English Premier League Transfer Window: Free Agents/Transfers Your Team Could Sign
Introduction
The English Premier League (EPL) transfer window is a time of excitement and anticipation as clubs look to bolster their squads. This year the transfer deadline in the summer window is Friday 30 August at 11pm in England and 11.30pm in Scotland.
Meanwhile, the winter transfer window opens again on New Year’s Day and closes on Monday 3 February 2025.
Could your team benefit from an experienced Goalkeeper like David De Gea or does it need someone like Anthony Martial to put the ball in the net?
With many free agents and potential transfers available, here are some players your team could sign to help your it battle relegation or push for Europe.
Goalkeepers
David De Gea
A winner of the Premier League with Manchester United in the 2012-2013 season, David De Gea has been without a club for much longer than many expected.
De Gea’s contract with Manchester United ended 12 months ago and while there were many links to clubs during last summer’s window, he remained a free agent for the entirety of last season.
The reason for this has to be the wage demands of De Gea because there are many clubs that could benefit from a Goalkeeper of his stature. However, there are a much smaller number of clubs with the financial capability to pay or come close to paying his speculated salary of £375,000 per week from his Manchester United days.
Should any club be willing to match the value De Gea may have placed on himself, they would be getting a top quality shot stopper with bags of experience at the highest levels.
Recently, De Gea has taken to social media to hint at the potential that his life in the footballing wilderness may be about to end – would you take him at your club for the start of the season?
Marek Rodak
At just 27, Marek Rodak could well be an ideal candidate for a backup position at any Premier League side. The Slovakian international was part of the his countries squad for the European Championships this summer but leaves that squad with no club to join up with.
Prior to the Euros, Rodak was plying his trade for Fulham having made his debut in 2017.
It is likely that Rodak may need some game time to get up to speed because he has only played twice in the last two seasons of the English Premier League. However, it is this backup role that is probably the role any other English Premier League club would want him to take up with them also.
One positive to take is that at an estimated salary of £15,000, Rodak offers a cheap option as backup and one that a Premier League club may see as a viable option to keep costs down in an increasingly volatile Profit and Sustainability environment.
Defenders
Joel Matip
This is a defender that doesn’t need much introduction to fans of the English Premier League. Matip has won pretty much everything there is to win in recent years and at 32 years old probably has a couple of solid years still left in him at the top level.
While Liverpool may have decided that it is time to move on to younger options, there will still be many teams in the Premier League that could benefit from his experience. Matip is a capable defender who can anticipate problems, intercept in dangerous situations and then play the ball forward to get things moving.
However, Matip is returning from an ACL injury that saw him miss the majority of last season and at an estimated wage in excess of £100,000 a week at Liverpool, many teams may see it too much of a risk to spend on a player who may not return the same player after his injury.
Recently, Matip has been linked with a move to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany and this may well prove a good move for the defender.
Serge Aurier
Like Matip, Aurier will not need any introduction to English Premier League fans.
However, unlike Matip, Aurier has not exactly established himself as a Premier League regular at any stage during his career.
Since first setting foot in the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, Aurier has divided opinion among fans and even managers. Perhaps tellingly, Tottenham agreed to terminate his contract in 2021 with one year left to run.
Following this, Aurier plied his trade in Spain before moving back to England with Nottingham Forest. Most recently, Aurier signed for Galatasaray in February this year but became a free agent after only featuring four times for the Turkish side.
Many of these problems stemmed from Aurier’s mixed results in terms of end product and ball retention. However, potential still exists within Aurier for any lower half Premier League club looking to take a risk on Aurier finally putting it together and producing some real quality from the wingback position.
At an estimated wage of £43,000 per week, Aurier still comes in below the average wage of a Premier League squad player (£60,000 per week) which makes him a low cost option to add depth and competition for places, which can really be useful around the busy Christmas period in particular.
Brandon Williams
If your club is looking for a young attacking full back then Williams may be an ideal candidate at just 23 years old.
The former Manchester United player has had decent game time over the last two seasons on loan at Norwich and Ipswich Town.
