Commitment possible
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The transfer window in the top leagues has been closed since August 31st and clubs can only sign players who are out of contract. AS Roma in particular has taken advantage of this and signed two international-caliber central defenders, Mario Hermoso and Mats Hummels, in September. With a market value of 25 million euros, Hermoso was one of the most valuable professionals. Among the out of contract players are other top-class players such as Adrien Rabiot, Joel Matip, Anthony Martial and even two world champions.
In contrast to the names mentioned, Memphis Depay has made a decision and signed with Corinthians for the first time outside of Europe. Curiously, according to media reports, the online gambling platform Esportes da Sorte will cover a large part of his salary so that the Brazilian first division club can afford the Dutchman. Over the term of the contract, which runs until the end of 2026, Depay will earn 11.3 million euros – the sponsor will reportedly pay 9.2 million euros, meaning Corinthians will only have to pay 19 percent of the sum. One of the few major leagues in which the transfer window is still open is the Süper Lig. In Turkey, the window closes on September 13th at 11 p.m. From then on at the latest, the clubless players will become even more interesting there too.
Former Bundesliga pros Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting and Davy Klaassen are also still without a new club. The most valuable German player without a contract was Hummels until he signed for Roma – now Alexander Hack and Philipp Förster lead the ranking with a market value of 1.8 million, followed by Christoph Kramer, Christopher Lenz and Loris Karius.
Former international player Marvin Plattenhardt, who announced his retirement at the beginning of September after being without a club since summer 2023, is off the market. “Between summer 2023 and the end of January 2024, there were some talks with clubs in various countries, but the overall package was not suitable for me in terms of my family and company. I just didn’t want to do that,” said the former Hertha professional.
Former Gladbach player Kramer is waiting for the right overall package after his contract was terminated. “If I feel something, I do it. If I don’t feel anything, I don’t do it,” he explained on the sidelines of the German national team’s international match against Hungary on ZDF. In addition to him, another world champion, Sergio Ramos, is currently without a club, as are former colleague Keylor Navas and vice world champion Ivan Perisic.
