The hierarchy of European football is about to shift massively due to the class of upcoming free agents.
Every year, there are good players at the end of their contracts for teams to take advantage of. This year, totemic figures of the biggest teams are all hitting the market at the same time. If PSG don’t end up signing them all, there will be some fascinating moves this summer.
Below we round up the five biggest free agents of 2021.
Read: Career Defining Job For Mauricio Pochettino at PSG
Lionel Messi
The fallout between Lionel Messi and Barcelona has been massive and well documented. As a result, the greatest player to play the game is about to leave the only team he’s played for. Barca and Messi will no longer be inextricably linked. The question is, where can he go? Manchester City and PSG are probably the only teams with the money to make it happen. Otherwise, Messi might leave for a huge pay day in the MLS or China.
Sergio Aguero
Ever since Pep Guardiola took over at Manchester City, he’s been trying to move the team away from Aguero. He changed the formation and signed young Brazilian Gabriel Jesus. However, Jesus couldn’t develop sufficiently to compete with Aguero who was simply too good. Due to injury and age, Aguero can no longer play every week in the Premier League. Kevin de Bryne played well as a false 9 against Chelsea recently, allowing Guardiola to fully indulge his midfielder fetish at last. When Aguero’s contract runs out, the Premier League will lose one of its greatest strikers. The team who signs him will gain a legend. Can we dream of a Messi – Aguero – Neymar strike force in Paris?
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Mesut Ozil
For a few years, Ozil was Arsenal’s saviour. He propelled a declining team back to relevance and had some glorious moments along the way. However, since signing a huge new contract in 2018 he’s fallen off a cliff. Nobody outside of Arsenal can explain his decline or why he’s been frozen out by successive coaches, and nobody inside Arsenal will explain why. The sad conclusion of the Ozil story is that Arsenal are now desperate to get him off the books. Unfortunately for Ozil, one of the most gifted and unique players to play the game, a top level team is now beyond him. Two years of not playing means he will likely end up in the Turkish league.
David Alaba
It feels like he’s been around forever, but Bayern Munich star David Alaba is still only 28. He is world class at both left back and center back. He can even do a job as a Guardiola-esque inverted fullback or in the center of midfield. David Alaba can even take all the set pieces as well. More than any other player on this list, he can have his pick of teams because of his versatility. He would make a great utility option for a top team. However, he could also have the agency to choose where he plays, and for who. Whoever signs Alaba will be getting a sure thing.
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Sergio Ramos
Real Madrid’s enforcer for over a decade is almost out of contract. If Real Madrid don’t sign him to a new contract they’d be insane. However, it’s a real possibility that he could leave. Again, PSG are linked and if they get their way this summer, they will have a team to rival any galactico project. It would be fascinating to see how Ramos would get on in the Premier League. Despite his age, he’s in great shape and certainly has a few more top level years left in him.