Based on his most recent spell, it is entirely possible that Ipswich could come back in for their former loanee to help add depth to their ranks in preparation for a return to the English Premier League.
While Williams undoubtedly has some of the physical areas of his game to work on, there is most definitely a player in there.
Williams’ versatility could prove to be a good option off the bench for a number of English Premier League sides who may be tight on budget thanks to the increased scrutiny on finances in the last 18 months.
At an estimated previous wage of £50,000 per week, Williams is likely one that will get snapped up by a lower half English Premier League team and it is hard to see the down side of such a deal given his experience and qualities at such a young age.
Midfielders
Adrien Rabiot
Once described by the great Andrea Pirlo as a “complete player”, Rabiot is a bit of enigma.
On the one hand, Rabiot clearly has all the qualities to be a top, top player in any league around the world. While on the other hand, Rabiot has frustrated fans and pundits alike with some even questioning his professionalism and referencing a number of off field distractions.
Regardless of the drama that often surrounds Rabiot, he is most likely to be linked with a host of top English Premier League sides after leaving Juventus this summer.
Perhaps importantly for any club looking at the 29 year old Frenchman is his ability to play in a number of different roles within the team. His physical attributes mean he is more than adept at performing defensive duties for his team. However, his passing and eye for goal mean he can also contribute in the opposition half as well.
In spite of the undoubted qualities that Rabiot possesses, it is his salary that may be a stumbling block for some sides to match. With his most recent salary estimated to be in the region of £150,000 and noting his previous contractual difficulties, Rabiot may well wish to become a top earner at even the top sides in the English Premier League and this may just be enough to put off some sides.
Andre Gomes
Speaking of high salaries which may prove to be a stumbling block, next up we have Andre Gomes who has been a bit part player in recent years and would likely have moved on from Everton if his wages had not deterred other clubs from pursuing a deal.
Having joined Everton with much promise, the Portuguese midfielder suffered a horrific injury in 2019 and it is fair to say that he has struggled to regain his form ever since.
However, the Andre Gomes of today is perhaps the best version of the player since that horrific injury. After a spell in France with Lille and cameo appearances for Everton last year, Gomes still certainly has something to offer albeit this may need to be in a league that is played at a slightly slower pace than the English Premier League.
For any team wanting to have a steady and reliable ball playing midfielder in the middle of the park, Gomes would be a viable option so long as there was either no reliance to get back to defend too quickly or a need to break forward in attack if starting from a deeper position.
Gomes is good with the ball at his feet and that is where he does his best work. Ultimately, it is his off the ball issues, coupled with his extortionately high wages which may prove to be a factor in his battle to find a club in the English Premier League again.
Dele Alli
Like many earlier in this list, Dele will need no introduction to fans of the English Premier League over the last 5 years or so.
While Dele has endured some real difficulties on and off the pitch in recent years, he is still battling to regain the form that saw him break into the Tottenham Hotspur and England team.
At just 28, there is still time and recently Dele stated his intention was to turn his career around with an end goal of earning a place back in the England squad in time for the 2026 World Cup.
To do that, Dele is going to have to play regularly and prove his injury woes of the last few years are a thing of the past. Instead, Dele will need to re-discover the counter attacking prowess and clinical finishing that saw him score 18 goals in the English Premier League in 2016/2017 for Tottenham Hotspur.
Currently training with Everton, there is still hope that Dele will convince Sean Dyche to offer him a contract for the season. There is even talk that Everton have agreed a deal with Tottenham which will see The Toffees only having to pay Spurs if they eventually sell Dele to another club.
That being said, there are clear mixed feelings among Evertonians about whether Dele presents a good option for their club, especially bearing in mind Everton’s recent financial issues.
While the fans have no doubt of the qualities Dele once possessed, the debate rages on about whether Dele can regain that form after it being absent for so long and whether the wages he will demand are worth the experiment.
Many believe Dyche is the man to get the best out of Dele but if not Dyche, do you think your club could be the place to allow Dele to turn back time?
