Part of the fun of playing Football Manager is signing players, and shaping a squad around players you have brought into the club. From top division sides to second division hopefuls, this guide compiles a list of players teams should look at to add as free agents for their squad for either squad depth or first team duties. This guide will have multiple options for free agent players per position, so if you’re not sure, just get them in on trial and see how they stack up with the rest of your team.
Goalkeeper
David De Gea
Move quickly for David De Gea as he is a hot property and a big name who is still in his prime years. For teams with an aspiration to challenge with Europe’s elite, De Gea is one of the best shot stoppers in the world. 19 Reflexes, 17 Agility and 16 Handling and Aerial Reach make him one of the best at keeping the ball out of his team’s net. Much has been said about Manchester United replacing him due to a lack of his ability to play out of the back, but he would still be a starting quality keeper for 95% of European sides.
He’s an upgrade to most teams, has elite pedigree and picking him up would be a redemption story for both himself and for the club that picked them up. Starting against United with him in goal and picking up a win would feel very special. He also has a good personality with a resolute personality which makes him a good short term number one for mentoring.
De Gea already signed for a club as I was scouting him. If you want the former Man United stopper, better hurry.
Timo Horn
Making over 200 appearances in the Bundesliga during his career, Timo Horn finds himself without a club for the new campaign. The former 1.FC Köln keeper is a well rounded player with no real weaknesses in his game. His age make him a player entering his prime as a keeper and he should have anywhere between three to five more years at the very top level.
The imposing 192 cm frame with 16 Aerial Reach, Jumping Reach and Strength will allow him to collect a lot of danger before it happens and commanding his box is a big strength that jumps out from his attributes. His Personality of Fairly Professional is also a positive, but anyone that signs him will get a consistent pair of hands in between the sticks. He’s the definition of a low risk potentially high return investment.
Solid and commands his box effectively, Horn is reliable set of hands.
Defender
Aleix Vidal
Vidal has had short stints all across Spain with his latest stint with Espanyol coming to an end without his contract being renewed. Their loss could be your gain as the right back boasts over 200 appearances in La Liga and looks to have gas left in the tank.
I feel like the way to describe Vidal would be solid if uninspiring. He’s got no major weaknesses and can attack and defend decently while not being too immobile or too technically limited. His stats point to him being good on the ball and taking risks with it, but it isn’t unwarranted with 15 Flair, 15 Off the Ball and 13 Dribbling. He seems to be a good option as an attacking fullback, and if your team has 3 defensive players in their backline, he could help give your team some offensive juice by supporting the right winger with runs and an outlet option for balls into the box.
Vidal still has good years left in him and should add value to a lot of first division sides.
Jerome Boateng
Perhaps the biggest household name on the list, Jerome Boateng’s illustrious career is coming into the twilight years with the former World Champion finding himself without a club for the upcoming campaign. Still only 34, the centre back is our choice for the top defender to throw your money at in the free agent pool, and his passing, composure and vision make him a perfect Ball Playing Defender. Perhaps partnering him with someone more youthful and quick will cover some of the physical limitations Boateng will have, but technically and mentally, Boateng brings forth a wealth of experience and knowledge that can be invaluable to any locker room he steps into. There’s just not much to say with Boateng, if your backline needs an upgrade, there’s not many better options.
A big name, the former World Cup winner would add plenty in the dressing room and on the pitch.
Danny Rose
A household English fullback, many will fondly remember Danny Rose in a Spurs shirt bursting onto the scene with the world at his feet as one of the most promising defenders of his generation. With 29 England caps and over 150 appearances for Tottenham, I’d say he’s had a successful career, albeit not reaching the lofty heights many predicted he would reach as he felt like he was brimming with potential when he first made it onto a Premier League pitch.
The 33 year old has good mentals and decent technical skills so he can be a backup in a mid table or lower top league side, or a starter in a second division side. English players are notoriously expensive so that’s a bummer, but Rose is a good left back, and for free, deserves the chance to prove that he can still keep playing. His Fairly Determined personality is also good for mentoring, and he’s solid all around and you can cut him loose if he regresses too much by keeping on short term contracts. For the here and now, Rose is a solid Left back that doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses and should fit into most sides quite comfortably.
