Premier League Transfers: Best XI football free agents
Selecting a competitive team from the free agents according to Transfermarkt
The transfer window is open and reports of players joining new teams are slowly leaking out. It feels like this summer will see several big-money transfers. Newcastle United have already shelled out around €70 million on Sandro Tonali, and Saudi Arabian clubs are splashing cash on various players.
Signing players through transfer fees isn’t the only way to add quality this summer. The free agent market is the richest it has ever been in terms of high-quality players. Some have already been snapped up, but there are players still available in the free-agent market.
A few years ago, I wrote (for the first time) that free-agent signings will be the future of football. Like the NBA and NFL, it is getting more and more expensive to sign quality players. Therefore, the free agent market is becoming a more important way for top clubs to add players.
With the transfer window open, I had a search through the ending contracts/free agents listed on Transfermarkt to pick a Free Agent Starting XI. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.
Goalkeeper:
David Soria - Getafe; €10m
With Premier League teams like Tottenham and Brentford in the hunt for a new goalkeeper, Getafe’s David Soria could be a perfect fit for next season. The 30-year-old goalkeeper joined Getafe in 2018. He was set to sign for Real Madrid this summer, but the deal fell through. Soria is still a free agent for now. In 2022-23, Soria made 38 La Liga appearances, keeping 13 clean sheets, and conceding just 45 goals as Getafe avoided relegation.
Defenders:
Milan Skriniar - Inter Milan; €60m
Milan Skriniar is not officially a Paris Saint-Germain player yet. He has been rumoured as a potential Paris player for next season, but it is believed the French club pulled out of the deal. Skriniar played 28 times in Serie A for Inter last season. He is only 28 and may have plenty of life left in his legs. A back injury derailed Skriniar’s season preventing him from helping Inter reach the Champions League final. He should be ready for the 2023-24 campaign.
Gerardo Arteaga - Genk; €7m
Genk’s Mexican full-back Gerardo Arteaga was previously linked to Manchester City and Leeds United. Now a free agent, Arteaga could make a move to the Premier League. The 24-year-old left-back made 32 appearances in the Juplier Pro League, scoring two goals and assisting two. Arteaga made six further appearances in the Pro League playoffs, tallying an assist.
Danny McNamara - Millwall; €3.5m
Danny McNamara should have plenty of Championship teams vying for his services this summer. The Millwall right-back played 42 Championship matches last season. Although he had just one assist, he was in the Millwall starting XI 87% of the time. McNamara may be considered a Championship defender, but he could pop up in the Premier League, with a club seeking a quality defender.
Alexander Djiku – Strasbourg; €8m
Alexander Djiku may not be available in the free agent market for long. The centre-back could re-sign with Strasbourg this summer. The 28-year-old defender made 31 appearances, scoring one goal, and assisting two. Djiku’s ability to play right-back and defensive midfielder makes him a versatile option.
Midfielders:
Ross Barkley - Nice; €9m
Remember Ross Barkley? Yeah, he is easy to forget after a few lacklustre seasons at Chelsea before moving to Nice in September 2022. Barkley is now out of contract after making 27 appearances and scoring four goals and tallying two assists in Ligue 1. The numbers aren’t as bad as some reports made them out to be. Barkley is now 29 and may be running out of options. He could still do a job for a team in the Premier League or Championship.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Arsenal; €8m
Ainsley Maitland-Niles was one of those recent Arsenal academy graduates with plenty of hype behind him. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out for the midfielder at Arsenal – or Roma and Southampton. Maitland-Niles was one of 10 players released by the club this summer. There will be plenty of Premier League teams interested in signing him on a free. Maitland-Niles may not be a free agent for long.
Adrien Rabiot – Juventus; €40m
Adrien Rabiot is likely to return to Juventus and sign a new contract. He is flirting with Manchester United but is unlikely to join Erik ten Hag’s team. Rabiot seemed on an upward trajectory before joining Juventus in 2019. Since then, he seems to just exist in the Juventus team along with a handful of other players they signed for free. Rabiot played 32 Serie A games last season, scoring eight goals and assisting four. The midfielder’s mother oversees all contract negotiations and drives a hard bargain for him. She isn’t a person to cross and makes negotiations difficult.
Forwards:
Roberto Firmino - Liverpool; €22m
Roberto Firmino is a Liverpool legend. He left the club after eight seasons, deciding to move on to play regular first-team football instead of coming off the bench at Anfield. Firmino was limited to just 25 Premier League appearances in 2022-23, but he still scored 11 goals and assisted four. Despite being 31, he can still play even with the occasional injury.
Marcus Thuram - Borussia Monchengladbach; €32m
Marcus Thuram is the most sought-after free agent in football this summer. By the time this article publishes, he could be an Internazional player. Inter have the inside track to sign the forward after his Borussia Monchengladbach contract ended. The French international scored 13 goals and added six assists in 30 Bundesliga appearances last season.
Marco Asensio - Real Madrid; €25m
The knock on Marco Asensio is that he has spent most of his career at Real Madrid. Between 2016 and 2023, Asensio played for Los Blancos, lifting trophies in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and Champions League. The question is: how good is Marco Asensio? Sure, it takes a special player to come through Real Madrid and stay there, but he has always had world-class players around him. Can Asensio succeed at another club? Aston Villa have been rumoured as a possible destination. If he doesn’t have an immediate impact on the Villains, fans could assume he is just another Philippe Coutinho – lots of promise but no end product. Asensio could be an exciting addition, however, out of the spotlight of Madrid.