WITH SOME CLUBS failing to get deals done on Deadline Day, it’s probably left them short on players.
In certain cases, like Sunderland’s, they can’t rest on their laurels. They need a goalkeeper, and preferably a striker, as soon as possible.
And they, along with other teams, have one other avenue worth pursuing: the free agents list.
Mark Schwarzer
He’s 43 and has made 10 Premier League appearances in the last four seasons but did pocket a top-flight winners’ medal in May after his stint with Leicester.
He was released by the Foxes at the end of the campaign and, if a big club needs a keeper and quick, the Australian is top of the list.
Jose Enrique
Still only 30, the full-back’s form has really tailed off since injuries interrupted the start of his 2013/14 season.
His final two campaigns with Liverpool were write-offs as he quickly became a fringe-player. His last league appearance came in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in January 2015 but he badly struggled for opportunities under Jurgen Klopp.
Last term , he started two games in the FA Cup as part of a second-string side before he was dropped to the bench for a clash with West Ham.
He was released at the end of the season.
Mathieu Flamini
The 32-year-old Frenchman returned to Arsenal in 2013 after five years with Milan and featured quite prominently for the Gunners in the last three seasons.
Since being released at the end of the season, he’s been linked with a move to Crystal Palace but there are a number of other clubs in the mix too.
Aggressive and physical, he’d add some grit to midfield.
Dimitar Berbatov
The Bulgarian is now 35 and struggled in his last spell with PAOK in Greece. He was released after just one season but still could do a job for a Premier League side.
Well past his prime, he could pop up with a crucial goal or two to assist a club in a relegation fight.
Back in 2003, Birmingham signed Christophe Dugarry in the January transfer window and his crucial contributions effectively kept them up that season.
Perhaps Berbatov could provide a similar service for a top-flight team.
Stephane Sessegnon
The 32-year-old has been in the Premier League since 2011 and racked up well over 150 appearances. He knows how the place works and that can be a massive advantage for teams, especially if they’re struggling.
He’s never quite recaptured the form he showed while at Sunderland in 2012/2013 and he didn’t exactly set the Hawthorns alight in his three seasons with West Brom.
Still, his experience will definitely count for something.
Emmanuel Adebayor
It seems an eternity since Adebayor was a £25m player and he’s never really been the same since swapping Arsenal for Manchester City in 2009 – with the exception of that initial loan spell at Tottenham.
He knows all about free agency. He played 7 times in the league for Crystal Palace in the second half of last season, scoring once against Watford.
The big question for a club is whether he’s worth the risk, while he’ll also probably look for quite a substantial pay-out too.
Nicklas Bendtner
Speaking of risks, the 28-year-old would represent a huge gamble considering the way his time with Wolfsburg ended.
He joined the German side on a free in 2014 but 14 months before it was due to expire, Bendtner’s contract was terminated.
It would take some real desperation for a Premier League team to bring him in.
Miroslav Klose
Incredibly, the 38-year-old has still not retired. He left Lazio in May but maintained he wanted to keep playing.
There have been whispers of a move to MLS and Australia but a Premier League switch has not really been discussed.
A direct striker, he was excellent in Serie A and is just a proven goalscorer. A short-term deal could be very beneficial to a side struggling to find the net.
Klose will always get you goals.
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As a United fan, I simply don’t rate him as a striker. He is not nearly clinical enough…particularly in a one on one situation. I’m not buying the defense that he is still young. He is comparable to Sanè at MC in age, who is a far superior player. The fact that he is English is really covering his shortcomings.
@Jonathon Carroll: 100% agree with you.
@Jonathon Carroll: I totally agree. Look at past Utd attackers, Rooney , Ronaldo , Giggs , Scholes, at his age they’d have buried that one on one in Turin midweek. Should have come away with a 3-1 win in the end from a Utd point of view
@Jonathon Carroll: The chance he missed against Juventus during the week is him in a nutshell, no composure.
If every players career was defined at the age of 21 it would be interesting. Also, Sané isn’t a striker.
It’s a real reflection of the state of Man Utd when scoring a winner in a derby is the highlight of their striker’s career.