Former Spurs man Danny Rose finds himself clubless at the start of the season.
Midfielder
Jesse Lingard
An England starboy with 32 caps for the Lions, J Lingz finds himself without a club for the upcoming season. A household name, Lingard made a name for himself at Manchester United and played last season at Nottingham Forest. His holy trinity of Dribbling, Finishing and First Touch are all fairly decent, and his Mentals and Physicals don’t have any glaring holes outside of his Jumping Reach and Strength.
He made a huge impact at West Ham on loan a few years back, and he still has the ability to influence games in top leagues. His ability to play out wide also makes him versatile and easy to integrate in systems without a natural Number 10 role in the squad formation. He has close to 200 appearances in the Premier League and his accolades speak for himself. Maybe your club can be the next destination for Lingard to make a big splash in.
Will you be the manager to get the best out of Lingard?
Jose Campana
Campana has Cruciate Ligament damage as an injury so he might not be able to step on the pitch immediately, but he might be the best midfielder that is unattached to a club this year. The 30 year old has seen it all with more than 150 appearances in La Liga. The former Spain International still has plenty to give with experience in all the top 5 leagues bar France. Comfortable through the middle of midfield, Campana is a traditional playmaker.
His attributes point towards someone that can dictate the middle of the park for any side he plays for with 16 First Touch, Technique and Passing, and 15 Vision and Teamwork. Giving him the keys to your team should allow for other players to express themselves more freely, and his 14 Agility should give him sneaky bursts that allow him to evade challenges and retain the ball with security. I think he could be a starter for most Premier League sides if given a chance, and he’s still useful as a squad player in any team that isn’t overstaffed in midfield. He’s a bargain on a free and short term, he could do well in cup competitions and Europe for top sides without dropping the quality of play behind your main maestro.
Criminally underrated, Campana is great at dictating the tempo of the game.
Jean Philippe Gbamin
Former wonderkid Jean Philippe Gbamin finds himself without a club this season in FM. He joined USL Dunkerque in Ligue 2 after being released by Everton at the end of last year. In a traditional start save he should be available without a club, and his age makes him a project that managers can work on to get the best out of him. He’s been around the block with spells all across the continent, and he only made 6 appearances for Everton making it a disappointing end for his play at the top level.
When looking at Gbamin’s attributes, his technicals outside of his 14 Marking and 16 Tackling are disappointing for a midfielder, and his mentals outside of his Aggression and Work Rate also leave a lot to be desired. His physical skills are his strongest attributes but even there, he suffers from being a bit slow so there’s plenty of development to be done for him to fulfill his potential. Anyone who signs Gbamin will have a raw prospect who has played across Europe and a player whose career has stalled before he has reached his full potential. Regardless of if he starts or he’s a squad player, there’s a handy player in there and with the right development, Gbamin still has time to come good.
Revive the former wonderkid’s career.
Winger
Karim Bellarabi
Surprised? I am too. Karim Bellarabi just seemed like a Bayer Leverkusen player for all my life, and I’m surprised that he’s now not on the team. Now at 33, Bayer have cut him loose after more than 200 appearances in the Bundesliga. Unlike the other senior members on this list, Bellarabi still has excellent physical skills, alongside his technical skills and mental attributes to form a solid winger. With no real weakness to his game, he will get stuck in with 16 Work Rate and 11 Tackling, while his 15 Pace and Dribbling and 14 Flair will make him a tricky customer for any fullback trying to defend against him.
His career doesn’t need a revival. He’s played at the top of German Football for a long time, and he’s been a great and consistent performer as everyone probably knows his name, especially those with an interest in German football. This is more about giving his last hurrah in his career, and perhaps acquiring a squad player that can fill in and do a good job on the buy low. Personally, I hope Bellarabi finds whatever he is looking for in his next chapter. That story could be written with whatever team you manage.
A staple name in German football, Bellarabi should still have plenty of admirers.
