make is that when teams sign a player on a free transfer, you would assume that the club have made a sizeable saving on the deal. This isn’t always the case however. Though they don’t have to pay a transfer fee, they often have to pay monstrous agent fees and also heavily inflated wages for the player. Ex Bayern Munich defender David Alaba signed for Spanish giants Real Madrid last summer and put pen to paper on a £400k a week deal, effectively doubling his previous wages. On top of this he earned a £15 million signing on fee and his agent Pini Zahavi received around a further £4 million. So far this season, Alaba does appear to be repaying the the Los Blancos side by replacing (other free agent signing) Sergio Ramos in the heart of their defence.
There is a grand history of free agent signings joining up with their new clubs and hitting the ground running. The success rate of free transfers working out in previous years has been relatively high. Now let’s quickly look at some of the players who have made the leap in the open market and excelled.
- Robert Lewandowski, Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich
- Andrea Pirlo, AC Milan to Juventus
- Joel Matip, Schalke to Liverpool
- Thiago Silva, PSG to Chelsea
- Leon Goretzka, Schalke to Bayern Munich
- Paul Pogba, Manchester United to Juventus
- James Milner, Manchester City to Liverpool
- Marc Albrighton, Aston Villa to Leicester
So now let’s look at the top 15 players who as of time of writing are currently waiting for their contracts to expire in June and find a new team to look to find success with.
#15. Gareth Bale
When the former Spurs winger signed for Los Blancos back in 2013 for a world record fee, expectations were exceptionally high. Though Bale has picked up an abundance of silverware across his 8 years in Spain, he never truly integrated himself into the culture and consistent injuries scuppered his chances to finish his career as one of the greats. However, last seasons loan spell to Spurs showcased what the Welshman still has left in the tank. 11 goals and 2 assists in 20 games displayed what Bale can offer to a team. Though Bale will be 33 by the time next season comes around, he should still be able to offer teams a good level of performance for 2 years or so. Injuries and wages may be the only issue.
#14. Luis Suarez
14 may seem like a pretty low spot on this list for a player that has scored 27 league goals in the last season and half. But, you have to question how much the 35 year old has left to offer. His engine may not be quite what it used to but for a team just looking for an out and out goal scorer, you couldn’t find many better than he Uruguayan. At his peak Suarez was one of the best players in the world. After joining Barcelona in 2014 he went on a run of contributing 192 goals and assists in just 163 league games. Even now Suarez is putting up strong numbers, having scored 9 goals so far this season. So teams may be looking to add an experienced presence up front next year.
#13. Luiz Felipe
The current Lazio centerback has gone from strength to strength season after season. The 24 year old Brazilian is honing his talents and is quickly becoming one of the best defenders in Serie A. Italy is a country known for developing defensive talent and Felipe is no exception. The youngster is built like the perfect modern day centre back. He is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and passing out from the back. He is also blessed with good recovery speed and is assured in the tackle. You don’t often see younger players testing the waters in free agency but clubs should be looking to quickly snap up his talents before his price tag doubles in the coming years.
#12. Andrej Kramarić
At 30 years old, Croatian front man Andrej Kramarić has come to life in his later years. Joining Leicester in 2015, he struggled to get a foothold in the team and moved to Germany. Since his move to Hoffenheim, Kramarić has contributed to 119 goals in 180 Bundesliga games. Though the Croatian is primarily a goal scorer, he offers a lot of creativity to any team and is also deadly on set pieces. I’d imagine Kramarić wouldn’t demand outlandish wages, and at 30 years old, he could probably offer a middling team 3/4 years of top performances. Maybe even in a stronger team, his level could match his teammates.
#11. James Tarkowski
For any Premier League club looking for an experienced defender should look no further than Burnley’s James Tarkowski. Although Burnley are currently in a relegation battle, this should not reflect on Tarkowski’s playing ability. With 183 league appearances to his name, the 2 time capped England international offers leadership and defending ability that nearly any club would be interested in. The proprietor of a £25 million bid from Newcastle in January, Tarkowski was seen as a essential part of Sean Dyche’s system and the club chose to keep hold of him and lose him on a free rather than let him go mid season. That just speaks volumes of how highly Tarkowski is looked at in England.
#10. Isco
The former 2012 golden boy recipient has had an up and down career with Real Madrid. At points considered on of the best creative midfielders in the world, has fallen off somewhat in recent years. Injuries haven’t helped his development but the Spaniard has only logged 59 league games over that last 3 seasons, most of these have been substitute appearances. On his day Isco is a dynamic player who has some of the best dribbling ability in all of Spain. Not only can he progress the ball at his feet but he has great vision and can see a pass. Isco may be looking to cash in on some high wage demands but any club wanting to gamble on the 29 year old could receive a player who makes a similar impact to what Philippe Coutinho has had with Aston Villa.
#9. Matthias Ginter
Germany international Matthias Ginter has been performing at a very high level for club and country since he joined Gladbach back in 2017. A regular captain for his side, Borussia will likely want to keep ahold of the 6ft3 stalwart. Considering he’s been plying his trade at the international level now for a couple of years means that perennial German talent thief’s Bayern Munich will come circling. However, any team with aspirations for success should be looking to send Ginter’s agent a message. A commanding presence in the back and a high level footballing IQ make for a player who could make their way into nearly any team in Europe.
