Ranking the Most Desirable Players Who Could Sign Pre-Contracts in January
As the clock strikes midnight on December 31 and we roll our calendars into a new year, a host of footballers across Europe will turn to face a big decision head on.
Once a player enters the final six months of their contract, they are allowed to negotiate with other interested parties and begin weighing up deals ahead of a free transfer—provided they're 23 or older. If they're not, a compensation package must be agreed, but it will still be a heavily discounted version of any transfer fee they would leave for under normal circumstances.
The large majority of players set to hit the open market will be past their best, injury-prone or both, but a small selection represent golden chances to upgrade your team on the cheap.
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These are the players we've brought to the spotlight here: the best possible free pickups—both from a quality and longevity perspective—available to managers in 2018.
Note: Manchester United have four players—Luke Shaw, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera and Daley Blind—with contracts expiring in 2018, but it has been extensively reported by multiple media outlets, including the Telegraph, that the club have triggered one-year extensions in their deals. For this reason, they have not been included in our list.
We have also excluded players over the age of 33 who don't feel as though they're going anywhere, such as Andrea Barzagli and Gianluigi Buffon.
15. Lukas Hradecky, GK, Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt are in the midst of a solid season and find themselves just four points off second place at the Bundesliga's halfway stage.
Key to this good run has been goalkeeper Hradecky's heroics. On multiple occasions, he's been the defining factor in earning a point or three, making a variety of saves with a variety of body parts.
The 28-year-old has chosen one hell of a time to emerge as one of the Bundesliga's best between the sticks; he'll be able to negotiate a bumper move and contract if he keeps it up.
14. Ivan Marcano, CB, FC Porto
Upon signing for FC Porto in 2014, Marcano committed to playing senior football in his fourth different country in the space of five years. He boasted the type of journeyman career you would only expect from a striker, but he has finally settled down at the Estadio do Dragao.
Now 30, the Spaniard is in the prime of his career and the midst of a second consecutive excellent season with Porto. Any side seeking to lean on a sturdy defence and excel at set pieces should consider Marcano a top-tier option in the market.
13. Kwadwo Asamoah, LB/CM, Juventus
After years lost to injury and being buried in a deep Juventus squad, 2017-18 has been a redemption of sorts for Asamoah.
With Alex Sandro struggling badly for form, manager Massimiliano Allegri gave the Ghanaian a chance at left-back and he's responded with high-quality showings. Judging by his thrusting performances, he could still do a fine job in his old position—central midfield—too.
Asamoah is 29 now, but he hasn't played that much football since 2014; compared to others his age, there won't be much tread on the tyres.
12. Oguzhan Ozyakup, CM/AM, Besiktas
There are some top-tier creative options coming up on the market, but if you're shopping on the shelf just below, Ozyakup's availability should spark your interest.
The Turkey international, 25, has been a key part of a strong Besiktas side for three years now, having left Arsenal's academy early on in order to accelerate his progression as a player.
Capable as a No. 10 or from a deeper starting position, Ozyakup is smooth on the ball and adept at fashioning chances.
11. Ross Barkley, AM, Everton
Barkley was inches away from sealing a move to Chelsea on transfer deadline day last summer, but a change of heart at the last moment saw him stay at Everton.
We haven't seen the 24-year-old kick a ball this season due to a horrid hamstring injury, but don't expect that to get in the way of pursuits for the England international come January.
The nature of his injury means we can't be sure what shape he's in, but provided he rediscovers his old level, managers will be expecting a powerful, direct attacking midfielder with a deadly long shot.
10. Milan Badelj, CM, Fiorentina
According to TalkSport, a host of top Premier League clubs pursued Badelj's signature last summer, but the Croatian playmaker opted to stay put at Fiorentina.
With fellow passing maestros Borja Valero and Matias Vecino leaving for Inter, they've needed his qualities in the centre more than ever.
With his contract expiring, though, expect that same host of clubs to come calling again—only this time the Viola risk losing the 28-year-old for free.
Badelj is not the star name his compatriots Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic are, but he can be just as neat and tidy on his day.
9. Fernandinho, CM, Manchester City
The 2017-18 season has been the clear best of Fernandinho's career, and it would be in his and Manchester City's interests to hash out a contract.
