Harry Watkinson
The five best free agent strikers still available this summer
There are just three weeks left in the transfer window and plenty of clubs are still in need of striker reinforcements… could these free agents be the answer?
We have broken down the 2021-22 stats of the five highest value without-club strikers according to Transfermarkt, so you know who your club should be looking at.
Most of them are in the last years of their career, but as proven goalscorers, they could be a great addition in the short term.
Andrea Belotti
Belotti has had a very successful career in Italy, spending the last seven years with Torino where he has become somewhat of a legend.
In his entire time at the club, he has scored 113 goals in 251 appearances in all competitions, making him their sixth highest all-time scorer. He has also become a regular for the Italian national team in recent years, playing 44 times and scoring 13, helping them to lift the 2020 European Championship.
Overall, Belotti scores an average of 0.45 goals per game. What he would bring to any future suitors would be: experience, guaranteed goals and a physical target man, providing an outlet for long balls.
In the 2021-22 season, the Italian missed 20 matches due to injury, but he still had a decent campaign. He won 2.5 aerial duels per game on average: ranking among the best for this stat in the Serie A… despite being only 5ft 9, he is a real handful for defenders. He also made 0.5 key passes per game, showing he can be an effective creator as well as a scorer.
In total, he scored eight goals for Torino last season, but you must keep in mind that he was affected by injuries… if you look at his scoring record throughout his career, you can be sure he’d be a valuable addition to any team. He is also still only 28, so he should still be able to play at the highest level for several years.
A lot of clubs have registered an interest in Belotti this summer, but Wolves and Roma currently look to be the favourites to sign the Italian.
Played: 23
Aerial duels won per game: 2.5
Shots per game: 2.6
Key passes per game: 0.5
Assists: 1
Goals: 8
These stats show Aleksandar Mitrovic can do it in the Premier League
Artem Dzyuba (33)
Artem Dzyuba is another player who has scored goals consistently throughout his career, but albeit not at the same level as Belotti. The record top scorer for both the Russian Premier League and the Russian national team; he has a very impressive record for both club and country.
In his career overall, Dzyuba has scored 186 goals in 504 appearances and has made 106 assists, meaning he has an average of 0.57 goal involvements per game.
The Russian spent the last seven years playing for Zenit St. Petersburg, where he has scored 85 goals in 185 appearances and has had the most consistent numbers of his career: statistically playing his best football in his 30s.
Last season, he was a constant threat going forward: Dzyuba made an average of 1.2 key passes per game, showing he can find teammates in dangerous positions and took 1.8 shots per game, so he is never afraid t try his luck. Another big positive to the Russian’s game is his physicality; as he wins 2.6 aerial duels per game, which is one of the best ratings among Russian League strikers.
In 37 matches in total, Dzyuba scored 13 goals and made seven assists, showing he can still do it at the age of 33. The only question is, could he do it in the Premier League? Given his age, it would be a big risk to take a punt on him, but he could potentially do a job for one season.
Played: 37
Aerial duels won per game: 2.6
Shots per game: 1.8
Key passes per game: 1.2
Assists: 7
Goals: 13
Dries Mertens
The joint-oldest player on this list, Dries Mertens has been an ever-present figure in Italian football. The Belgian has lifted two Copa Italia’s with Napoli, he won the Belgian footballer of the year award in 2016 and was also nominated for the Ballon D’or in 2017. In 683 appearances over his entire career, he has scored 246 goals, making 181 assists. This is despite not always playing as a striker, too, as his preferred position used to be as a number 10 or a winger.
Mertens has always been a top-quality player, but at the age of 35, can he still play at the highest level?
Last season, he featured in 37 matches and scored 13 goals across all competitions for Napoli. He was very effective going forward to the opposition, having 1.5 shots on target per game, as well as making 1.1 key passes on average.
He is only 5ft7, so he has never been much of an aerial threat and as a result, he won just 0.1 aerial duels per game, but his good pace and knack for scoring goals more than makes up for this.
Napoli reportedly offered Mertens a new contract, but after being at the club since 2013 it seems he wants to spend his final playing years with a fresh challenge… will someone from the Premier League take a chance on the Belgian?
Played: 37
Aerial duels won per game: 0.1
Shots per game: 1.5
Key passes per game: 1.1
Assists: 2
Goals: 13
Edinson Cavani
A player who had an underwhelming 2021-22 campaign but still possesses undeniable quality, Edinson Cavani did not reach the heights we knew he could at Manchester United.
Since joining the Red Devils in 2020, he has played 59 times, scoring 19 goals across all competitions. Last season was particularly poor though, as he scored just two goals in 20 matches, albeit many of these appearances being off the bench.
But Cavani’s overall record is simply phenomenal. The Uruguayan won a Copa Italia with Napoli in 2011, a Copa America with Uruguay in 2011, and won six league titles and five domestic cups with PSG, scoring 200 goals in the process for the French club. Across his entire career, he has scored 360 goals in 615 appearances, averaging 0.59 goals per game.
Last season, despite not scoring many he still was a threat going forward, having 1.2 shots on target per game. He also won half of all his aerial duels. It’s also worth remembering that Cavani was unavailable for 25 games last season due to injury and was never really match fit as a result.
If a new club can get him up to full fitness, then he could be a great goal-scoring asset once again. Boca Juniors are currently favourite to sign the Uruguayan, but it would be surprising if another Premier League club didn’t come in for him too.
He does, admittedly, have high wage demands, so any potential suitors would have to weigh up the pros and cons. At 35 years old, you’d think that this season could be his last chance to shine in England.
Played: 20
Aerial duels won per game: 0.5
Shots per game: 1.2
Key passes per game: 0.5
Assists: 1
Goals: 2
Diego Costa
A name we all know very well, the ever-controversial and hot-tempered Diego Costa spent the 2021-22 season at Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro after his previous contract with Atletico Madrid was terminated following an alleged spat with Diego Simeone… which must have been an interesting argument to watch.
This summer, Costa once again finds himself looking for a new club, but any team thinking of signing him will have to consider that he could upset the changing room, as he has consistently done throughout his career.
However, he has certainly scored a lot of goals. Overall, Costa has made 495 appearances, scoring 186 goals and making 72 assists, averaging 0.52 goal contributions per game. He is also another serial winner, with the 33-year-old picking up two league titles, a Copa del Rey and a Europa League with Atletico Madrid and two Premier League titles with Chelsea.
Last season though, he didn’t have the impact you’d think he would when playing a lower standard of football, scoring only four goals in 15 appearances in Brazil.
Could he still do it in the Premier League? Perhaps… as a squad player; it’s unlikely he’d be fit enough to play consistently – but would you really want Diego Costa causing arguments in your dressing room? Then again… it could be worth it if he adds 10 goals a season on a free transfer.
Played: 15
Aerial duels won per game: 1.1
Shots per game: 1.7
Key passes per game: 0.6
Assists: 1
Goals: 4
