It’s been a monumental cock-up at Liverpool but they’re not the only ones who face losing star players for nowt. Man Utd need to act fast too.
We have picked one player per Premier League club who is out of contract next June so can start talking to foreign clubs in January…
ARSENAL: Thomas Partey
The 31-year-old Ghanaian has started every Premier League game so far this season, but that’s hardly a glowing endorsement as the Gunners currently sit a disappointing fourth in the table. We have him pegged as one player ripe for an upgrade in January; Arsenal’s unwillingness to offer him a new deal suggests that the upgrade is a-coming any which way.
ASTON VILLA: Robin Olsen
No tears will be shed over the departure of Aston Villa’s third-choice goalkeeper. We have to applaud Aston Villa for some excellent contracting; Jhon Duran, Morgan Rogers and Ian Maatsen are all tied down until 2030.
BOURNEMOUTH: N/A
They were burned by Jefferson Lerma so Big Eight targets Milos Kerkez and Antoine Semenyo both have long-term contracts.
BRENTFORD: Christian Norgaard
There is an option for a further year, but it’s curious that the option has not been triggered when the Dane is a) the captain and b) ever-present when fit.
BRIGHTON: Joel Veltman
Several Seagulls are out of contract next summer – Veltman is joined by Tariq Lamptey, Jakub Moder and James Milner – but the Dutchman would clearly be the biggest miss; even at 32, he is quite clearly their first-choice right-back and has never been in better form.
CHELSEA: Lucas Bergstrom
No chances are taken at Chelsea with contracts. Bergstrom is the exception because he is their third, fourth or fifth-choice goalkeeper, depending on the time of day. Were he worth any kind of money, he would be contracted until 2042.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Tyrick Mitchell
There are a raft of older Palace players whose contract expire next summer but by far the youngest and most valuable is England-capped full-back Mitchell, who is attracting some interest from Galatasaray. They would not be Mitchell’s only suitors if he became available on a free transfer.
EVERTON: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Is he any good? Well, he has not reached double figures for Premier League goals since 2020/21 and is consistently one of the worst finishers in the top flight. But it’s still a massive loss for the Toffees to lose Calvert-Lewin for nothing; a mid-table club will undoubtedly take a punt on keeping him fit.
FULHAM: Kenny Tete
Marco Silva is said to have given Fulham the green light to open contract talks with Adama Traore, but there should probably be a little more panic about the future of Tete, who has been one of the Premier League’s best full-backs this season. While Antonee Robinson is being linked with a big-money exit, Tete could quietly walk away for nothing.
Highest performing fullbacks in the Premier League so far this season ⚙️
🇺🇸🥇 Antonee Robinson (Fulham, 27) — 92
🇪🇸🥈 Pedro Porro (Tottenham, 25) — 90
🇭🇺🥉 Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth, 21) — 82
🇮🇹🏅 Destiny Udogie (Tottenham, 21) — 81
🇳🇱🏅 Kenny Tete (Fulham, 29) — 80— DataMB (@DataMB_) November 14, 2024
IPSWICH TOWN: Axel Tuanzebe
Having signed a one-year deal in 2023 and extended it by 12 months in 2024, surely Tuanzebe deserves a longer-term deal in 2025, especially after he successfully kept Son Heung-min in his pocket in November.
LEICESTER CITY: Jamie Vardy
He’s 38 in January but he’s still Leicester’s top scorer this season. We presume he will stay forever, fuelled by Skittles, Red Bull and the love of a woman.
LIVERPOOL: Trent Alexander-Arnold
It’s been a monumental cock-up. No Premier League team has any one player better than Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah who is out of contract next summer. Liverpool are said to be ‘convinced’ that the right-back will sign, but then there’s Real Madrid. And potentially Barcelona. It must be so very tempting.
READ: Liverpool Three among top 20 biggest stars out of contract in 2025
MANCHESTER CITY: Kevin de Bruyne
He’ll be 34 at the end of the season and we get the impression that De Bruyne fancies swanning around looking absolutely f***ing brilliant in the MLS. And we cannot blame him.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Amad Diallo
“I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to play for this club, and yeah, I want to stay here for a long, long, long time to make history with this club,” said Amad earlier this month, which suggests he might sign the triple-your-money deal currently on the table as an alternative to a one-year extension on his current terms.
The alternative? Cash in this January.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Sean Longstaff
Jamaal Lascelles, Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar, Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson, John Ruddy, Mark Gillespie and Martin Dubravka are all out of contract next summer, but while Krafth and Schar will get new contracts, Longstaff will merely get a one-year extension. That seems a tad harsh considering he is in the kind of form that could earn him an England call.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Chris Wood
He’s scored 24 goals in 53 games for Forest – including eight Premier League goals this season – so there is little doubt that the club want to keep hold of the Kiwi. Latest reports suggest that they will actually tie him down until he is 35.
SOUTHAMPTON: Kyle Walker-Peters
Absolutely no way he stays for another season in the Championship. Most mid-table clubs would grab him with both hands on a free transfer.
TOTTENHAM: Son Heung-min
The good news for Son is that Tottenham intend to trigger a one-year extension to his contract; the bad news for Son is that there is a reluctance to give him a new long-term contract as he approaches 33.
WEST HAM: Michail Antonio
It absolutely should not be an issue in 2024 that 34-year-old Antonio has just a few few months remaining on his contract but West Ham just refuse to learn.
WOLVES: Nelson Semedo
Wolves have four 30-plus players reaching the end of their contracts this summer, but while Mario Lemina and Craig Dawson could extend, Semedo and Pablo Sarabia are likely to depart for much greener grass.
