Anytime you’re playing with a club that is not among the world’s elite, then getting the most out of a limited budget is often the job, and that means finding ways to be as efficient as possible with your spending. One of the best ways to do so is to significantly reduce the cost of a new signing by getting one of the two big costs off the table in the form of free agent signings.
Because free agents have no active contract you don’t need to pay a transfer fee, making them an ideal way to add talent to a team without breaking the bank. These are our picks for the top male free agent options you can sign day one in your Football Manager 26 save.
Dele Alli
Once one of the brightest gems in England’s collection of young talent that has gone on to challenge for top honors at several major tournaments, Alli’s career has had a drastic fall-off, and he has gained attention for revealing heartbreaking details of his childhood and discussing his struggles with mental health during his career. Still in his 20s, Alli has the potential to play at a level that is game-changing for a free-seeking club, bringing his Flair and playmaking abilities to do your bidding.
Juan Bernat
In the modern game, fullbacks are often asked to be offensive players before defensive, and Juan Bernat is an excellent free option to bring into your squad. With 14 Crossing and 15 Dribbling, Bernat is capable of beating defenders on the ball, getting to the byline, and then feeding balls across for your finishers to tuck home. Couple with moderate-to-strong physical and mental ratings, you get a strong player for any squad relying heavily on the value of frees.
Diego Costa
Likely one of your least favorite players if he never suited up for your club, and possibly still if he did, Diego Costa has a reputation for two things: scoring goals and getting in fights. With a “Winds Up Opponents” trait and plenty of green and yellow on his attributes where it counts, he’s fully capable of both still.
Craig Dawson
A seasoned veteran of the premier league where he held down the back line for both West Ham and Wolves, Dawson is a veteran presence to bring into your side. Whether you’re at a lower league club where he can still be a star performer for your side or at a larger side where he presents as a valuable role model for a young defensive pair or player while also providing cover, Dawson has you covered.
Fernandinho
The defensive center of your midfield is not often a place you’re looking to add some old legs, but when those old legs belong to one of the core pieces of the most dominant dynasty in Premier League history, you can maybe make an exception. Nobody will be confusing Fernandinho at 40 for a physically unplayable specimen, but with nearly his entire Mental category in green and gold numbers and a lot of strong numbers in the technical tools, he can still be the rock you build around while also mentoring any young midfield talent you have.
Fraser Forster
After being a mainstay in the Celtic and Southampton squads from the 2010s on, Forster has a reputation as a solid and safe presence in the goal. As a goalkeeper, his retirement age can likely be expected to be a bit later than an outfield player, so there’s still meat on the bone at 37. While his technical game won’t have him sitting as the central piece of a modern from-the-back attack, if you’re looking for an affordable option to come in and make stops at a level down from truly elite, Forster is your guy.
Lorenzo Insigne
A 34-year-old striker may be past his peak, but a sub-peak Insigne is still pretty dangerous. He has high Technique, Passing, and First Touch, making him a nightmare for opposing back lines, capable of both finishing chances and creating them. With no current team, he brings a level of striking play that’s hard to find on a free, and is worth checking out to see if he fits in your squad.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The Ox feels like a player who has been around forever because, in a way, he has, having made his debut with Southampton in the 2010-2011 season and managed six years each with two of England’s biggest clubs in Arsenal and Liverpool. Just 16 at the time of that debut, however, Oxlade-Chamberlain is still just 32, and while he carries some of the weight of those early years as a pro, he’s still got gas in the tank. While his lost pace means he’s no longer the elite wide dribbler he once was, for smaller sides, his technical class will still see him cutting through opponents in smaller leagues with the right usage.
Rafinha
A product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, Rafinha was among the hottest attacking prospects in the sport. While things never quite went to plan, with post-Barca moves to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Sociedad, and Al-Arabi failing to produce the kind of breakout performances early prognostication would have expected. For a player available on a free and at an age he still has a few years left in his legs, however, there’s still a lot of green to be found in his numbers.
Takehrio Tomiyasu
For Arsenal fans, Tomiyasu’s time in red-and-white goes down as a bit of a what-if. A brilliant defender when healthy, who was capable of playing anywhere across the backline, a series of injuries meant he was simply not available often enough. An injury that saw him go down in the same game as William Saliba triggered the fall off that denied Arsenal the title in their first of three straight runner-up seasons, and he has been out more than not ever since. For you, this means that a technically strong defender who can do it all is now available for a free transfer.
Published: Oct 30, 2025 03:30 pm