With the transfer window open, clubs are making space on their rosters for new additions – and that means cutting away some of the deadwood. Numerous big names find themselves without a club this summer, with many of those deemed too old or too injury prone. Nevertheless, the list in an impressive one.
Here are 12 of the biggest stars seeking employment.
#12 Alvaro Arbeloa
Two-time Champions League winner Alvaro Arbeloa has been released by West Ham following an unsuccessful single season with Slaven Bilic’s side. He made only three league appearances for the Hammers, having moved on a free transfer from Real Madrid the previous summer.
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The 34-year-old defender has had a highly successful career, winning a glut of trophies at the Bernabeu, where he returned in 2009 after coming through their youth system before moving to Deportivo La Coruna and then Liverpool. With the national team, with whom he earned two European Championship crowns and a World Cup.
#11 Gael Clichy
France international left-back Gael Clichy has fallen victim to Pep Guardiola’s revolution in the full-back areas at Manchester City, with the club confirming he would depart on May 25 - well before the June 9 deadline.
Clichy has a wealth of experience in the Premier League, having spent eight years with Arsenal before moving to City in 2011. In total, he has made over 220 appearances in England’s top flight, scoring three goals.
Capped 20 times for his country, he failed to cement his place as a regular at any stage in Manchester and has indicated that a return to France is possible this summer, with Lyon interested.
#10 Mathieu Flamini
A player who threatened to make it to the big time but never quite achieved those heights was midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who at 33 has been released by Crystal Palace. Although he started his career at Marseille, the midfielder is most noted for his four-year spell at Arsenal, where he was used primarily as a utility player in the centre of the field.
His only league title, however, would arrive with AC Milan, where he won the Serie A crown in 2010-11 – the last side to claim success before Juventus took control of the competition. It is surprising, nevertheless, that he won only three caps for his country over the course of a career that has spanned 14 years.
He featured only 13 times for Palace last season and spent a frustrating campaign warming the bench.
#9 Jan Kirchhoff
Potentially one of the most eligible players on the list of players released from Premier League sides surprisingly comes from Sunderland. Former Germany Under-21 international Kirchhoff was instrumental in saving the Black Cats in 2015-16, but he barely had any influence this time around after suffering a succession of injury problems.
After a knee issue ended his campaign as early as December, with his recovery taking longer than the initially scheduled period of three months, there are questions over his durability, but his qualities shone through a year earlier and any club that signs him will have a bargain – if they can keep him fit.
At 26-years-old, though, he may well be worth the gamble.
#8 Arouna Kone
Another player to have his share of injury problems is Arouna Kone, who has not been retained by Everton. He managed only six appearances in all competitions last season for the Toffees, turning out for a mere 72 minutes in the Premier League, spread over six matches.
The 33-year-old striker, though, has a good track record of finding the net when he is fit, and enjoyed a particularly fruitful spell in the Netherlands earlier in his career, when he netted 48 times in 116 Eredivisie appearances for Roda and PSV, winning the title with the latter in 2006 and 2007.
He also won the FA Cup with Wigan in 2012-13, when he was a major part of their side.
#7 Joe Ledley
Wales international Joe Ledley is liable to attract a great deal of interest after being released by Crystal Palace aged 30. He is known for his energy and tenacity in the centre of the field and has been one of the keystones of a national side that has punched above its weight in recent years.
Indeed, before Gareth Bale burst onto the scene, he was twice named his national side’s Player of the Year.
He still has plenty of football left in him, and though there are concerns that he may not be quick enough to play at the very top level, his experience and reputation for industry should ensure he gets a good move.
#6 Jesus Navas
After four years with Manchester City, 35-time capped Spain international Jesus Navas will leave Pep Guardiola’s side, though this was announced back in May. His stay in England has brought two League Cups and a Premier League title, while on the international scene he won both the World Cup and the European Championship of 2012.
Much of Navas’s career has been spent with hometown side Sevilla, in part due to his chronic homesickness, which prevented him from moving away. He has overcome that problem, but under Guardiola, he was only able to play a bit-part role, even turning out as a makeshift right-back in the closing weeks of the campaign.
#5 Bacary Sagna
Another high-profile player to depart Manchester City is right-back Bacary Sagna. The 34-year-old has spent a decade playing in the Premier League, since moving from Auxerre to Arsenal in the summer of 2007. He played over 200 times for the Gunners before moving to Manchester City in 2014, where he turned out on 54 occasions in the Premier League.
Although scoring goals was certainly not in Sagna’s remit, he has a remarkably poor record in any case. The defender has played 555 senior matches and has found the net only five times. Additionally, he has never won a league title, though he did win the Coupe de France with Auxerre, the FA Cup with Arsenal and the League Cup while at City.
#4 Yaya Sanogo
Striker Yaya Sanogo became something of a cult figure at Arsenal, at least in part because he looked so out of his depth at the Emirates Stadium. Signed from Auxerre off the back of some encouraging performances for France’s U21 side, he never looked the part for Arsene Wenger’s side, save one memorable Emirates Cup match against Benfica, when he scored four.
The 24-year-old’s career to date, however, has been decimated by injury problems, with a calf problem sustained over a year ago seeing him miss the duration of the latest campaign – an issue that Wenger mysteriously described as “confidential” in December.
He leaves the Emirates having managed just one goal in four years.
#3 John Terry
Regardless of where John Terry ends up after the summer – and the indications are that he wants to stay in the game – he will be remembered as an icon of Chelsea. Often controversial, the 36-year-old moved to the Blues when he was just 15 in 1995.
He made close to 500 league appearances for the Stamford Bridge club, winning virtually every trophy available in the process.
Although he led the Blues to Champions League success in 2012, many will remember him missing the decisive penalty in the final three years earlier, slipping when the Blues had the opportunity to win the title and hopelessly missing the target.
Nevertheless, to Chelsea fans, he will always be their captain, leader, legend.
#2 Victor Valdes
Of the players who will leave on free transfers this summer, perhaps only Ibrahimovic has a CV to outdo Victor Valdes – and even then, it is seriously arguable. With Barcelona, the 35-year-old goalkeeper won six La Liga titles and three Champions League, among others, and on the international scene, he is both a World and European champion.
Nevertheless, he will leave Middlesbrough on July 1, following the club’s relegation to the Championship. He played 28 times in the Premier League last season following a frustrating couple of years at Manchester United that were spent on the bench as he recuperated from a serious knee problem.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Undoubtedly the biggest name on the released list is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is a proven champion. The former Sweden international has won trophies wherever he has gone in a storied career, and even at 35 was a force to be reckoned with at Manchester United.
At Old Trafford, he scored 17 times in 28 league appearances, but a serious knee injury sustained against Anderlecht in the Europa League quarter-final. Although he elected to forego his wages for the rest of the campaign, United simply could not afford to keep him on.
There is great speculation as to what his next move might be, yet the opportunity to play at another big club may have passed given that he will likely be sidelined for another six months, by which time one of the most spectacular players of his generation will be 36.
