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Free agents are the bread and butter of every self-respecting Football Manager bargain hunter and can really help to boost a squad at minimal expense.
With Orlando City SC’s rather slack transfer outlay and little room to manoeuvre with the salary cap, it appears real life is no different.
Here’s a rundown of 15 current free agents across every position that Orlando City SC could potentially (but not likely) be looking at right now.
1. GK Ogmundur Kristinsson (29)
Having recently finished a spell behind Orlando City SC’s newly acquired defender Shane O’Neill at Excelsior in the Netherlands, the Iceland international was left out of the World Cup squad which led to his father attending a press conference to heckle the coach.
Prior to his move to the Netherlands he was rumoured to have peaked Bristol City’s interest but they are now pursuing Zack Steffen and Kristinsson has more recently been linked with Randers to replace current Iceland starter Halldórsson who left for Azeri champions Qarabag this summer.
2. GK Alan Aguerre (27)
The Argentine keeper broke Velez’s club record for consecutive minutes without conceding in 2016 but was rotated in and out of the side last season and is currently a free agent. He’s not particularly tall but is known to be aggressive in coming off his line and has good reflexes.
3. CB Philipp Wollscheid (29)
The former young German international was highly rated by compatriot Per Mertesacker but had a rough time at Stoke City after a promising start and struggled to make anything of his time at Wolfsburg and Ligue 2 side Metz.
Recently linked with third tier side Munich 1860, Wollscheid has kept sharp following his release by joining a 5-a-side team.
4. CB Florentin Pogba (27)
After five years with Saint-Etienne which culminated in a loan to Turkey for the final part of last season, Paul Pogba’s older brother is currently a free agent and has recently been linked with Ligue 1 side Toulouse.
Whether he’d do a job or not, to be honest it’d just be fun to have Pogba on the back of an Orlando shirt.
5. LB Louis Nganioni (23)
The attacking fullback is rumoured to be being monitored by several MLS teams following his departure from Lyon but has recently been on trial with Championship side Bolton Wanderers.
Capped at U20 level, he failed to make an appearance for the team but spent two seasons away on loan and is known for his speed and crossing.
6. RB Dennis Diekmeier (28)
An experienced right-back with over 200 Bundesliga appearances under his belt, former youth international Diekmeier ended a seven-year stint with relegated Hamburg in summer and is still a free agent despite interest from several German teams.
7. DM Stéphane Mbia (32)
The dominating defensive midfielder has been a free agent since leaving Hebei China Fortune in January.
Currently training at former club Sevilla, the Cameroonian visited Atlanta United in April but failed to agree contract terms.
8. DM Pontus Wernbloom (32)
There’s a growing contingent of Swedes in MLS and with Wernbloom’s CSKA Moscow contract now expired the hard-tackling midfielder is on the lookout for a new club having already attracted attention from the likes of Aston Villa, Galatasaray and PAOK.
The 6ft 2 in brute, who is loved by fans and hated by opponents, has more recently gained a reputation in the attacking third having been deployed as a makeshift striker who’s difficult to shrug off the ball.
9. CM Jan Kirchhoff (27)
A player continually blighted by injury but whose class is undoubted, the former Mainz and Bayern Munich man thrived under Allardyce at Sunderland and more recently featured in the Championship with Bolton Wanderers.
10. LW Rafal Kurzawa (25)
Kurzawa was last season’s Ekstraklasa assist leader, creating more than double the next best with Gornik Zabrze, one of Poland’s most successful clubs but has now decided to move on to a different challenge.
After also providing the assist to Poland’s only goal in his solitary World Cup 2018 appearance, the 25-year-old winger has been continually linked with multiple Serie A clubs all summer as well as Turkey and France.
11. LW Leonardo da Silva Souza (26)
Having played in Cyprus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Russia, Brazilian journeyman Leonardo’s most successful spell was at Partizan Belgrade where he won the Serbian league and cup double with current Lion Mohamed El Munir.
The perennial goalscorer is a free agent after terminating his contract with Saudi club Al-Ahli because of a pay dispute.
12. RW Keisuke Honda (32)
A stalwart of the Japanese national team for a decade, Honda registered one goal and one assist in two substitute appearances at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The former AC Milan and CSKA Moscow playmaker Honda impressed in Liga MX with Pachuca last season and has regularly been linked with MLS sides over the past few years but won’t be short of offers elsewhere including Australia and the Middle East.
13. CAM Keidi Bare (20)
Now 20, Bare signed for Spanish giants Atletico Madrid when he was 16 and made two senior appearances under Diego Simeone as well as playing regularly for their youth sides.
Already a full Albanian international, the highly-rated midfielder was handed a nine-game ban for a profanity-laden outburst at a referee during a Segunda Division B at the back end of last season and has now been subsequently released.
14. ST Lacina Traore (28)
After spells in Romania and Russia, Lacina Traore joined AS Monaco from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013 surrounded by much anticipation.
An injury left limited him to just one injury time substitute appearance at Everton on loan but regular starts with Monaco in 2015/16 led to become top scorer in a team that also included Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Guido Carrillo, Anthony Martial and Thomas Lemar.
However, the Ivory Coast international was loaned back out for the following, title-winning season and spent this past season failing to score for fellow Ligue 1 side Amiens.
15. CF Bryan de Jesus (23)
The centre forward moved to Liga MX side Necaxa from El Nacional with a reputation as one of Ecuadorian Serie A’s top talents last January but has agreed to terminate his four-year contract in order to seek first team football elsewhere after only managing 134 minutes.
He is yet to rule out staying in Mexico or moving to another country amid interest from Ecuador.