In the day and age where shelling out millions for top quality players is the norm, free transfers, also known as Bosman signings, are considered god-sends. Over the course of history , a number of players have run down their contracts and moved to new clubs for free and gone on to leave their mark on said football club. Some have, however, fizzled out and been left in the doldrums for the remaining parts of their careers. That being said, free transfers represent an opportunity for managers to make a shrewd coup.
10 Gary McAllister: Coventry to Liverpool
When the then-Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier decided to sign a 35-year-old midfielder from Coventry, it was met with massive surprise from Reds fans throughout the world but boy did they change their tune after seeing what McAllister had to offer. Gary Mcallister had already established a name for himself at Coventry but it was his move to the Premier League giants that truly unlocked his potential. The Scot did not waste any time and slotted into the Liverpool lineup right from the get-go.
9. Andrea Pirlo
One of the most bizarre transfer decisions of all time saw AC Milan allow veteran midfielder Pirlo to join their Serie A rivals in Juventus. Funnily enough ever since that transfer, the only way has been up for the Turin giants, whereas Milan endured a period of decline without the little maestro.
The legendary Italian midfielder went on to play 164 games for Juventus, winning the league in every single campaign along the way.
8 Jay-Jay Okocha
So good, they named him twice. A previous £10million move from Eintracht Frankfurt to PSG made him Nigeria’s most expensive footballer, making the arrival of the attacking midfielder on a free even more of a coup for Bolton.
One of the most skillful players to ever grace the Premier League, Okocha made 141 appearances, becoming a Bolton legend. Oh, and he loved a free kick.
7. Henrik Larsson
The Swedish goalscoring machine’s move to Barcelona from Celtic came as a shock to many, but he very much answered the critics.
Larsson signed for the Catalan giants on the back of an impressive Euro 2004 campaign and seven stellar seasons in Scotland.
He described the move as “a dream come true” and repaid the faith the club showed in him when he came on as a substitute in the 2006 Champions League final, assisting both goals in the 2-1 comeback against Arsenal.
6. Sami Khedira
This list wouldn’t be complete without Juventus having a say or three in it.
Surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, it was the Italian club that were the first to snap the Germany midfielder up, fending off interest from a host of clubs including Arsenal.
On this day in 2015, Juventus announced the signing of Sami Khedira from Real Madrid on a free transfer!
3 Seasons
109 Games
19 Goals
3 Scudetto
3 Coppa Italia
1 SuperCoppa
1 CL final pic.twitter.com/9OjcfhzUC0— Forza Juventus (@ForzaJuve2017) June 9, 2018
Since joining in 2015, Khedira has made 110 appearances, winning the Italian title and Coppa Italia three years on the bounce.
5 Sol Campbell: Spurs to Arsenal
Sol Campbell is arguably one of the best free transfers of the Premier League. The former England defender made the switch from Spurs to London rivals Arsenal in 2001, a move which was considered one of the most controversial at the time.
At Arsenal, Campbell made 195 appearances and won 2 Premier League titles. He was a part of Arsenal’s invincibles, possibly the greatest side in club history.
4. Miroslav Klose
Like a fine wine, he just got better with age, didn’t he?
Bayern would have been forgiven by most for not pulling out all the stops to get a 33-year-old striker to sign a new deal, but of course Klose only went and proved them wrong.
Moving to Lazio, where he managed to rack up 171 appearances before retirement in 2016, he scored 63 goals, becoming the first player in the club’s history to bag five in one game.
3. James Milner
‘Boring James Milner’ may not be the most exciting of footballers, but he has proved a shrewd acquisition for Liverpool, having joined from Manchester City in 2015.
The ex-England international started the season outside Liverpool’s starting XI but went on to play an integral part in their run to the Champions League final as a vital cog in Jurgen Klopp’s machine.
Milner played 47 times during the busy schedule on Merseyside last season and broke the record for most-assists in a single Champions League campaign a long the way.
2. Michael Ballack
In July 2006, Jose Mourinho made his first signing of the summer bringing Ballack to Chelsea.
The then-Germany captain was well known around the world as a goalscoring midfielder, and had been crowned German Footballer of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2005 prior to the signing.
Over 150 appearances followed, as he went on to win two FA Cups, the League Cup and, most importantly, the Premier League in 2010.
1. Paul Pogba
While he may have his detractors at Manchester United, Pogba established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world at Juventus.
Making 178 appearances for the Turin club, he scored 34 times and made 43 assists as they claimed four league titles, two Italian Cups and two Italian Super Cups, all while still being only 23 years of age.
Paul Pogba's wages ✅
Mino Raiola's fee ✅The FULL cost of Pogba's transfer to Man United – https://t.co/h7kTnIjuiN pic.twitter.com/L526uKB0c3
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) August 8, 2016
If the help on the pitch wasn’t enough from the young player, the financial gain Juventus made from Pogba off the pitch makes this one of the greatest free transfers of all time.
In 2016 ‘Pogback’ became a thing and the midfielder returned to United just four years after leaving on a free for a world record £89million.