As is with every summer transfer window in the Premier League, a plethora of changes from top to bottom is inevitable. Whether it's Liverpool who are looking to retain their status as champions, or if you’re Ruben Amorim, and you’re looking to improve your squad, the summer trading period is the perfect opportunity to do so.
Compared to when the window opens in January, teams in England's top flight tend to spend bigger in the summer: whether that’s to plug a gap, bolster a position’s depth or alleviate a long-standing issue, marquee signings are – typically, at least – completed when it’s warmer.
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Clubs, however, that are more strapped for cash are able to use the free agency market to bolster their squad at a more affordable rate as it’s only wages that need to be covered. It’s a well-trodden path to pick up some of the best talent in world football.
The folks over at The Athletic recently released a full list of Premier League players who are set to become free agents this summer. From the obvious candidates to the lesser-known players, we’ve ranked them in terms of their Premier League appearances.
0-100 Premier League Appearances
Kenny Tete, one of the league's best right-backs, available on a free
Elkan Baggott, Alfie Whiteman, Mark Gillespie, Lucas Bergstrom and Harvey Davies may all ply their trade in the Premier League – but none of the aforementioned quintet have a single appearance in their repertoire. They’re all free agents this summer.
Aston Villa’s Robin Olsen, regardless of the competition, will always be second fiddle at Villa Park – and he could mark the end of his Aston Villa career this summer. The same can be said for Danny Ward, who currently earns his corn for Leicester City.
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Kortney Hause of Aston Villa has found minutes hard to come by in Birmingham and could be on the move in the coming months, as could Nottingham Forest’s Harry Toffolo and Josh Dasilva of Brentford, with the latter logging just shy of 50 Premier League outings thus far in his career.
And while chalking up in excess of 50 appearances in the Premier League is, in the grand scheme of things, not that impressive – the likes of Chris Mepham, Pablo Sarabia and Sergio Reguilon could all offer a level of know-how to clubs this summer. As could one of the best right-backs in the Premier League, Kenny Tete.
0-100 Premier League Appearances
Name
Harvey Davies
Lucas Bergstrom
Mark Gillespie
Alfie Whiteman
Elkan Baggott
Joao Virginia
Remi Matthews
Marcus Harness
Joe Lumley
Massimo Luongo
Daniel Iversen
Cameron Burgess
Robin Olsen
Danny Ward
Kortney Hause
Harry Toffolo
Josh Dasilva
Axel Tuanzebe
Jamal Lewis
Carlos Vinicius
Chris Mepham
Pablo Sarabia
Sergio Reguilon
Kenny Tete
101-200 Premier League Appearances
Arsenal duo Jorginho and Thomas Partey set for free agency
Into territory where it could even be wise for current Premier League clubs to come sniffing, Tariq Lamptey could offer a concoction of experience and talent at full-back, while Arsenal lynchpin Thomas Partey has highlighted his ability to play at Champions League level. Both will be free this summer.
Mason Holgate, Tom Cairney and Scott Carson have all got a decent number of Premier League appearances under their belt over their years of plying their trade with England's best-in-class – and the former duo, especially, could offer something to a lower-level side.
Neal Maupay, widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s biggest wind-up merchants of all time, is set to return from his loan spell at Marseille to Everton in the summer – but as a free agent. Nelson Semedo of Wolverhampton Wanderers, too, is set to leave Molineux in the summer unless the club's higher-ups extend his stay.
Just because game time is hard to come by in north London, Jorginho is – by no means – a poor pick-up. His current Arsenal contract expires in the summer of 2025, as does Victor Lindelof’s at Manchester United and Wayne Hennessey’s at Crystal Palace.
101-200 Premier League Appearances
Name
Tariq Lamptey
Tom Heaton
John Ruddy
Willy Boly
Thomas Partey
Mason Holgate
Tom Cairney
Scott Carson
Vladimir Coufal
Kyle Walker-Peters
Fraser Forster
Neal Maupay
Nelson Semedo
Wayne Hennessey
Victor Lindelof
Jorginho
201-300 Premier League Appearances
Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the two standout names
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Callum Wilson have both chalked up 238 Premier League outings, as of May 2025 – but it seems that neither Everton nor Newcastle United have space for them beyond this summer’s all-crucial summer. That's why they're available for nothing!
With 240 Premier League appearances and him at the age of 32, Danny Ings can still provide a side in the top tier with a reliable source of goals, albeit at a slower rate. West Ham United’s Kurt Zouma could also be on the move for free this summer.
Irrespective of how the Anfield faithful feel about the situation, the fact of the matter is that Trent Alexander-Arnold will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. His inevitable move to Real Madrid will cost the Spanish club nothing – that’s why his reputation inside Anfield circles has been dainted.
Michail Antonio of West Ham, too, is available on a free transfer over the summer months – as is Nathaniel Clyne. Both players have played 268 Premier League games. Upon his contract expiration this summer, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure will leave Merseyside.
All good things must come to an end – and that is the case this summer for Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester City. The Belgian hotshot has plundered an eye-catching number of assists (119) in 286 Premier League outings thus far, but he will be leaving the Etihad Stadium for free this summer.
201-300 Premier League Appearances
Name
Idrissa Gueye
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Callum Wilson
Danny Ings
Kurt Zouma
Michael Keane
Asmir Begovic
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Nathaniel Clyne
Michail Antonio
Ben Mee
Abdoulaye Doucoure
Kevin De Bruyne
Over 300 Premier League Appearances
Jamie Vardy, Willian and James Milner are all out of contract this summer
Now onto the veterans of English top flight football, which is best known as the Premier League. For clubs that have been promoted from the Championship for the 2025/26 campaign, what they are looking for sometimes is an ounce or two of experience and the following stars can provide just that.
Just making it into this category are Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Craig Dawson, Adam Lallana of Southampton and Manchester United’s veteran midfielder Christian Eriksen. Crystal Palace legend Joel Ward, who has 308 Premier League appearances to his name, is also out of contract.
Left-back duo Aaron Cresswell and Ben Davies, respectively of West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, are also available on a free in the summer trading period. Ex-Chelsea and Arsenal winger Willian, who’s now on the books of Fulham, is also out of contract.
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The end of Jamie Vardy’s Leicester City career is eye-catching: 200 goals and 500 appearances for the club is a sight to behold – but he, too, is out of contract this summer. The recent announcement of his departure is, undoubtedly, a sad day for fans.
James Milner’s status as a bonafide Premier League hero is not up for discussion. He’s played for a number of clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester City, and that expertise could be snapped up for free by a club in the summer.
Over 300 Premier League Appearances
Name
Craig Dawson
Adam Lallana
Joel Ward
Christian Eriksen
Aaron Cresswell
Ben Davies
Willian
Jamie Vardy
Seamus Coleman
Lukasz Fabianski
Jonny Evans
Ashley Young
James Milner
All statistics per Premier League - correct as of 21/05/2025