'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With wages as high as they are nowadays, a club has to be certain when they decide whether a player who wants a contract renewal is truly beneficial to the team or not. Other factors like how frequently they get injured, their age, and their ability to gel with the rest of the squad are also taken into consideration.
At the end of every season, at least a handful of well-known players are released from their contracts, free to be snapped up by any club that the player feels is the right next step. Sometimes hidden gems can fall between the cracks and revitalise their career elsewhere, whilst others are set for a sharp decline that will never be solved, right up until they finally retire.
It's a nerve-wracking time for players who have mere weeks left on their contracts. They can hope and pray that their club sees the good in them, but ultimately it is out of their hands.
With that being said, let's take a look at ten players who are set to become free agents this summer.
Also see :Calcutta Football League, Calcutta Football League Schedule, Calcutta Football League Points Table
#10 Juan Mata
Juan Mata is a 30-year-old attacking midfielder who currently plays for Manchester United in the Premier League. He also plays for Spain's national team, having made 41 appearances since making his debut back in March 2009.
Right now, the problem with Mata is his age. He's going to turn 31 at the end of this month and although United have reportedly offered a one-year extension to his contract, the Spaniard has demanded that he wants at least two more years at Old Trafford for stability.
United's policy has always typically been to offer one-year extensions to players over 30 who still provide something for the team; if they're fringe first-team players, then you can let them go. Mata is primarily a back-up option for United right now but when he's brought on, he makes an impact, which is why negotiations are still going on.
Mata has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus this summer, who are circling like vultures, waiting for his contract to expire before they make a move for the midfielder.
#9 Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera is a 29-year-old central midfielder who currently plays for Manchester United in the Premier League. He has also played twice for Spain's national side since making his debut in November 2016.
The main reason behind why negotiations have stalled and failed between Ander Herrera and Man United is down to the wages he has been asking for. According to reports, Herrera demanded £200,000-per-week before he put pen to paper; however, Ed Woodward said that the highest he was prepared to offer him was £170,000-per-week.
Bearing in mind that Herrera is on £130,000-per-week already, you'd think a £50,000 boost to his wages would have been appreciated, but it seems like greed has become too much of an incentive in the contract talks now, which has forced him down a dead-end.
Herrera is believed to have signed a pre-contract deal with PSG, who agreed to meet his demands of £200,000-per-week as they won't have to spend anything on transfer fees.
#8 Danny Welbeck
Danny Welbeck is a 28-year-old centre-forward who plays for Arsenal in the Premier League. He has also featured for England's national side 42 times since his debut in March 2011.
Once a promising youngster at Manchester United, Welbeck's career has declined drastically over the past few seasons. He is now regarded as injury-prone and unreliable, and although he's been given multiple chances at Arsenal to serve as a back-up option, he fails to make an impact when he's brought on.
Welbeck has played in 8 matches for the Gunners this season, scoring once. He spent the first 20 games out with an ankle injury, which is precisely why Arsenal are not looking to renew his contract.
He is simply a liability for the club now, picking up close to £100,000-per-week whilst sidelined and contributing virtually nothing to the team. It can't go on for much longer, surely.
#7 James Milner
James Milner is a 33-year-old central midfielder who currently plays for Liverpool in the Premier League. He has also played for England 61 times since his debut back in August 2009.
The fact Milner could become a free agent in the summer is difficult to digest, given how valuable he is to the first team right now. He's featured in 26 games for the Reds this season, scoring four goals and assisting five in the process. It's clear that he still plays a big part in their squad.
Moreover, he has versatility on his side as he can be utilised in his main position (central midfielder), out on the flanks and even as a left-back, which was a gap he filled during Alberto Moreno's absence last season.
It's unlikely that Liverpool will actually allow Milner to be released from his contract this summer because of what he continues to contribute, so we could see a one-year extension, at least.
#6 Stephan Lichsteiner
Stephan Lichsteiner is a 35-year-old right-back who currently plays for Arsenal in the Premier League. He has also played for Switzerland 105 times since his debut back in 2006 - he currently captains the side.
Lichsteiner was brought in last summer and was one of Unai Emery's first signings as Arsenal manager. It's thought that his role was to serve as cover for Hector Bellerin and he did just that when the Spaniard was sidelined through injury, but he's failed to make much of an impact at all in the Premier League.
