The excitement of the summer transfer window may have come and gone, but the free agent market remains open as a number of players are currently without a club.
We’ve picked out who we think are the best players available on a free transfer in each position. Anyone you think deserves a shout? Let us know in the comments below!
Free Agent XI: The best players without a club in 2025
GK: Fraser Forster
Slim pickings in nets, but the biggest name without a club right now is Fraser Forster. The 37-year-old, who has not been a regular starter for any team since 2020, was released by Spurs following their Europa League triumph at the end of last season. At least he’s had time to admire his winner’s medal.
RB: Mattia De Sciglio
A three-time Serie A champion, Mattia De Sciglio has failed to find a new club after being released by Juventus in the summer. The former AC Milan right-back spent last season on loan with Empoli.
CB: Takehiro Tomiyasu
Versatile defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is the youngest player in our lineup at 27 years of age. The Japan international reached a mutual agreement with Arsenal in July to terminate his contract, which had one year left to run. He is currently recovering from a serious knee injury which will reportedly keep him sidelined until the end of the year.
CB: Jason Denayer
Former Manchester City prospect Jason Denayer left Saudi Pro League side Al Fateh after his two-year deal with the club expired in the summer. He hasn’t played for a European team since 2022, having left Lyon to join Shabab Al Ahli in the UAE that year.
LB: Sergio Reguilon
From Real Madrid to nowhere, Sergio Reguilon left Spurs as a free agent at the end of the 2024/25 campaign after five years in north London. In truth, it was more like two-and-a-half seasons given he was loaned out to Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford.
CM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain left Liverpool for Besiktas in 2023 and went on to win the Turkish Cup in his first season. Then-manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst froze him out of the squad ahead of the following season, however the Dutchman was sacked in November 2024, leading to the midfielder’s reintegration into the team.
Last month, Besiktas terminated the former Arsenal man’s contract with one year remaining, but he did come away with a severance fee of €1.75 million.
CM: Dele Alli
It has been an awful few years for Dele Alli, who has struggled with injuries, mental health issues and an addiction to sleeping pills. The ex-Spurs and Everton player returned to football after almost two years out of action, but his debut for Cesc Fabregas’ Como was short lived.
The midfielder received a red card just ten minutes after coming off the bench against AC Milan and didn’t play for the Italian club again. He was released earlier this month.
CM: Miralem Pjanic
At 35 years of age, Miralem Pjanic is probably done at the top level of the game. Once a fan favourite at Juventus, where he won four consecutive Scudettos, he spent two unsuccessful years at Barcelona before joining UAE Pro League side Sharjah.
In 2024 Pjanic made the questionable decision to join Russian Premier League outfit CSKA Moscow as a free agent. He left the club in June after winning the Russian Cup.
RW: Lorenzo Insigne
Once one of the most fearsome wide forwards in Italian football, Lorenzo Insigne finds himself without a club after his contract with Toronto FC was mutually terminated in July. He left Napoli in 2022, right before they won the Scudetto, when he was just 31 and still had more to give at the top level. It’s hard to imagine he could land himself a spot at a top club at this stage of his career.
LW: Hakim Ziyech
A supremely talented footballer, Hakim Ziyech’s career has not gone quite as he would have hoped since leaving Ajax in 2021. Although he win the Champions League in his first season at Chelsea, he only showed flashes of brilliance over three years at Stamford Bridge.
A two-year spell at Galatasaray followed before he joined Qatari outfit Al Duhail in May of this year, scoring one goal in 13 appearances as the side lost the cup final. His contract was mutually terminated just four months after his signing.
CF: Patrick Bamford
Plagued by injuries in recent years, Patrick Bamford finds himself without a club after reaching an agreement to leave Leeds United by mutual consent last month. The striker made 17 appearances, all off the bench, while failing to find the net last season as the Whites won promotion to the Premier League.
Read – Our Champions League predictions as competition returns
See Also – Five who played for both Liverpool and Atletico Madrid
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