Diego Perotti
Five times capped for Argentina as an attacker, Diego Perotti is firmly in the tail end of his career. Boasting over 100 appearances in La Liga and Serie A, Perotti is a creator that can play in all three positions behind the striker. Technically brilliant and mentally very good, Perotti could fill the Ozil role. His attributes point towards him not really having the capacity or stamina to join a high tempo press or to be present in defensive duty. It’s a player with clear limitations and could become a passenger out of possession. Despite all of this, he’s brilliant with the ball at his feet, and his Flair and Dribbling allows him to retain the ball and make magic happen.
At 34, he’s not got long left in the professional game. He’s got limited fuel left in the tank, and you definitely don’t want him to be on the pitch when you’re defending a lead in the last 5 minutes of a game. But perhaps his presence is significant as it’s a last of a dying breed of maestro Number 10’s, and to have a real playmaker on your team could be a throwback to the way football was played not so long ago. Just for that, and his fantastic attributes, Perotti could be worth taking a flyer on.
Italian journeyman Diego Perotti has class in spades.
Tanguy Coulibaly
It’s a strange one for Tanguy Coulibaly, as he has elite pedigree with experience playing in VFB Stuttgart most recently, and coming through the Youth Academy at Paris Saint Germain. You don’t get on those teams without brilliant talent, and the 22 year old has played in the Bundesliga 66 times, which isn’t a small number considering he is only still 22. Capable of playing on both flanks, Tanguy’s career has stalled and in the right environment, he could get back to becoming a serviceable starter in a top 5 league team.
The attributes aren’t even that bad. His physicals are impressive outside of his Jumping Reach and Strength, which will come with age and aren’t important traits for a winger anyway. The mentals aren’t terrible either, although his Decisions and Positioning probably could be worked on, his Holy Trinity of Dribbling, Finishing and First Touch, along with his Technique, all show an immensely talented footballer whose talent is going to lay in waste if someone doesn’t give him the right opportunity. While the total of his attributes aren’t impressive, he is good or serviceable at everything a winger needs to do well. He could be another product of an academy player who played for a big club and then was thrown in the deep end in his first transfer and didn’t really get an opportunity to turn into the immense potential he had.
With elite pedigree, Coulibaly is just desperate for the opportunity to get a consistent run of games.
Striker
Fabio Quagliarella
Recently retired Fabio Quagliarella is the best centre forward on the list in an otherwise uninspiring class of free agent strikers. At the ripe age of 40, his best years are long behind him, but he’s still available to sign on FM and could still do a job in top division sides either as a stop gap option on the cheap or a depth and rotational player for mentoring. With plenty of positive player traits and the Personality of Born Leader, he’s a locker room dream and a perfect mentor for any up and comers.
His ability has been proven as he has racked up 556 appearances in Serie A and 181 goals with 210 minutes per goal making him good to get one basically every two matches he plays. His attributes, especially his mentals and technical skills, are to die for with him equally adept as a creator or a finisher. He’d thrive in a two striker formation next to a tall fast centre forward with plenty of energy.
His 19 Work Rate and 17 Anticipation underpin a real intelligence to his game, and if you have a wonderkid striker on your hands, signing Fabio just for the express purpose of mentorship could positively boost the wonderkid and put him on the right path in order to reach superstardom. A Rolls-Royce centre forward, while he may not become league top scorer or burn past 5 defenders en route to a solo goal, he transforms your locker room and is one of the best voices for mentorship in the entire game. For free? Why not take the punt?
Fabio has great Technical and Mental attributes so he should be able to make game defining plays.
Caleb Chukwuemeka
While more for a lower league save, Caleb Chukwuemeka could prove to be a decent option at centre forward for lower league sides. His physicals and finishing abilities are what stand out about his attributes, and he’s a good penalty taker which can be invaluable at lower league level, due to the poor level of technical ability in the lower divisions. His brother Carney may be more familiar to Premier League fans as a Chelsea wide man, and he shares this blood for a brotherhood of footballing professionals.
He’s been released from Aston Villa’s academy, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make the grade at lower league. The finishing and technical attributes alone make him good enough to score bags of goals at lower league level, and at only 21, he could be flipped for profit if developed and played in a system that plays to his physical strengths. It’s a smart, nifty signing for all you road to glory lovers for a player that will play at your level and grow with your club to hopefully realise his potential.
A suggestion for lower league saves, Caleb should be a decent project to develop.
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