Diego Costa, Mata, Ben Arfa: A free agent XI of players available to sign right now | OneFootball

The transfer window may now be officially closed until January, but there are still plenty of quality players who find themselves at a loose end.

While last Thursday evening marked the final opportunity of this calendar year for clubs to sign players already under contract, teams wishing to bolster their squads following the closure of the window still have the option of picking up reinforcements from a healthy pool of experienced and talented free agents.

With that in mind, we’ve selected a full XI of players who are free of contractual obligations and free to sign with any club they can come to an agreement with.

Between them, members of this XI have won pretty much everything there is to win in the club game – and each player could still be a valuable asset to a new side under the right conditions.

An XI of players who are still free agents following the closure of the summer transfer window

GK: Loris Karius

DR: Serge Aurier

CB: Dan-Axel Zagadou

CB: Jason Denayer

DL: Danny Rose

CM: Xeka

CM: Juan Mata

AM: Adel Taarabt

RW: Aaron Lennon

LW: Hatem Ben Arfa

CF: Diego Costa

Four years after he last played for Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final, Karius’ deal at Anfield finally expired over the summer.

Still only 29, the German shot-stopper is on the hunt for a new club – where he can finally put the ghosts of his Kviv nightmare against Real Madrid to bed.

Watford terminated the contract of former England international Rose on deadline day, leaving the 32-year-old in search of a new home for the season ahead.

Centre-back pairing Denayer and Zagadou shouldn’t be without a club for too long. Belgian international Denayer – who departed Lyon in the summer – is on the radar of Wolves.

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Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest essentially recruited an entirely new squad over the summer – and they may not be done yet.

Ex-Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain full-back Aurier remains a free agent but has been repeatedly linked with a move to the City Ground in recent days.

The only Champions League winner in the XI (with Chelsea in 2011/12), Mata’s 11-year spell in the English top-flight concluded when he left Manchester United at the end of June.

The 34-year-old Spaniard is seemingly keen to continue playing at the highest level, having turned down the offer of a switch to MLS last month.

Portuguese midfielder Xeka played a key role in helping Lille to lift the Ligue 1 title at the expense of the mighty PSG in 2021/22.

Still only 27 years old, the former Braga man has the potential to enhance any squad he joins and has reportedly been the subject of enquiries from Everton this summer.

Any club taking a punt on 33-year-old Taarabt probably shouldn’t expect him to hit the heights of his insane 2010/11 season for Queens Park Rangers, but he retains the raw talent to be a difference maker. The Moroccan playmaker is in search of a new club following his release by Benfica at the start of the month.

A cult hero among fans of the beautiful game, Ben Arfa was never massively inclined to put a shift in during his peak years. Now 35, it’ll likely be even harder for a coach to get the best out of him.

However, if the Frenchman is in the mood, he can still be a valuable member of any squad. The same is true of former Spurs and Everton winger Lennon, who signalled his intention to continue his career following his release by Burnley.

Leading the line is one of the game’s most legendary s***houses in Costa. Such has been the Brazilian’s fondness for on-field antics over the years that they have at times camouflaged his considerable ability as a striker.

Genuinely one of the top frontmen on the planet with Atletico Madrid and Chelsea during his prime, the now-33-year-old still managed five goals in 19 games for Brazilian champions Atletico Mineiro last year – and even reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal back in January.

Check out the full XI below.

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