Players available as free agents

With the transfer window closed, that is the end of the signings for Barclays Premier League clubs, right? Wrong.

They can still sign free agents and there are some tasty names on the list. Some of them have seen better days - well most of them - but many of them come with an international pedigree and are desperate for a chance to prove themselves.

That means there could be some decent pay-as-you-play deals. And even Liverpool might be able to sign someone. Lots of these names are familiar and come with trophy cabinets as big as their reputations.

Here Simon Jones and Sam Cunningham have produced the list of the best out there. They may be appearing at a club near you soon...


ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO (Italy) Age: 37 Caps: 91.
Biggest transfer: 19 years at Juventus, 513 games.
Released by: Juventus.

EMILE HESKEY (England) Age 34, caps 62.
Biggest transfer: £11m, Leicester to Liverpool 2000. Released by: Aston Villa.

HARRY KEWELL (Australia) Age 33, caps 58.
Biggest transfer: £5m, Leeds to Liverpool 2003.
Released by: Galatasaray.

IVAN KLASNIC (Croatia) Age 32, caps 41.
Biggest transfer: Three moves on a free, 78 games at Bolton. Released by: Bolton.

MIKAEL FORSSELL (Finland) Age 31, caps 81.
Biggest transfer: £3m, Chelsea to Birmingham 2005. Released by: Leeds.

TUNCAY (Turkey) Age 30, caps 80.
Biggest transfer: £5m, Middlesbrough to Stoke 2009. Released by: Wolfsburg.

NIGEL REO-COKER (England) Age 28, caps 0.
Biggest transfer: £7.5m, West Ham to Aston Villa 2007. Released by: Bolton.

OWEN HARGREAVES (England) Age 31, caps 42.
Biggest transfer: £17m, Bayern Munich to Man Utd 2007. Released by: Manchester City.

AKOS BUZSAKY (Hungary) Age 30, caps 20.
Biggest transfer: £500,000, Plymouth to QPR 2008. Released by: QPR.

JOHN MENSAH (Ghana) Age 29, caps 78.
Biggest transfer: Eight different clubs, 34 games at Sunderland. Released by: Lyon.

JASON KOUMAS (Wales) Age 32, caps 34
Biggest transfer: £5.3m, Cardiff to Wigan 2007
Released by: Wigan.

EIDUR GUDJOHNSEN (Iceland) Age 33, caps 67.
Biggest transfer: £8m, Chelsea to Barcelona 2006. Released by: AEK Athens.

JAMES BEATTIE (England) Age 34, caps 5.
Biggest transfer: £6m, Southampton to Everton 2005. Released by: Sheffield United.

FLORENT SINAMA PONGOLLE (France) Age 27, caps 1.
Biggest transfer: £8m, Recreativo to Atletico Madrid 2008. Released by: Sporting Lisbon.

CRAIG GORDON (Scotland) Age 29, caps 40.
Biggest transfer: £9m, Hearts to Sunderland 2007. Released by: Sunderland.

JAMES McFADDEN (Scotland) Age 29, caps 48.
Biggest transfer: £4.75m, Everton to Birmingham 2008. Released by: Everton.

THOMAS HITZLSPERGER (Germany) Age 30, caps 52. Biggest transfer: Seven clubs, 99 League games at Aston Villa. Released by: Wolfsburg.

ANDREAS HINKEL (Germany) Age 30, caps 21.
Biggest transfer: £1.9m, Seville to Celtic 2008.
Released by: Freiburg.

PER KROLDRUP (Denmark) Age 33, caps 33.
Biggest transfer: £5m, Udinese to Everton 2005.
Released by: Fiorentina.

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Some interesting names there. wonder why the hitz was released. Gordon wasn't a bad keeper (imho). Of all them names, i'd like to see Del P here. He might make a classy impact sub. Older players then him still putting in very good performances for Man U. Harry Kewell was a blast from the past, i used to love watching him at lids, he always (like carbone at wednesday then villa) seemed to score good goals. probably worth a youtube look.

