Another frenzied transfer window has come to an end, with the market once again dominated by the الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز in a record-breaking summer of spending by top-flight English sides. But despite the deadline passing, there are still deals to be done.
Away from the big bucks shelled out on the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Benjamin Sesko, those who like to do things on the cheap – or are perhaps prone to leaving things until the very last minute and beyond – will now be scouring the free agent market for potential opportunities. In the Premier League, unattached players can be signed at any time and can play immediately, provided there is space in a club’s registered squad.
It’s a limited pool, but there is the potential to pull off a shrewd move if you act quickly. Below, BALLGM looks at the 10 best players currently available to sign for absolutely nothing…
Another frenzied transfer window has come to an end, with the market once again dominated by the Premier League in a record-breaking summer of spending by top-flight English sides. But despite the deadline passing, there are still deals to be done.
Away from the big bucks shelled out on the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Benjamin Sesko, those who like to do things on the cheap – or are perhaps prone to leaving things until the very last minute and beyond – will now be scouring the free agent market for potential opportunities. In the Premier League, unattached players can be signed at any time and can play immediately, provided there is space in a club’s registered squad.
It’s a limited pool, but there is the potential to pull off a shrewd move if you act quickly. Below, بالجم looks at the 10 best players currently available to sign for absolutely nothing…
After a period of reflection, West Ham took the difficult and rather brutal decision not to renew Michail Antonio’s contract in the summer amid his ongoing recovery from the serious injuries he suffered in a near-fatal car crash in December 2024.
The 35-year-old striker returned to action well ahead of schedule, playing for Jamaica in June and scoring a brace for the Hammers’ Under-21s in July, but he now finds himself without a club. Antonio has insisted he has no plans to retire, though, revealing in August that he has held talks with clubs in England and abroad as he targets a place in Jamaica’s 2026 World Cup squad.
Probably one of the most attractive options available on the free agent market at the age of 29, Josh Brownhill is coming off the back of an outstanding final season with Burnley where he made 24 بطولة goal contributions (18 goals, six assists) en route to promotion.
You would imagine the midfielder has been waiting for a Premier League club secure in their top-flight status to make an approach after walking away from the Clarets, although he has supposedly given consideration to a lucrative £100,000-per-week offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab. However, Wolves currently seem best placed to secure a deal.
Among a clutch of players to leave مانشستر يونايتد at the end of their contracts in the summer, Christian Eriksen might have expected to have the pick of Premier League clubs outside of the top six having largely been a dependable presence at Old Trafford amid the chaos unfolding around him, albeit a serious injury diminished his impact.
However, with September now upon us, the attacking midfielder still finds himself without a club, contributing to the 33-year-old remarkably being left out Denmark’s latest squad despite his status as a national icon. He has been linked with a return to Brentford, Burnley and, rather sensationally, Wrexham across the summer, but so far a move hasn’t materialised.
Perhaps best known for his monumental, public falling out with then-Roma manager Jose Mourinho, Dutch right-back Rick Karsdorp is a free agent after his one-season contract with PSV in his homeland expired at the end of June.
A reliable defender with an eye for an assist when he marauds forward, Karsdorp could make for a smart pick-up for any top-flight club in need of defensive reinforcements, especially given he is still only 30 years old.
After two years in Turkey with بشيكتاش, where another serious injury once again derailed him after some early promise, forgotten man Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain finds himself in search of a new club having had his contract terminated.
Somewhat surprisingly, the 32-year-old is reported to have interest from the Premier League, while Tom Brady-backed Championship side برمنغهام City are after him and he has been linked with an emotional return to boyhood club ساوثهامبتون. It seems the versatile ex-Arsenal and ليفربول man could be back in English football soon.
Once considered one of the finest midfielders on the planet, dead-ball specialist Miralem Pjanic is without a club after a nomadic few years that has seen him take in spells in Turkey with Besiktas, the United Arab Emirates with Sharjah and, most recently, Russia with CSKA Moscow.
Now 35, the Bosnian finds himself at something of a crossroads, but the former ليون, Juventus and Barcelona man has ruled out retirement. MLS side St. Louis City have supposedly held talks with the player, while it’s said he could be open to a return to Italy for one last dance.
From Real Madrid, to توتنهام, to Manchester United, to free agency – all by the age of 28. Sergio Reguilon is without a club after finally bidding goodbye to Spurs at the end of his contract following three consecutive loans at Atletico Madrid, Old Trafford and Brentford.
Despite not being in former manager Ange Postecoglou’s plans, Tottenham failed to shift Reguilon in 2024-25, resulting in him playing just 316 minutes all season. It will take him some time to gain match fitness, but the Spaniard could make a smart free signing for someone, although there isn’t much talk around him currently.
Takehiro Tomiyasu’s injury-plagued time at Arsenal came to an abrupt end in the summer as the Japan defender and the north London club agreed to cut short his contract a year early. He mustered just six minutes of football in 2024-25 as a result of consecutive knee injuries
The full-back still faces up to three months on the sidelines as he continues his recovery from the surgery he underwent on the problem in February, so it’s highly unlikely that any club will gamble on signing the 26-year-old before the January transfer window at the earliest.
Silky Moroccan and ex-Chelsea attacker Hakim Ziyech is still without a club after having his contract at Al-Duhail terminated by mutual consent in May after just four months with the Qatari club, following his stint with Galatasaray.
Now 32, injuries have hampered him in recent seasons and you’d imagine his playing days at the highest level are numbered. The winger has been linked with Elche in La Liga as well as a return to the country of his birth, the Netherlands, but nothing has come to fruition with the window now shut.
Having been loaned out to Saudi club Al-Orobah for the final year of his West Ham contract after a permanent transfer failed to materialise in 2024, French centre-back Kurt Zouma is now a free agent.
The 30-year-old’s stock has dipped significantly since the now-infamous incident where he was caught on camera kicking his cat, but he’s been linked with Everton, Wolves and فالنسيا nonetheless. However, it’s been reported he is keen to engineer another lucrative deal in Saudi Arabia despite his time at Al-Orobah being underwhelming.
