Free agents this summer are actually stacked

It is a reminder that age and fitness matter more than reputation. A lot of these names are only notable because of what they used to be.
 
Sancho being on a list like this is mad to me because at some point people just stopped talking about what he actually does on a pitch and started talking about the idea of him and that is exactly the problem with his whole career now, every club that gets linked ends up acting like they are buying some hidden gem when really they are buying a headache with a fancy haircut and a massive wage packet and then everyone acts surprised when it goes wrong, the talent was never the issue, it was the same old empty performances, the same drifting out of games, the same looking like he wants the ball only when there is no pressure, and people still talk like he is one move away from being elite when he has been floating around for ages doing absolutely nothing to justify that kind of faith
 
If you are looking at this properly the key thing is squad balance not star names because a free transfer only works when the wages and role make sense and the player can actually stay fit enough to contribute, so a club that needs a right winger or a senior midfielder could do well here but only if they avoid overcommitting to someone who is more reputation than minutes
 
i dont buy the whole these are all washed argument because some of them are still clearly good enough to help a team and people just love writing players off the minute they stop being shiny names on a transfer list
 
Football fans will see one free agent list and suddenly think theyve uncovered hidden treasure when half of them are basically retirement home auditions
 
The sensible view is that this is a decent market for clubs with very specific needs, because you can patch a hole without paying a fee and that matters in a lot of situations. But once you start saying things like build a squad from this lot, you are drifting into fantasy football territory and ignoring why so many of these players are available in the first place. Then again, some fanbases will convince themselves that every free transfer is a masterstroke and the same people will be furious by October when the player has done three appearances, two rehab sessions and one interview about settling in, which is basically football culture now
 
The list is strongest when you separate the names by what they can still offer rather than by reputation. A few players are clearly still capable of starting at a decent level, while others are only notable because they were bigger names five years ago.
 
There is value here, but only for clubs with a clear plan. If you are signing for the badge and the name alone, you are probably making a mistake.
 
I cant lie this list made me feel old because I remember when half these names would have been huge moves and now everyone is talking about them like they are just squad fillers or comeback projects and it is a bit bleak really
 
You look at a free agent list like this and it just tells you everything about how football works now because the names are still there but the careers have been bent by injuries wages bad moves and clubs making stupid decisions and suddenly players who should be in their prime are being discussed like some sort of rescue project and honestly it is maddening because you know full well one of these lads will end up somewhere decent and people will act like they discovered him when really he has been hiding in plain sight for years and then another will get talked up to death and spend six months doing absolutely nothing and the cycle just repeats over and over again
 
The officials would probably still find a way to ruin a free transfer somehow if they were in charge of this list because every time clubs get a chance to do something sensible the whole process ends up bogged down in nonsense and the same old people will complain about fees while ignoring that the real problem is the wages and the paperwork and the fact that half the market is already spoken for before the window even opens it is always chaos and somehow the clubs and agents still act shocked like this is all a surprise
 
This list shows how quickly perception changes in football. A few years ago these would have looked like elite options.
 
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