Already, just a few weeks after the leagues around Europe have concluded, some of the tastiest free agents have been snapped up.
Danny Ings moves to Anfield after a short but vigorous wrestle over Burnley’s compensation was resolved. Sami Khedira has signed terms with Juventus, just a few short days after the Old Lady lost the Champions League final. Dani Alves, who seemed sure to leave Barcelona, has agreed on an extension in Catalonia after all. But there are still some resplendent figures available to snap up, all with virtues that would prove useful to teams up and down the Premier League.
Indeed, there are some luscious fruits ready to be picked. As far as defenders go, Ron Vlaar and Sylvain Distin are available, with Vlaar making eyes at Manchester United and Louis van Gaal, and Distin batting his lashes at just about anyone who will bother to look. Distin’s chances of remaining in the league may only be as a member of a promoted team looking to acquire cheap, experienced talent.
Brendan Rodgers has confirmed Glen Johnson will be making a quiet exit out of Anfield, with West Ham licking its lips. Jonas Gutierrez, happily back to full fitness following his treatment for testicular cancer, has also been released by Newcastle United after much chagrin over the way the club treated him during his time out. Mark Schwarzer and Brad Jones are also set to finish their contracts, a perfectly synchronised manoeuvre by the two Australian bench-warming goalkeepers.
Abroad, Micah Richards is reportedly leaving Fiorentina, accompanied by a wish to return to England. Only 26, Richards is still a player upon whom an inexpensive gamble is well worth the trouble. Sergio Romero, the Argentine shot-stopper at the World Cup, is also available to anyone in need of a man between the sticks.
Shifting forward into the midfield, even more sumptuous opportunities exist. Mikel Arteta is looking around at the other 19 clubs in the league, after his spot in the Arsenal lineup was filled with the muscular tenacity of Francis Coquelin. Perhaps a return to Everton then, Mikel, although with Roberto Martinez having secured another free agent midfielder, Tom Cleverly, that now seems unlikely. Now then, who wants to sign a central midfielder of considerable poise and precision, a player capable of playing through a striker just as easily as he can crunch an opposition rival with a firm-but-fair tackle? He has considerable experience, both in England and abroad, and was one of his team’s best performers in what was a difficult campaign last season. Ooh, quite a few of you, are there? Excellent, his name is Joey Barto-…ah, you’ve all left. We did our best, Joey, to the Championship with you. Lastly, Sammy Ameobi seems unlikely to remain at Newcastle, and will be striding off somewhere else, which will not take long, such is the stunning length of his legs.
On the continent, there is no shortage of available midfielders too. Left winger Yevhen Konoplyanka, of Dnipro, is attracting much breathless Premier League interest, at only 25 years of age. Nigel de Jong, who it feels like should be ancient, is only 30 and ready to leave AC Milan, potentially for Manchester United. Another blast from the past, Rafael van der Vaart, appears to be heading to Real Betis from Hamburg unless someone can use the necessary force to stop him. Yoann Gourcuff is due to leave Lyon, so, at this stage, the entire world is potentially about to experience the acute frustration that seems to come standard with the streaky Frenchman. And if anyone is after a very, very quick, not-too-old winger, Jonathan Biabiany has left Parma.
Up front, there is less in terms of quantity, but not quality. Let’s kick things off (a-thankyou) with Andre-Pierre Gignac, the Marseille forward with whom new West Ham manager Slaven Bilic is trying to awkwardly initiate a slow, sensual dance. John Guidetti is set to leave Manchester City, but options in England seem a little sparse for the young Swede. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar might well abandon Schalke for Spurs, Liverpool or Manchester United for all we, or perhaps even he, knows. Alexandre Pato is also available, with his contract at Corinthians finishing up soon. He is only 25, somehow. Twenty-three-year-old Ishak Belfodil, formerly of Inter and Lazio, could prove a rough-cut diamond for a mid-table team in England. And finally Carlton Cole has been released by West Ham… and that is all we will say about that.
Evidently, value exists amongst the club-less horde. Thriftiness is always advisable in football, and with little financial risk, a great reward awaits. These players will not stay obtainable for long, so clubs should act quickly.
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