Finding an available player capable of doing what the 32-year-old does at the base of a hyper-fluid, free-form midfield would be almost impossible for City, but the way the Brazilian has been rounded and refined by Pep Guardiola means he'll be attractive to others, too.
8. Max Meyer, CM/AM, Schalke 04
Meyer's transformation as a player in 2017-18 has been startling. Previously tipped as one of the finest upcoming attacking midfielders on the planet, the realisation of his potential has come in a deeper-lying, regista-esque role.
As a result, the 22-year-old is more involved than ever before in Schalke's on-the-ball rhythm and passing game, and he's learning to tackle and intercept effectively too.
By the time this season finishes, he might just be the polished gem we have envisaged since he made his debut in 2012.
7. Kepa Arrizabalaga, GK, Athletic Bilbao
Unsurprisingly, Athletic Bilbao's desperate attempts to hold on to Kepa Arrizabalaga appear to have failed.
His excellence for Spain at the European Under-21 Championships last summer alerted the world to his talent, and he might just have a stellar cast of clubs to pick his next destination from.
Chief among the reported suitors, per AS, are Real Madrid, who see the 23-year-old as the top-tier Spanish goalkeeper they've been after since Iker Casillas departed in 2015.
6. Stefan de Vrij, CB, Lazio
According to the Liverpool Echo, De Vrij's list of suitors includes Everton, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan. That alone is a glowing endorsement of the Dutchman's abilities—particularly Atleti, as Diego Simeone knows his centre-backs.
The 25-year-old shot to prominence at the 2014 World Cup with the Netherlands, and he went on to hit the same heights for Lazio following a summer switch. He is the bedrock of the Biancocelesti's defence; they look lost without him.
5. Emre Can, CM, Liverpool
The first of two young, yet established German central midfielders on this list is Emre Can, who appears nowhere close to sorting out a long-term contract with Liverpool.
That has alerted Juventus, per the Liverpool Echo, among a host of other teams, and the attraction is obvious. The 23-year-old is a rumbling, physical No. 8; he's flashed excellence with Liverpool, can dominate the central zones single-handedly and returns a fairly healthy tally of goals.
4. Giorgio Chiellini, CB, Juventus
You would never expect a player of Chiellini's quality to hit the open market, but he's set to enter 2018 as an impending free agent, able to sign elsewhere at will.
The thought of the sturdy Italian centre-half calling a stadium outside Turin home is a strange one, but given how Juventus' "old guard" is being disassembled, it's altogether not impossible.
Chiellini may be 33, but it's easy to project at least two more years for him at the top. He has never relied on speed, his positional understanding won't fade and his aggression will always define his game.
3. Leon Goretzka, CM/AM, Schalke 04
Schalke is the ideal hunting ground if you're looking for the next prodigal German midfielder. Julian Draxler, Meyer and Leroy Sane have all blossomed there, and Goretzka is the next stellar name in that run.
You can bet his agent will be inundated with calls next month. Tens of top teams should be vying for the 22-year-old's signature, as his talent as a box-to-box midfielder is no secret.
Already at a high level and with a potential decade or more ahead of him at the top level, don't be surprised to see a desperate struggle for his services begin next month.
2. Mesut Ozil, AM, Arsenal
Ozil may have his doubters, but if you were offered the chance to sign him for free in 2018, you would be an absolute fool to decline the opportunity.
Played in the right position, with the correct amount of freedom and the right team-mates around him, there are few better creative players on the planet.
An assist king, his scything passes cut defences to ribbons. He's the ideal tool to break down defensive teams who sit deep.
If the 29-year-old leaves Arsenal, it will be because he signs for an elite club, because elite is his level.
1. Alexis Sanchez, Wing/AM/ST, Arsenal
Alexis seems to be in something of a funk right now, losing the ball a remarkable number of times per game, and it's something Arsenal fans are very keen to point out.
Partially that's because poor performances deserve scrutiny, but it's also partially a coping mechanism, designed to combat the real sadness that he's going to be leaving the club soon.
At his best, the 29-year-old is a world-class forward. Clever, quick and deadly in front of goal, he also works ferociously hard, making him the ideal package in many managers' eyes.
Of all the pre-contract options opening up in January, Alexis is the most attractive. Adding a top-level, plug-and-play attacker is usually a costly business, but one lucky team will grab the Chilean for nothing.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
