The transfer window closed on Thursday night. But that does not mean we’ve seen the last of the new faces in the Premier League.
Here are five free-agents who can still be snapped up for absolutely nothing.
Jason Denayer
Wolves fans might have been disappointed not to see a new centre-half arrive before the clock struck 11 on Thursday night, missing out on West Ham’s Craig Dawson while backing out of a £5 million deal for Strasbourg ace Alexander Djiku.
But fear not. Jason Denayer is still available, not to mention attainable.
“I know him very well,” coach Bruno Lage explains at his Friday press conference. “We are talking about a player who has played in the Champions League and for his national team. Let’s see what can happen.
“We are very happy with (Nathan) Collins and Max (Kilman). I am still happy with Toti (Gomes) and Yerson (Mosquera). But I think there’s a gap between the two that are playing and the two that are not playing.
“If we have a chance to bring one experienced player to replace (Willy) Boly, it would be better.”
Denayer ticks about every box imaginable. He has Premier League experience after spells at Manchester City and Sunderland, can play in a back-three or a back-four, and should be approaching his peak at just 27.
Ross Barkley
In a parallel world somewhere, Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere and Dele Alli will be England’s starting midfield at the Qatar World Cup. Instead, while one has retired and the other moves on loan to Besiktas, Barkley finds himself without a club at the age of 28.
According to the Daily Mail, however, Southampton could still offer the one-time Everton wonderkid the chance to jump-start his stalling career on the South Coast. Barkley’s ball-carrying ability would, theoretically, fit in nicely alongside Stuart Armstrong and Joe Aribo.
Djibril Sidibe
Per Foot Mercato, Nottingham Forest agreed a deal with 2018 World Cup winner Sidibe a week before the window closed. Having left Monaco in July, he could yet become the 23rd new face in a record-breaking window at the City Ground.
Yes, Forest are signing former Tottenham man Serge Aurier. But there is no reason why the similarly right-sided Sidibe cannot have a part to play under Steve Cooper too. The manager’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation could get the best out of both players, with Sidibe slotting into a central role while Aurier flies down the flanks free of the defensive responsibilities that would fall onto his shoulders in a back-four system.
Dan-Axel Zagadou
Jan Bednarek turned down West Ham United in favour of Aston Villa. But, with Craig Dawson sticking around and with Nayef Aguerd on his way back from injury, David Moyes can still boast the sort of defensive depth many a Premier League manager would kill for.
That does not mean the door is closed for Zagadou, however. Per The Sun, Moyes is a fan of the former Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain stopper. Conference League football, and a tightly-packed schedule, means West Ham’s relatively small squad will be stretched to it’s limits.
Furthermore, Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna have had their injury problems while Dawson is no spring chicken at 32. Another defensive addition may be good business.
Fabian Delph
Ok, we know what you’re thinking. Signing a soon-to-be-33-year-old Fabian Delph, on a free transfer, would be almost the definition of desperation. But don’t forget that, for large portions of the early Frank Lampard era, Delph was the best of an admittedly limited lot as far as Everton’s central midfield options were concerned.
When fit, the former England international is still capable of influencing Premier League games with his work ethic and aggression. Any team in need of some experience and midfield depth could do a lot worse.
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