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Looks like we will get John Mensah in this current international break which is great news

Would like to see BFS try and get Hitzlsperger on one year deal so he can really prove to us what he can do as In the few games he did play he made a big difference IMO also as people have mention already tho he want big wages Del piero would be a good freebie to have come of the bench and give some advice to our current younger strikers like Fanimo and Hall etc !.

Gordon if we can get him on cheap wages would be good as I stil dont think if Jussi gets injured Henderson could do a decent job in the prem IMO

Hitz- no fuppin thank you! Mensah, could be good cover at the back.

Arran H wrote:Looks like we will get John Mensah in this current international break which is great news

Would like to see BFS try and get Hitzlsperger on one year deal so he can really prove to us what he can do as In the few games he did play he made a big difference IMO also as people have mention already tho he want big wages Del piero would be a good freebie to have come of the bench and give some advice to our current younger strikers like Fanimo and Hall etc !.

Gordon if we can get him on cheap wages would be good as I stil dont think if Jussi gets injured Henderson could do a decent job in the prem IMO

Mensah - Only if personal terms are from planet Earth, not planet Professional Footballer

Hitz - No, been there, done that, move on.

Del Piero - Yeah, why not parner him up front with Michael Owen, oh, wait a minute, the off side rule, no goal hanging.

Gordon - You must be kidding. He's worse than Henderson and he is no where near Jussi, he was released by Blunderland ffs.

You'll be saying Nigel Reo Choker would be a decent acquisition next.

However, Drogba is available

Mensah could be good cover as said, as long as its on good terms for us

Hitz can go fcuk himself

Hargreaves pay as you play. Cover at right back and def mid.

And pay his own medical bills!

Defender for the right price please.
Mensah?

mensah is shit though? he was pants for blunderland i would have tomkins before him every day of the week and a hundred times on sunday! id probably play spence before him as well. imho of course

You dont become a free agent at that age for nothing eh Ian!

Really no idea of how good he is.
Just think we need another centre back.
But we do need a good one and not someone who is just available.

Ex-Man Utd and Arsenal defender leads trio of trialists at West Ham

Thursday, September 13, 2012
6:14 PM


Transfer news: Free agents Mikael Silvestre, John Mensah and Anthony Vanden Borre are on trial at West Ham, manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed.


Defender Silvestre is well known to English fans, having played for Manchester United and Arsenal. The Frenchman is available on a free transfer after leaving Werder Bremen in the summer.


Vanden Borre left from Belgium side Genk and Mensah has has been without a club since exiting Lyon at the end of last season.


Allardyce said: “They have been training with us but there is no decision on whether we will be pursuing their services or not at this moment in time

I like the way Sam always has a good look at players first, unlike in the past where we seemed to just give contracts to anybody that could put a pair of boots on

Campo wrote:I like the way Sam always has a good look at players first, unlike in the past where we seemed to just give contracts to anybody that could put a pair of boots on

And even some who couldn't reach their boots cos their stomach got in the way like Benni McCarthy

One premier league manager- I forget who- admitted he'd never seen his signings live

Let's offer Eidur Gudwotsit a contract. That'd get him off his fat, lazy arse to find a job so he doesn't have to come to us!

NRC at 28? how the mighty (in their own little mind) have fallen!

NRC - the best English holding midfielder in the Premier League? Surely not out of contract?!! What a jumped-up tosser (NRC not you Johnny)

(sorry Tony but there isnt one that says I'm with not so stoopid! )

I see Arthur Bollock is on a free. Didn't see much of him at Celtic so what's the Jockney's opinion of him as a keeper? Released by Fiorentina.

mottinghammer wrote: (sorry Tony but there isnt one that says I'm with not so stoopid! )

Is there actually any prospect at all of us signing an out of contract player at this point? We've got a registered squad of 25 "senior" players under PL rules, so the squad is full. If I've got it right, we can only change players in a transfer window, and then on the basis of "one-in, one-out", and only if our number of "home-grown" squad players doesn't drop below 8. Under-21 players dont count in any of this, but virtually all these out-of-contract players that have been mentioned don't fit that. So considering any "old" out-of -contract player after the season has started is pointless, surely, because they couldn't play for us until January and then only if we unloaded someone.
Or have I missed something??

Nope I think you are just about bang on