His age is a huge setback and has meant that he struggles to keep up with the pace of the game. Lichsteiner is also a very easy obstacle to get round for the young, more energetic wingers, who tend to knock the ball past him and run onto it, leaving him in their dust. This has made him a liability for the Gunners.
When he leaves Arsenal this summer, he may play for a side in his home country Switzerland until he retires, as he simply doesn't possess the ability to properly compete in the top divisions anymore.
#5 David Luiz
David Luiz is a 31-year-old centre-back who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League. He has also played for Brazil's national team 56 times since making his debut back in August 2010.
Luiz, like Milner, is another odd name to see on this list, given how much he contributes to the first team, but his contract is running out and Chelsea are yet to renew it. Not much is known about why the contract talks have stalled, but if one was to guess then wages will probably be at the crux of the disagreement.
And yet the Brazilian only recently rejected a contract offer from a club in Qatar who offered him a staggering £220,000-per-week, almost double what he's being paid at Chelsea. He has also received a huge offer from Brazilian side Palmeiras which he turned down.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean that he wants to stay with Chelsea; rather, he's waiting for a top European club to put in an offer, by which point he'll probably be off.
David Luiz has featured in 30 games for Chelsea this season, keeping a total of 13 cleansheets in the process. It's clear he still has the ability so Chelsea should really work out a contract extension sooner than later.
#4 Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud is a 32-year-old centre-forward who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League. He has also played for France's national team 89 times since his debut in November 2011 and scored 35 goals.
Whilst Chelsea have the option to trigger a one-year extension on Giroud's contract, things aren't looking good for the Frenchman who has openly said that he would love to stay at Stamford Bridge for a lot longer.
Giroud has featured in 23 matches for Chelsea this season but has only scored twice and assisted four. For a centre-forward at a club the size of Chelsea, two goals in 23 games is simply unacceptable and is likely the main reason behind why they haven't engaged in contract talks with him yet.
Paris Saint-Germain are one of several high-profile clubs in Europe who are looking at signing Giroud this summer. A chance to get him on a free transfer is a great opportunity and also means that the club can put more into the player's wages to entice him.
#3 Nacho Monreal
Nacho Monreal is a 33-year-old left-back who currently plays for Arsenal in the Premier League. He has also played 22 times for Spain's national side since making his debut back in August 2009.
Once a key member in the Arsenal defence, Monreal has slipped off the radar this season, warming the bench more than he tends to play out on the field. Injury has had a big say in his absence, but that could be attributed to his age.
To make matters worse, Arsenal have openly said that they want to bolster their defence with a few big signings in the summer, which would leave no room for Monreal to be included at all. So, it's probably for the best that he leaves the Gunners this summer and looks for football elsewhere. He has been a great servant to the club and will leave the fans with fond memories.
#2 Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge is a 29-year-old centre-forward who currently plays for Liverpool in the Premier League. He has also played for England 26 times since making his debut back in November 2011.
Like Danny Welbeck who was mentioned already on this list, Sturridge's career has been derailed by injury. Each time he starts to play well, he picks up a knock and is sidelined for several matches, meaning he can never quite get into the full swing of things.
Although he's made 16 appearances this season, only two of them featured him in the starting eleven. But even when he came on, he added no real value to the games, which is reflected in his stats for the season - two goals and one assist.
Clearly, this isn't good enough for a player at a top club in the Premier League, and surely he knows that himself by this point, so allowing his contract to expire in the summer is probably the best option for him right now. Perhaps he can then revitalise his career somewhere else.
#1 Vincent Kompany
Vincent Kompany is a 32-year-old centre-back who currently plays for Manchester City in the Premier League. He has also played for Belgium 87 times since first making his debut for them back in February 2004.
Although Kompany has tried desperately hard over the past couple of seasons to regain his fitness and earn himself a spot back in the first team, he has failed to steer clear of injury which has resulted in him slipping down the ranks.
Once a key player in the squad, Kompany is now surplus to requirements, having been replaced by the next generation. But given how much he has contributed to Manchester City over the years, there must be some sort of role he could be offered behind the scenes at the club once he retires.
Kompany joined City back in 2008 when they had just been taken over by their current owners; he was one of the originals of the "Noisy Neighbours" era and was very much key to their success in the beginning.
He may head to the Belgium league to see out the remainder of his career -- perhaps with Anderlecht, the club he began his footballing journey with.
