The transfer window may have closed, but free agents can still be signed. Here, we’ve identified a few who could be worth a punt.
Transfer windows across Europe have closed over the past week, but that doesn’t mean additional signings are out of the question.
Generally, free agents can be signed at any point, not just in the transfer window. But they can only be registered if teams still have space in their allocation, so unattached players won’t be plausible signings for all clubs.
Nevertheless, there remains a considerable amount of talent out there without a club. Here, we’ve picked six who could be interesting options for teams across the top five leagues and the Championship.
Hakim Ziyech
It’s been a while now since we really saw the best of Hakim Ziyech, but those who can remember his days at Ajax will know there’s a talented player in there.
Although never blessed with searing pace, Ziyech was so fun to watch. His technique was exceptional and contributed to his status as a dead-ball specialist, while he possessed immense vision and could glide past defenders.
But his time at Chelsea in the Premier League didn’t go to plan after arriving with a huge reputation. He was in and out of the team and rarely managed to match expectations.
He was frequently linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge long before he was eventually offloaded to Galatasaray in 2023, where things turned sour a little over a year later as he publicly criticised his coach, Okan Buruk.
Ziyech went on to join Qatar’s Al-Duhail in January, only for his contract to be terminated by mutual consent at the end of May.
He may be a few years older now (he’s 33 in March), but the talent that saw him record 93 non-penalty goal involvements across all competitions between 2017-18 and 2019-20 – 12 more than any other Eredivisie player – is still there.
Lorenzo Insigne
In his prime, there were few players in Serie A more exciting to watch than Lorenzo Insigne. What he lacked in size he more than made up for in explosiveness and technical quality, becoming a modern great at Napoli over the years.
His time in MLS with Toronto wasn’t quite as impressive, though.
He was reportedly the second-highest paid player in the league after Lionel Messi, but he’s widely regarded to have been a considerable disappointment.
Insigne’s performances underwhelmed and he was embroiled in numerous off-field issues.
Nevertheless, his record of 0.54 goal involvements per 90 wasn’t terrible, even if it was below expectations, and his natural ability is far beyond that of your average player.
It would also seem that he retains a good level of ambition, adamant earlier this summer that getting into the Italy squad for next year’s World Cup – which kicks off shortly after he turns 35 – is his “main goal” for 2025-26.
Were he able to get anywhere close to the player he was when recorded 46 Serie A goal involvements across 2020-21 and 2021-22, which was bettered by just 18 players across the top five leagues, he’d be a real asset.
But there’s no doubt he’d also represent something of a risk.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Japan international Takehiro Tomiyasu left Arsenal in the summer after four years at the club.
Aged 26, however, he potentially still has a lot to give, and for a few years too.
Unfortunately for Tomiyasu, his Arsenal exit came during his rehab for a serious knee injury that kept him out for practically all of 2024-25. He isn’t expected to return action until later this year even if he does find a new club.
A fit Tomiyasu wouldn’t have any problem finding suitors, however.
Tall, quick and comfortable on the ball, Tomiyasu has proven himself an adept defender all across the back four during his time with Arsenal and Bologna beforehand.
A quality player in his own right, plus the fact he’s incredibly versatile and still to enter his prime years, Tomiyasu could be a very shrewd acquisition should he get over his injury issues.
Christian Eriksen
After three years at Manchester United, Christian Eriksen is available on a free transfer. While it may seem like the Denmark great has been around forever, he’s only 33 and almost certainly still has something to give at a decent level.
He was reportedly in talks with the Championship’s Wrexham in the summer, but no deal with ‘Hollywood FC’ ever materialised. As such, he’s been training in Sweden since with Malmo as he looks to keep himself fit.
While clearly past his best and nowhere near as mobile as he once was, Eriksen still played a reasonable amount of football at United last season.
Only Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo (both 1.9) averaged more chances created in open play per 90 among United players (500+ mins) across all competitions than Eriksen (1.7) last term, while he moved up to second (2.6) when set-pieces were taken into consideration.
He was also second in the United squad for expected assists (xA) per 90 (0.22).
Admittedly, it was United’s poorest campaign in a generation, but Eriksen showed he still has his uses. If he’s given the freedom to play his game, he has the ball-playing quality teams could make the most of.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamerlain’s two seasons in Turkey with Besiktas were rather up and down. There was a tear to his hamstring in his first season that kept him out for a while, and then at the start of 2024-25 he was completely frozen out by manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s arrival in January brought a considerable change to his outlook, with Oxlade-Chamberlain brought back into the fold and becoming a part of Besiktas’ midfield for the remainder of 2024-25.
Across his two seasons in the Turkish Super Lig, Oxlade-Chamberlain ranked in the 70th percentile among midfielders for shots per 90 (1.7) and the 75th percentile for non-penalty expected goals per 90 (0.14); while not spectacular, this is at least evidence of him offering a reasonable threat from midfield.
But one of his biggest strengths was always his ability to carry the ball, and he was in the 88th percentile for carries per 90 (14.7) over that period.
His time in Turkey ended in late August, however. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Solskjaer had their respective deals terminated within a day of each other, and the player is expected to return to England.
Birmingham City have been linked, with reports suggesting his wage demands are “realistic”. That could make him an attractive proposition for a few more clubs, too.
After all, he’s only just turned 32 and could potentially have several more years in him. Oxlade-Chamberlain has a wealth of experience and clearly boasts technical quality – anyone who’d seen him at Liverpool or Arsenal can tell you that.
Sergio Reguilón
When Tottenham signed Sergio Reguilón from Real Madrid in 2020, they’d beaten a lot of competition to the Spain international’s signature.
He’d earned himself a good reputation as a flying full-back, first breaking into Real Madrid’s senior squad before spending an impressive season out on loan at Sevilla.
With Spurs, however, he failed to convince quite as much. Although he featured 52 times in the Premier League across his first two campaigns, he quickly fell out of favour thereafter and had three successive loan spells.
First, he went to Atlético Madrid in 2022-23, then 2023-24 was spent at Manchester United and Brentford before returning to Spurs for 2024-25; he managed just six appearances across all competitions for Tottenham last term.
But Reguilón is still only 29, meaning there’s still hope of him rediscovering his best form.
The best season of his career was the one he spent at Sevilla in 2019-20. Under Julen Lopetegui, Reguilon’s positivity from left-back was so effective.
His 40 chances created in open play saw him rank 11th among all defenders in the top five European leagues that season, while only 16 nominal full-backs bettered his 5.3 progressive carries taking the ball at least 10 metres towards the opposition’s goal per 90 minutes.
He wasn’t quite as potent as Jesús Navas on the opposite flank, but the pair of them added an effective dimension to Sevilla’s attack en route to Europa League success and a top-four finish in La Liga.
If a club is on the lookout for a low-cost left-back they want to provide some attacking impetus, Reguilón could be a smart signing.
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