Twenty-six former Premier League players who are currently free agents including a Man Utd academy graduate

Danny Rose at Watford, Hatem Ben Arfa at Lille and Bojan at Vissel Kobe. TEAMtalk montage.

After the January transfer window slammed shut, clubs will now have to look at free agents if they want to strengthen their squads before the end of the season. 

Hundreds of free agents are hoping to be snapped up in the coming weeks and some of them have experience in the Premier League.

Using data from transfermarkt, we’ve looked at players that have made at least one Premier League appearance and are currently unattached.

Note: we’ve only included players that have a market value of at least €500,000 on transfermarkt.

Alejandro Pozuelo

Jese

Danny Rose

Rose was once regarded as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League and was named in the PFA Team of the Year in both 2015/16 and 2016/17.

After falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho, he had a loan spell at Newcastle United and was released by Tottenham at the end of the 2020/21 season.

The 32-year-old made eight appearances for Watford last season but left the club in September after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.

Tom Carroll

Tyler Blackett

Blackett came through Manchester United’s academy and made 11 Premier League appearances under Louis van Gaal in 2014/15.

After being sold to Reading in 2016, the left-back spent four years at the Madejski Stadium before joining Nottingham Forest. He then moved to America in August 2021 and joined MLS side FC Cincinnati but was released at the start of 2023.

The 28-year-old was due to join Wigan Athletic in the January transfer window, but the sacking of Kolo Toure put the move on ice.

Jose Izquierdo

Eliaquim Mangala

Alexandre Pato

Pato averaged a goal every other game for Chelsea, which sounds alright until you realise he played two games during his loan spell in 2015/16.

After leaving Stamford Bridge, he had spells in Spain, China and Brazil before joining MLS side Orlando City in February 2021.

The former AC Milan striker became a free agent in January and reportedly has offers from Turkey, Qatar and Brazil, but he is hoping to return to Italy’s top-flight.

“I’m very happy for his Monza,” Pato told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “(Silvio) Berlusconi and (Adriano) Galliani are always in my heart. I’m sure that in a few years Monza will get to challenge Milan and Inter.

“I had already spoken with Berlusconi and Galliani before the promotion, but in Serie B, non-EU players are not allowed. We’ll see now, maybe now that they’re in Serie A I’ll get a message from them…”

Brazil striker Alexandre Pato

Federico Fernandez 

Emerson Hyndman

Connor Wickham

Wickham played in the Premier League for both Sunderland and Crystal Palace, scoring 19 goals in the top-flight.

The striker was most recently on the books of League One side Forest Green Rovers, where he scored nine times in 20 appearances in all competitions before leaving the club in January.

According to Wales Online, he’s since undergone rehabilitation with the Cardiff City physios and the Championship side are now weighing up a contract offer for the 29-year-old.

Simone Zaza

Jetro Willems

Hatem Ben Arfa

A Newcastle United cult hero, Ben Arfa terrorised defenders with his trickery and speed during a four-and-a-half-year stint at St James Park.

The mercurial winger has since represented Nice, Paris Saint-Germain, Rennes, Real Valladolid, Bordeaux and Lille but is currently without a club.

His time at Lille was shrouded in controversy as he was suspended by the Ligue 1 side after a reported altercation with manager Jocelyn Gourvennec.

Jo Inge Berget

Jurgen Locadia

Danny Drinkwater

One of two Premier League winners on this list, Drinkwater played a key role in Leicester City’s historic success in 2015/16.

The midfielder then moved to Chelsea in a £35m deal in 2017 but had a difficult time at Stamford Bridge, making just 23 appearances for the club.

“There are a few offers flying about,” he told Sky Sports after being released by Chelsea in 2022. “It’s a weird time for football, especially when you’re free to the market.

“That last season (on loan at Reading) helped me massively, getting all those games under my belt, and hopefully the second half of the season showed I’ve still got the ability and hunger to push myself.

“There are options, it’s just about the decision. I love winning, so it’s a difficult thing to let go at this age.”

Blackpool had looked to entice the 32-year-old to Bloomfield Road but the two sides were unable to come to an agreement and he’s still without a club.

Danny Drinkwater playing for Chelsea

Lewis Grabban

Oumar Niasse

Izzy Brown

Brown made his Premier League debut for West Bromwich Albion at the age of 16 in May 2013 and then joined Chelsea a few weeks later.

He was tipped for a bright future by Jose Mourinho but would go on to make just one Premier League appearance in his eight years at Chelsea.

The forward did appear 13 times for Brighton in the competition in 2017/18 whilst on one of his many loan deals from the Blues.

He signed a one-year contract with Preston North End in 2021 but failed to make a single appearance for the club after rupturing his Achilles in pre-season training. The 26-year-old was released in April 2022 and is still searching for his 11th club.

Dale Stephens

Havard Nordtveit

Bojan

A product of the famed La Masia academy, Bojan looked set for big things when he broke into the Barcelona team under Pep Guardiola.

The Spain international had spells at Roma, AC Milan and Ajax before completing a surprise move to Stoke City, where he established himself as a fan favourite.

Following his departure from Stoke in 2019, he left Europe and spent time at MLS side Montreal Impact before linking up with former Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta at Vissel Kobe in the Japanese top-flight.

The 32-year-old made 26 appearances for Vissel Kobe but recently became a free agent after they decided not to renew his contract for the 2023 season.

Marvin Zeegelaar

Jeremy Pied

Jo

Jo became Manchester City’s record signing in 2008 when he arrived from CSKA Moscow in a £19m deal, but he scored just one Premier League goal for the club.

He had loan spells at Everton and Galatasaray before leaving City in 2011 and embarking on a nomadic career, playing for four different clubs in Brazil while also having stints in Dubai, China and Japan.

The 35-year-old then joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Jabalain in January 2023 but his contract was terminated by mutual consent five days later. A bit odd…

READ MORE: Ranking the Premier League clubs by their transfer net spend in 2023: Chelsea top, Man Utd 17th…