Free agency is a big thing in sport across the pond.
The free agency market is second only to the annual draft event where the worst performing franchises have the pick of the very best talents in college sport and a major part of the off season.
A player becoming a free agent could mean several different things – age, end of contract, not good enough, behaviour problems or cost cutting measure to name just a few.
While it is not treated quite the same as it is in US sports, the free agency market in football is just as important for clubs across the divisions. It is a chance for all to pick up a player without having to pay a fee up front and instead use some of that initial outlay that is saved on the wages.
The list of current free agents that have been released from Premier League clubs is lengthy. Some players have already been signed by their clubs or moved on since it was compiled in the middle of May.
- Arsenal – Mathieu Flamini, Abou Diaby, Damian Martinez
- Aston Villa – Darren Bent, Ron Vlaar, Chris Herd, Enda Stevens
- Burnley – Dean Marney, Steven Reid, Ross Wallace, Michael Duff, Danny Ings
- Chelsea – Didier Drogba, Gael Kakuta
- Crystal Palace – Shola Ameobi, Jerome Thomas, Brede Hangeland, Owen Garvan, Damien Delaney
- Everton – Sylvain Distin, Antolin Alcaraz, Luke Garbutt
- Hull City – Steve Harper, Liam Rosenior, Paul McShane, Alex Bruce, Stephen Quinn, Yannick Sagbo, Maynor Figueroa, Joe Dudgeon
- Leicester – Esteban Cambiasso, Matthew Upson, Paul Konchesky, Marcin Wasilewski, Dean Hammond, Conrad Logan, Zoumana Bakayogo
- Liverpool – Kolo Toure, Glen Johnson, Jon Flanagan, Jerome Sinclair
- Manchester City – Richard Wright, James Milner, Micah Richards, John Guidetti
- Manchester United – Tom Cleverley, James Wilson, Ben Amos
- Newcastle United – Jonas Guitierrez, Ryan Taylor, Sammy Ameobi, Freddie Woodman
- Queen Park Rangers – Shaun Wright-Phillips, Rio Ferdinand, Joey Barton, Richard Dunne, Brian Murphy, Bobby Zamora, Karl Henry, Clint Hill, Alejandro Faurlin
- Southampton – Artur Boruc
- Stoke City – Jonathan Walters, Thomas Sorensen, Peter Odemwingie, Andy Wilkinson, Wilson Palacios
- Sunderland – Wes Brown, Anthony Reveillere
- Swansea City – Gerhard Tremmel, David Cornell
- Tottenham Hotspur – Brad Friedel
- West Bromwich Albion – Boaz Myhill, Chris Baird, Gareth McAuley, Youssuf Mulumbu, Claudio Yacob
- West Ham United – Guy Demel, Carlton Cole, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Nene
The big question is, are Palace beyond free agency now? I do not believe that we are. No club can really say that as there is often a bargain to be had.
A great example of that in recent seasons has been arguably one of our best signings that did not command a fee. That was the shred deal that saw Marouane Chamakh arrive from Arsenal. Without having to pay a transfer fee, it allowed the club to spend more than we perhaps would have done had we had to have paid a transfer fee.
As stand out players from this summer’s free agents go, Dutch centre back Ron Vlaar catches the eye. He is attracting the attention Arsenal and Manchester United even though Aston Villa are confident in retaining his services. It is one position that Palace are likely to be looking at and what a deal it would be to bring him in.
One name that will attract the lions share of attention this summer is striker Danny Ings. Yet another position that Palace are looking to strengthen although Liverpool remain favourites to sign Ings who faded towards the latter part of the season.
There is one list of players that hopefully Palace as well as a few other Premier League clubs are likely to avoid. Those that have been released by relegated Queens Park Rangers. They certainly did not cover themselves in any glory and I would be very surprised if any clubs above Championship level would gamble on any of them.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Walters is a reliable utility player, similar to that of James Milner who Liverpool have just snapped up. Former England defenders Micah Richards and Jon Flanagan have both suffered in recent years, the latter through an unfortunate run of injuries that began during the warm up games for the World Cup last year.
A few goalkeepers appear in the list with Brad Friedel retiring but the likes of Tomas Sorensen and particularly Boaz Myhill have plenty still to offer. The latter was a more than able deputy to the injured Ben Foster at West Bromwich Albion but it remains to be seen if he gets a new deal to extend his stay at the Hawthorns.
Sometimes a fresh start and a change of scenery is all a player needs to show the form that they have previously been known for. Such a signing could be seen as a gamble but with no initial outlay it just could be that diamond just waiting to be shone again.
It will be interesting to see if there are any takers for the free agents that remain without a club. More interestingly for us though, if Alan Pardew has more than an eye on any of them.