#8. Marcelo Brozović
Cool, calm and collected, Brozović is the pendulum passer that most modern attacking teams like to employ at the heart of their midfield. Marcelo was pivotal to Inter Milan’s Serie A win last season and he also played a crucial role in Croatia’s run to the World Cup final in 2018. In recent years Brozović has been linked to teams such as Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, so any team that can pick him up on a free this summer will be laughing. That is if Inter aren’t smart enough to throw some money in the Croatians direction.
#7. Boubacar Kamara
It’s not very often that such great young talents become available on a free in the summer. At just 22 years of age, Kamara is a commanding presence for current club Marseille in Ligue Un. The young Frenchman has the versatility to play in either the centre back position or as a holding midfielder. Kamara averaged a 7 overall rating on whoscored last year , showing he can play at such a high level at a young age. Proving that he can improve even further on his talents. Teams such as Manchester United and Chelsea have already come calling but picking him up in July on a free could prove savvy business. Grabbing a player who can play at the heart of your team for the next 5-10 years is smart business in general, even smarter if you can scoop him up for free.
#6. Franck Kessié
Currently staring for a high flying AC Milan side, Kessie looks to be one of the hottest commodities in Europe. The Ivorian holding midfielder is a destroyer in the middle of the park who can also play good football with the ball at his feet. Still a developing star at 25, Kessie has all the physical tools to play as one of the best central midfielders in any league. Very tall and strong with a great engine to boot, it’s been seen time and time again that Kessie can control a game alongside a more creative player like Milan teammate Sandro Tonali. Rumours emerged last summer of bids coming in for the midfielder in the region of £50 million, which would equate to a massive loss if Milan let him go in the summer. But one thing is for certain, Franck won’t be short of any suitors for his services.
#5. Ousmane Dembélé
On his day, Dembélé is one of the most exciting attacking talents in world football. Unfortunately for the Frenchman, he’s not on his day all too often. Injuries have really hampered the 24 year olds playing time since making the switch from Germany to Barcelona for over £100million in 2017. His time at the Camp Nou appear to be over as his relationship with the Barcelona hierarchy appears to be severed. So any team looking to pick up a highly creative forward may be in luck. That is as long as they’re willing to bank on his injury history not repeating itself. At his best, Dembélé contributed to nearly a goal every 90 minutes, so if a manager can get the best out of him, they’ll be picking up a potential top 10 talent in world football. expect sides such as Chelsea and Arsenal to be interested.
#4. Antonio Rüdiger
To put it plainly, Chelsea football club would be idiotic to not throw money at 28 year old Rüdiger. Since fellow German compatriot Thomas Tuchel joined the Blues 13 months ago, Rüdiger has gone through somewhat of a career renaissance. Winning the Champions League last season, Toni has been playing as on of the best central defenders in the whole of Europe. If Chelsea are not willing to spend upward of £250k a week wages on the German, I expect many of other teams will. Rüdiger shows great intensity in his game and has all the physical ability to bully opposition attackers. Real Madrid have been heavily linked with the player, and I imagine he could be the signing to put Los Blancos back into Champions League contention.
#3. Paulo Dybala
Since joining Juventus in 2015, there was a real weight of expectation on the young Argentinians shoulders. Never quite living up to that potential and being cast under Ronaldo’s shadow in Turin haven’t made for the greatest time for Dybala. But he’s still been a great player, despite never being a world beater. Contributing 118 goals 201 league games has been a great record for a player who doesn’t strictly play as the focal point in his side. Very silky on the ball and great finishing ability make him a very sought after talent. If he runs his contract down I’m sure an abundance of teams will come calling. However, I expect Dybala to return to Juventus next year. Since Ronaldo’s departure last summer, Dybala has stepped up and now the Argentinian appears to be forming a formidable partnership with new frontman Dusan Vlahovic.
#2. Paul Pogba
It’s not often you see players of Pogba’s quality hit free agency. However, it does appear that the World Cup winning Frenchman is keen to let his contract run out with Manchester United. since joining the Red Devil’s in 2016 for a hen world record fee, Pogba has had very sporadical form. Sometimes displaying jaw dropping performances, running past players and making pin points passes, but on other occasions he is seen ghosting in games an jogging around as a passenger. United will do everything they can to keep hold of their star playmaker, but it appears that Paul may be interested in plying his trade elsewhere. The only stumbling block in any future deal may be the 28 year olds extortionate wages. Teams such as Real Madrid, PSG and Chelsea are likely to be willing to pay those wages, and in return they would receive a player who is world class on his day. And as we’ve been saying for years, Pogba just needs to be in the right role to get the best out of him. Something we’ve not seen in Manchester consistently enough.
#1. Kylian Mbappé
Was there anyone else to fill the number one spot? The 23 year old is one of the best players in world football and PSG will be stressing to keep hold of the French gunman. At such a young age Mbappé has already achieved so much. From playing a pivotal part in Frances World Cup win to making 2 team of the year appearances, it looks as though Kylian has the world at his feet. Lightning quick and finishing ability only bettered by 2 or 3 players in the world, it’s quite likely that Mbappé will be hearing his name called at the Ballon D’or ceremony in the not so distant future. With this being said, for his future it only really seems like there are two teams in the running to acquire his services for next season. These being current club PSG and perennial title challengers in Spain, Real Madrid. Regardless of what happens over the summer, Mbappé is likely to make a lot of headlines.
Forgotten Footballers 