This is the time of year when attention turns to free agents, and Lincoln City will be eyeing a few.
The glut of footballers without clubs grows, and with it, interest in where they might go. In previous seasons, we’ve been looking at League One and League Two free agents, but this season, we might adjust.
Premier League squads are not finalised yet, not until the weekend’s games are finished, but League One and Championship clubs are releasing names.
So far, there are a lot of players going to be hunting new clubs, but do any of them offer players who might be attractive to Lincoln City? It’s possible we look at one or two, in my opinion, but as we have a fairly chunky squad already, I can’t see us going heavy on these players.
It is important to remember that Championship squads are bigger on a matchday, which means more chances for fringe players, so we might pepper our side with a mix of free agents and ESC players. If we look to the former, which players currently without a club in England might be attractive.
We’ve picked ten out for you, but below is the full list of released players from retained lists for you to peruse before we get started.
All Free Agents So Far Championship / League One
AFC Wimbledon
Sam Hutchinson, Josh Kelly, Leo Young, Ethan Sutcliffe
Barnsley
Ben Jordison, Aston Ellard, Maxymilian Gryncewicz, Stanley Holder, Voldi Mbaya, Tom Senior, Kingston Simbai, Nathan Willis, Andrew Dallas, Scott Flinders, Marc Roberts, Jonathan Russell, Tennai Watson, Max Watters
Blackpool
Harvey Bardsley, Terry Bondo, James Husband, Derek Oshodi, Dan Sassi, Harry Williamson
Bradford City
Neill Byrne, Lee Evans, Andy Cook, Clarke Oduor, Ciarán Kelly, Joe Hilton, George Goodman
Burton Albion
Jasper Moon, Fábio Tavares, James Jones, Geraldo Bajrami, Jack Newall, Josh Taroni
Charlton Athletic
Luke Berry, Terry Taylor
Coventry City
Jamie Allen, Brad Collins, Conrad Ambursley, Charlie Finney, Jack James, Greg Sandiford Junior, Kai Yearn
Derby County
Callum Elder, Ben Osborn, Jake Rooney, Andi Weimann
Doncaster Rovers
Zain Westbrooke, Ben Close, Joseph Sbarra, Jordan Gibson, Kyle Hurst, Billy Sharp, James Maxwell
Exeter City
Jack Aitchison, Danny Andrew, Josh Magennis, Kevin McDonald, Jack McMillan, Ilmari Niskanen
Huddersfield Town
Mickel Miller, Neo Eccleston, Omari Mrisho, Peter Thomas, Aaron O’Reilly, Alex Walpole, Brooklyn Bailey, Charlie Knowles, Jackson Shorrocks, Luke Daley, Oliver Calland, Joe Nicholson, Milkyas Mebrahtu, Mohamed Fikri, Gabriano Shelton
Leyton Orient
Tobi Oluwayemi, Tom James, Jack Simpson, Makai Welch, Diallang Jaiyesimi
Luton Town
Cohen Bramall, Jacob Brown, Zack Nelson
Mansfield Town
Victor Adeboyejo, Dom Dwyer, Aaron Lewis
Northampton Town
Jordan Willis, Tom Eaves, Theo Avery, Kyle Edwards, Josh Tomlinson, Matty Ireland
Norwich City
Shane Duffy, Emiliano Marcondes, Tony Springett, Jeffrey Schlupp, Dan Barden
Oxford United
Przemysław Płacheta, Myles Peart-Harris, Hidde ter Avest, Owen Dale, Will Goodwin, Joshua Johnson, Jacob Knightbridge, Steph Negru, Tom Bradshaw, Stuart Findlay
Peterborough United
Archie Collins, Tom Lees, Jacob Mendy, Joe Davies, Andre Changunda, Nathan Aikins, Rylie Fitzpatrick, Milan Kovaci, Ben Westcott
Plymouth Argyle
Jamie Paterson, Zak Baker, Ayman Benarous, Luca Ashby-Hammond, Brendan Galloway, Jack Matthews, Joe Hatch, Nathanael Ogbeta, Callum Wright
Port Vale
Arron Davies, Ben Amos, Ben Lomax, Mitch Clark, Jesse Debrah, Tyler Magloire, Ben Heneghan, Sam Hart, Funso Ojo, Grant Ward, Andre Gray
Portsmouth
Jordan Archer, Harry Clout, Andre Dozzell, Reuben Swann
Reading
Mamadi Camara, Ben Elliott, Michael Stickland, Tivonge Rushesha, Andy Yiadom
Rotherham United
Cameron Dawson, Zak Jules, Liam Kelly, Sean Raggett, Reece James, Jordan Hugill, Josh Benson, Duncan Watmore, Joshua Kayode, Ben Hatton, Ciaran McGuckin
Sheffield United
Tom Davies, Danny Ings, Ben Mee, Jairo Riedewald, Evan Easton, Marshall Francis, Liam Hall, Owen Hampson, Frankie Jones, Jayden Prunty, Jackson Blaize, Jack Waldron
Sheffield Wednesday
Nathaniel Chalobah, Harry Evers, Dominic Iorfa, Junior Kamwa, Marvelous Nakamba, Favour Onukwuli, Rio Shipston, Zain Silcott-Duberry
Stevenage
Taye Ashby-Hammond, Beryly Lubala, Tyreece Simpson, Dan Sweeney, Matt Phillips, Mathaeus Roberts, Ellis Bates
Stoke City
Lewis Baker, Steven Nzonzi
West Bromwich Albion
Jed Wallace, Daryl Dike, Joe Wildsmith, Dan Chimeziri, Muhamed Diomande, Evan Humphries, Miller McDonald, Kevin Mfuamba, Deago Nelson, Torin Ntege, Donte German-Ranger, Adam Okorodudu, Liam Wilkes
Wigan Athletic
Jason Kerr, Will Aimson, Toby Savin, Luke Robinson, Steven Sessegnon, Tyrese Francois, Matthew Corran, Jack Hunt
Wrexham
Andy Cannon, Jay Rodriguez, Callum Edwards, Reuben Egan, Tom Kelly, Max Purvis
Wycombe Wanderers
Fin Back, Laurie Shala, Shamal George
There are some genuinely strong options on that list, especially if clubs are shopping smart rather than chasing big fees. A few stand out immediately as players who could still do a very good job in the Championship or top-end League One.
Comments Welcome!