Year in, year out, the free agent market is utilised by clubs all over the world and at various levels of the game.
Those free agent signings can be a low-risk method of player recruitment for many clubs, and that method is especially useful for clubs who don’t have the luxury of a big budget.
Serie A is set to kick off its 24/25 season this coming weekend, and there are still some players without clubs who we believe could be an effective and productive addition to certain clubs in the league.
This Serie A scouting report will provide a tactical analysis of four players who played Serie A football last season but are currently unattached.
The Serie A recruiting analysis will draw on key data points from their contributions from last season, while also suggesting which type of club(s) they may suit, based on how their attributes could suit certain tactics.
Yes, Adrien Rabiot is still a free agent after leaving Serie A giants Juventus, but he is not included in this analysis as we wanted to discuss less obvious free options.
Besides, if reports are to be believed, the French midfielder will be leaving Serie A for the English Premier League or the Turkish Super Lig.
Rui Patrício Scouting Report
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers shot-stopper Rui Patrício, now aged 36, is still on the lookout for a new club after leaving Roma.
Patrício enjoyed three seasons at Roma, keeping 48 clean sheets in 129 fixtures across all competitions – his game time did see a slight decrease last season, however, as he featured in 24 Serie A fixtures.
His data from last season gives us an insight into his capabilities but also provides some suggestions as to why Roma felt the need to move on.
While he posted strong percentiles for statistics such as aerial duels won and goals conceded (despite facing a high number of shots), Patrício’s save rate and clean sheet contributions were not at the level Roma deemed necessary to help them achieve their goals.
His average of two saves per 90 against 3.06 shots faced per 90 does, however, indicate that he still has that elite-level calibre in those gloves—one reason why clubs should consider the veteran.
Additionally, 51% of those two saves were categorised as reflex saves – an indication that age is not yet slowing Patrício down too much and that he can pull out all the stops when called upon.
When it comes to his in-possession contributions, as you can tell from his percentile record, he doesn’t receive that many passes so he has a low amount of time on the ball.
However, his long passing abilities could be desirable for certain clubs – while his average of 5.89 is not that high, his long pass accuracy rate of 72% is the 14th-highest rate in the entire division.
A club who likes their keeper to play directly into an attacking player – a winger or a physical target man up front could really utilise this trait.
Patrício could still be a valuable member of a Serie A squad – he would likely still push for a number one spot for a mid-table club who don’t ask too much of their goalkeeper in possession.
He could also be a great backup keeper – his vast experience at the top level could be a key presence in the dressing room and on the training pitch.
It is worth noting that Patrício is also vastly experienced at the international level, having made 108 caps for Portugal, and was even included in the EURO 2024 squad.
Gian Marco Ferrari Scouting Report
32-year-old central defender Gian Marco Ferrari finds himself without a club after making 194 appearances for Sassuolo, who were relegated to Serie B last season.
The experienced LCB has on-the-ball capabilities, as evidenced by his engagement in progressive and dangerous pass percentiles—for example, his average of 9.76 progressive passes was Serie A’s 13th-highest last season.
However, Ferrari struggled to post similar numbers for key defensive statistics—perhaps this is to be expected, though, given Sassuolo’s poor season.
The defender offered 4.5 defensive duels last season with a win rate of 59.7%, so it can be argued that this area is not his strongest.
Interestingly, and importantly, his percentile output did not differ too greatly even when Sassuolo finished 13th the season before their relegation—perhaps a sign of what they do and don’t demand of their CBs.
We believe Ferrari could still be a productive member of a low-end Serie A club (low-end as in budget and where they are expected to finish in the league), but he may have to accept that a drop in game time could be a possibility.
He may also consider dropping into Serie B despite having spent most of his career in Italy’s top flight.
Alex Sandro Scouting Report
After 327 appearances for Juventus, Brazilian defender Alex Sandro is without a club.
In his prime years, Sandro was considered one of Europe’s top left-backs at the time, but his game time last season saw a big decrease – the beginning of the end of his time at Juve.
Other than his game time, his position has changed—most of his time last season was spent playing as an LCB, and his percentile chart reflects that.
In his 16 Serie A appearances last season, Sandro posted high percentiles for statistics such as dribbles and touches in the opposition box, which gives insight into the kind of ball-playing CB he is.
His 1.22 dribbles per 90 was one of the highest for central defenders in Italy’s top flight, and that was matched with an impressive success rate of 72.7%
He is also keen to make progressive and dangerous passes, showing that he can be more than productive in build-up play and chance creation—another worthy trait, particularly for a central defender, as he shows the ability to smoothly progress possession into more advanced positions.
Many of those passes would come after some productive ball progression, which, as you can see from the map above, he offered a fair amount down that left flank, mainly when he was playing at LB.
Sandro is now 33, so a move back to his home nation of Brazil could be on the cards, but he could still stay in Serie A.
He could still be a productive player for a mid-table side looking to break into those Conference/Europa places – a team who allows their defenders to drive forward with the ball and contribute towards build-up play would benefit from Sandro’s presence.
M’Baye Niang Scouting Report
The youngest player in this scout report, centre forward M’baye Niang, is a free agent after a short stint with Empoli.
He only signed for the club in January of 2024, and despite helping the club avoid relegation with some key goals, he was let go.
The Senegal international made an impact for Empoli, scoring six goals in 706 minutes across 14 games (one assist, too) – he also contributed nine G/A in 16 games in the first half of the season for Turkish side Adana Demirspor, so he was in some impressive form last season.
His tally at Empoli led to a rate of 0.69 goals per 90 from 2.4 shots per 90, matched with an accuracy rate of 42.1%, showcasing his ability to be clinical in the box even when he doesn’t get too much service.
The tall and powerful striker brings a physical presence, which allows him to be aggressive against opposition possession.
He also has a high engagement with aerial duels, a trait that some Serie A clubs could really use.
Niang averaged 8.69 aerial duels per 90 last season, the sixth-highest in Serie A, showing just how important that part of the game is to his style of play – a success rate of 31.6% suggests that he possesses the ability to beat opposition defenders in those aerial moments, allowing him to be an important part of a team’s build-up play within certain tactics.
Without seeing him play, you may assume that Niang stays central to offer his aerial and physical presence in build-up play and attack, but as his heatmap shows us, that is not the case.
Niang likes to drift around various positions in midfield and the final third, which can be difficult to defend against.
He can also utilise his physical and aerial traits in these wider positions in an alternative build-up approach.
His work rate is another strength—Niang is no stranger to tracking back and putting in overall defensive effort.
Again, his physical strength contributes to his defensive output, and his high positioning percentile, as seen in the initial data chart, suggests that he is able to offer important actions such as interceptions.
Conclusion
Those are just four free agents currently in Italy—most of them are older, more experienced players like the ones in this analysis, but these four are the ones we believe could be effective signings at this moment in time.
Of course, there is always the possibility that some of them will find a club outside of Italy or even possibly retire.
Still, these players were selected due to their contributions last season and the fact that they could be important players in the upcoming campaign.
As we mentioned earlier in this analysis, the Serie A season is set to begin this coming weekend, so most clubs will be satisfied with their squad and transfer business to date but never rule out the possibility of late signings, especially when it comes to free players.
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