Three Players Who Are Still Free Agents as the 2025/26 Premier League Season Nears | OneFootball

On Friday, August 15th, the Premier League returns under the Anfield lights as reigning champions Liverpool host Bournemouth, kicking off what no doubt will be another gripping campaign.

The summer has been dominated by the Reds, already forking out well over £200m on the likes of Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, and with another £150m rumored to be splashed on Alexander Isak. Add that to a squad that romped to the title last term, and it's clear why gambling sites consider Arne Slot's side the favorites to go all the way again in 2025/26.

The latest odds from the popular Bovada gambling site currently have Liverpool listed as a 2.70 favorite to claim the crown again this season, with both Arsenal and Manchester City trailing in their wake. But while the Reds' preparations for their title defence couldn't be going any better, some players are gearing up for the new campaign without a club.

Their presence among the unclaimed is as much a statement about the fierce, unforgiving nature of modern football as it is about the winding arc of an elite player’s career. What has left these stars in limbo? And can one summer signing re-launch their story? Here are three free agents who could transform a squad—or be symbols of the gamble every football club must weigh.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Few journeys encapsulate the precarious balance of potential and peril like Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s. Four years ago, he was the spearhead of Everton’s attack, a 6’2” wrecking ball in the air, and an England international with 57 Premier League goals in 239 appearances. The 2020/21 campaign delivered a tantalizing ceiling: 16 goals across 33 league matches, a relentless run that turned his name into transfer-window gold.

Yet, the last two seasons have witnessed a stark reversal. Calvert-Lewin has missed 73 games throughout the two seasons that followed, as repeated injuries forced him to the periphery. His most recent tally—just three goals and two assists in 26 appearances—prompted the Toffees to sever ties on June 30th, ending a near-decade at Goodison Park.

The drop in output is sharply underscored by the numbers: after scoring 29 league goals in 2019/20 and 2020/21, he’s netted just 17 in the four years since.

Still just 28 years of age, he remains a fascinating proposition. Both Manchester United and Newcastle have explored the feasibility of a deal, tempted by his aerial prowess, ability to occupy defenders, and, crucially, the fact that he can be brought in without a transfer fee.

For United’s Ruben Amorim, in particular, Calvert-Lewin lingers as a potential solution to his squad’s striking depth, as Rasmus Hojlund is the only out-and-out striker on the books.

It’s a storyline built on risk—can a club unlock the form that once made Calvert-Lewin a defender’s nightmare? Or will his fitness woes turn him from talisman to warning sign in the annals of free-agent roulette?

Kurt Zouma

Kurt Zouma’s trajectory is a case study in the volatility of the modern market. At Chelsea, he was once heralded as a rising wall: powerful, fast, and near unbeatable in aerial duels. His anticipation was lauded by every coach in his orbit. Transitioning to West Ham for a £29.8 million fee, Zouma quickly anchored their back line and played a pivotal role in the club’s 2023 Europa Conference League triumph.

But football is a game of momentum—and when it fades, so does certainty. By July 2025, Zouma had been released, ending a four-year run at London Stadium with over 100 appearances but a career rocked by off-field issues and an indifferent loan spell at Al-Orobah in Saudi Arabia. Despite whispers in the Spanish press linking him to Valencia as part of Carlos Corberan’s defensive overhaul, no concrete deal has materialized.

At 30, Zouma remains a physically dominant option—his experience, ability to marshal a defence, and proven resilience in top-flight pressure situations could anchor a lower-half Premier League backline or steady a continental side fighting relegation.

But in today’s market, reputation alone is not enough; his next move may well define whether he’s remembered as a late-career stalwart or a cautionary tale in football's era of ruthless turnover.

Hakim Ziyech

There are few sights in world football as mesmerizing as Hakim Ziyech in full flight—when confidence flows and the left foot bends passes and shots into spaces others cannot see. At Ajax, he enchanted Europe; at Chelsea, hopes soared after his £33.3 million transfer. The 2022 World Cup reminded the world of his artistry, as he carried Morocco deeper than anyone dared predict.

But club football has been less forgiving. Ziyech’s time at Chelsea was plagued by inconsistency—one moment a match-winner, the next a peripheral figure. Short spells at Galatasaray and Al-Duhail did little to replenish his stock, and now, at 32, Ziyech stands at the crossroads with suitors in the Saudi Pro League and MLS more prominent than those within Europe’s ‘Big Five.’

The question that haunts him: can genius outlast fading pace and confidence? For clubs in desperate need of vision from midfield—a spark, a set piece, a moment of inspiration—Ziyech is a roll of the dice. If harnessed properly, he could turn a stagnant attack electric in a single afternoon. If not, he may drift into the fog that claims so many creative talents in their thirties.