Who are the most valuable free agent players?
Free agents are stop-gap moves or quick fix signings that are not necessarily what the team needs. However, over the years some has extremely proved to be a real bargain and the bedrock of teams who get them.
Players don’t just become a free agent once they’re ain’t in the team long term planning or both parties couldn’t reach an agreement for a demanded salary, it is expected that such player would run out his contract and become a free agent that could join his team of choice.
The financial struggles of Europe’s top team have seen a meteoric rise in teams struggling to afford the astronomical salaries of their star players which have led to quite a number of top players running out of contract.
Here is a list of the most valuable free agents in the transfer market over the years.
- Gianluigi Donnarumma – (Paris Saint Germain, €60m)
When Donnarumma refuses to extend his contract with the Italian giant it was evident that the Rossoneri are on the verge of losing one of their best player to other Europe’s top team.
When he made his debut for Milan in Serie A, he became the second-youngest goalkeeper ever to achieve such a feat and since then he’s gone on to become one of the best goalies in world football.
As a matter of fact, he was also very instrumental in Italy’s triumph against England at the European Championship.
With the signing of Donnarumma, a well-experienced goalkeeper who is just 22 years old, one thing that certainly comes to mind is that the French champions have got themselves a winner and goalie.
- David Alaba – (Real Madrid, €55m)
Alaba will take up a new challenge at Real Madrid once the 2021-22 campaign kickstart in Spain. The Austria international made the high profile move to the Spanish giant earlier this summer having failed to agree on a new deal with Die Roten.
Just a few days ago he was officially presented as a Los Merengues player with an iconic number 4 jersey worn by former captain of the team who also joined Paris Saint Germain as a free agent.
Though the Spanish giant lost one of their finest players but with Alaba they’ve got themselves a versatile player who could play as a left-back, centre back and midfielder.
At 28 years, which is no doubt the age bracket expected of a player to reach the pinnacle of his career, and as such the former Bayern Munich star is currently enjoying his full potential as a professional footballer which has been evident with the German side and Austria.
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- Robert Lewandoski – (Bayern Munich, €50m)
When Lewandoski swapped Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer for Bayern in 2014 following his contract expiration it was a steal of the year because of his reputation as a well renowned forward in the Bundesliga.
Aside from Messi and Ronaldo, the Polish international is arguably the best striker in world football with his consistency in hitting double figures every season. In the just-concluded campaign, he took his brilliant form to a new level by breaking the Bundesliga’s record of most goals scored in a single season with 41 goals.
As Lewandoski ages so did his potency in front of goal becomes more pronounced, and since he joined the Bavarian he has scored 294 goals, 65 assists in 329 games for the German.
Should he stay with Bayern for yet another season then he might go down in German footballing folklore as one the best foreigner to grace the Bundesliga.
- Memphis Depay – (Barcelona, €45m)
Joining Barcelona to team up with some of his country’s teammates was a dream come true for the former Manchester United winger. The Catalan club has been on his case for a while before they eventually got their man for free having refuses to extend his contract at Lyon.
With the Spanish giant going through financial challenges, it is compulsory for them to think out of the box with their dealings in the transfer market. As such getting free agent players who are still quite good in terms of what they would offer the team was the best option for them.
For the records, they also got Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero from the ever-reliable free-agent market that should help Ronald Koeman in fighting for the LaLiga title once the season commences.
- Stefan de Vrij – (Inter Milan, €40m)
Once the Serie A campaign commences, the Dutchman would have another chance to work with his former manager Simone Inzaghi whom he worked with at Lazio. De Vrij swapped the Biancocelesti for Nerazzurri on a free transfer after four brilliant seasons with the Stadio Olimpico side.
Since he joined the Italian champions, he has formed a brilliant partnership in the heart of the defence for Inter with Milan Skrinier which translated into a championship paring last season under Conte.
He may have joined the Nerazzurri on a free transfer, but he has been able to give back to the team exactly what a player that is outrightly sign with a huge fee in the market won’t probably bring to the table in terms of efficiency and his defensive quality as a centre back.
- Leon Goretzka – (Bayern Munich, €40m)
Goretzka is one the finest product ever to come out of Schalke 04, the German international made the switch to Bayern in 2018 having run out his contract with Die Konigsblauen following in the footsteps of Manuel Neuer in 2011.
He was quite immense in the middle of the pack for the Bavarian giant last season in their quest to win the league under Flick. With the new season upon us, the former Schalke 04 midfielder is looking like he wants to run out his contract with the Bundesliga Champions, in other to join Real Madrid next summer based on the reports that have been going around in the media.
Should Goretzka fail to extend his contract with the team, any club that gets him would be lucky for sealing a smart and extremely brilliant deal.
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- Aaron Ramsey – (Juventus, €40m)
Ramsey has gone through a lot in his professional career and he has come out triumphant irrespective of what that challenge throw at him.
When he broke his leg while at Arsenal everything seems gloomy and finished for the Wales international, but thankfully he came back with a bang for the Gunners.
He left the London club for Juventus on a free transfer having been convinced by Beppe Marotta to come to Turin, a team who is quite renowned for signing free agents.
When he signed the dotted papers his market value was €40m, a decent money Arsenal could’ve used to facilitate a new signing in the market should they have sold the Welshman outrightly before his contract runs out.
Since joining the Italian giant, things haven’t gone according to plan for him with the fact that he’s been playing sparingly, and with a new manager in town he might yet be on the move again for playing time perhaps in the Premier League, Major League Soccer, or faraway in China.
- Micheal Ballack – (Retired, €35m)
Ballack is undoubtedly one of the best German midfielders in his time for both Die Mannschaft and his clubs. His quality as a top player came to the fore during his time with the BayArena side Bayer Leverkusen before he was snapped up by Bayern.
Following the expiration of his contract with the German champions, Chelsea snapped him up with a lucrative three year deal in 2006 as one of the highest-paid players at that time in the Premier League.
His stint with the Blues that spanned four years was a success winning the championship in 2010 and three FA Cup titles.
He left Chelsea for his former club Bayer Leverkusen when it was evident that the West London hierarchy was trying to chart a new course for the team in terms of recruitment.
- Adrien Rabiot – (Juventus, €35m)
Following Rabiot’s renewal debacle with the Paris Saint Germain board orchestrated by his mother agent which made the Frenchman run out of his contract with the Parisians.
He moved to Turin in 2019 and since then his nosediving career has been rejuvenated, which was evident through his performance at the just-concluded European Championship.
Should Max Allegri fancy his style of play and sees him as one of the key figures in his team, then he should be ready to play a huge role for the Old Lady next season.
Looking at Rabiot age, the Italian side has got themselves a young player that still has 7- 10 years of active football, and should their union continue to go on smoothly, he would be phenomenal.
- Hakan Calhanoglu – (Inter Milan, €35m)
The Turkey international is arguably one of the best-attacking midfielders that played in the modern era of the Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen from 2014 to 2017.
He signed a four year deal with AC Milan in 2017 reported to be worth €24m having painstakingly served the German side who trusted his talent and went all out to sign him from Hamburger.
Calhanoglu runs out of his contract with the Rossoneri at the end of June, and he becomes a free agent that has the freedom of teaming up with any club of his choice.
Surprisingly when it was all looking like he would be heading straight to the Turkish Superliga either with Galatasaray or Fenerbache, he moves to Milan city rival Inter Milan earlier this summer to continue his stay in the city of Milan.