Strikers/Attackers
Kelechi Iheanacho
Once a player with great expectations at Manchester City, Iheanacho has arguably never delivered on the promise offered at an early age.
The Nigerian international is certainly an attractive proposition to clubs joining the English Premier League or even those in search of someone to put the ball in the net.
Iheanacho is known for his clinical finishing which ranks him among the best finishers in football. At just 27 years of age, it is hard to understand why he has not been picked up as of yet.
If there were to be any issue with Iheanacho’s overall play it would likely be that his defensive effort is not at the level that can often be required in the modern game. That being said, if you are the type of fan that wants a striker to score and a defender to defend then Iheanacho would be a player you would sign on Football Manager every time.
At an estimated wage of just £65,000 a week, Iheanacho offers a relatively low cost option for any English Premier League team hoping to push into the top half.
Ultimately, his ability to finish a chance could well be the difference between a place or two in the final league table which brings with it a significant increase in prize money or even the prospect of European football.
Anthony Martial
Fans of Manchester United will no doubt have experienced countless moments of head in your hands type stuff courtesy of Anthony Martial over the years.
It is undoubted that he is an extremely talented individual and that was demonstrated with the fee of £31 million plus add-ons that Manchester United paid for the Golden Boy recipient of 2015.
Like Iheanacho above, Martial’s critics will say that he does not track back or contribute to the team effort beyond his attacking capabilities. In light of these criticisms, many will argue that his previous estimated salary of £250,000 per week cannot be justified for the effort and output he produces.
With that being said, Martial is clearly a player that can change a game and improve a team when his mind is up to the task.
For that reason it may be more likely that Martial heads back to France to finish his career but on the right contract and with the right motivation, an English Premier League club may see Martial as a valuable and versatile player to add to their attacking options, especially with the ability to make 5 substitutions these days.
Memphis Depay
Could Depay be ready to come back to the English Premier League and prove his critics wrong?
Depay previously graced the English Premier League at Manchester United but his time there did not exactly go as planned.
However, the pacey wide forward has definitely got the ability to come back to prove fans wrong. Even during the recent European Championships, Depay was able to showcase his skills and put on some decent displays for the Netherlands as they reached the Semi Finals of the competition.
For any club in the English Premier League looking to add trickery, pace and reliable set pieces to their team, Depay would be a great option to pursue.
In recent years, Depay has been playing in Spain for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid which certainly means he is used to pressure and scrutiny.
Given there would not be a transfer fee involved, perhaps an English Premier League club may be able to see past the estimated wages of £150,000 that Depay may ask for and with each goal in the English Premier League being worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, Depay may well prove to be a player with enough potential goals or assists in him that the wages are worth the risk.
Final Thoughts
The transfer window is a period of strategic planning and high-stakes decisions. Whether through free agents, rising stars, bargain buys, high-profile transfers, or loan deals, the right signings can significantly enhance a team’s prospects. As fans eagerly await new arrivals, the anticipation builds for another thrilling season of English football in the Premier League.
In recent years, transfer deadline day has turned into an event of its own with UK broadcasters having a reporter at each club to dramatically report on if the club got a signing “over the line” before the deadline passed.
Which of the above would you like to see your club get “over the line” before the transfer window “slams shut” on 30 August 2024?
FAQs
When is the transfer window?
The transfer window typically opens in early June and closes at the end of August, with a winter window in January.
What are the rules for signing free agents/transfers?
Free agents or transfers can be signed outside the transfer window if they are unattached to any club when the window closes.
How do loan deals work in the EPL?
Loan deals allow a player to temporarily play for another club, usually for a season, with agreements on salary contributions and potential purchase options.
Can clubs sign players from outside the English Premier League?
Yes, clubs can sign players from international leagues, subject to work permit regulations and transfer window timings.
What is a “Bosman transfer”?
A Bosman transfer refers to a move where a player can sign for another club at the end of their contract without a transfer fee, typically after six months of their contract remaining. This concept gets its name from the contractual dispute centred around Jean-Marc Bosman in 1995.
