What a free agent is in football and how to sign one
A free agent is a player with no contract at any club, so he can be signed without paying a fee to another team.
In football a player becomes free when his contract runs out and he does not renew, or when the club releases him. For the signing club it is an opportunity: no fee, although it usually has to offer a signing bonus and a good wage.
In ELDT you can already see the free-agent list in the Market, with filters by position and overall, but signing opens with Season 3 (7 January 2027). It works with surprise windows: they open a few times a week, for a few hours and with no notice. Each window shows 300 players and the first club to sign one gets him. There is no fee, but you pay a premium of 150% to 250% of the player's value, his wage is 30% higher than normal and the contract runs for 2 seasons.
The free agent joins your squad at the start of the following season, like a pre-contract, and already counts towards the 50-player limit. It costs more than winning him at auction, but you do not have to fight bid by bid.
See it in the game: the manager's guide.
Related terms
More on Transfers
See also: online football manager · guides on the blog