The transfer window is closed. Most clubs will feel their work is done and, realistically, are not going back into the market.
Elsewhere, though, the picture is far less settled. A few League One clubs look like they are still one problem short of comfort, whether that is a lack of depth, a missing profile, or simply a body in the right position.
This list is not a shopping trolley for League One sides. It is just a bit of fun, a look at the sort of players who are still out there, and the kind of calculated gambles clubs might consider if they feel unfinished.
Luca Barrington
An attacking midfielder or left winger, Luca Barrington is currently a free agent after being released by Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of the 2024–25 season. He is 21 and spent the last campaign on loan at Grimsby Town in League Two, where he made 38 league appearances and scored four goals.
Barrington came through the Manchester City academy before joining Brighton in 2022, signing a three-year deal and featuring regularly for their Under-21 side. Although he did not make a senior league appearance for Brighton, he trained with the first-team squad during the 2023–24 season and was included in several Premier League matchday squads.
His senior experience has come primarily at Grimsby, where he was used across the attacking midfield line, including on the left wing, and featured consistently across league and cup competition. Barrington’s most recent competitive football came during the 2024–25 season with Grimsby Town, after which he returned to Brighton and subsequently became available following his release.
Michail Antonio
A centre-forward by trade, Michail Antonio has been a free agent since leaving West Ham United at the end of his contract in summer 2025. He spent ten seasons with West Ham, becoming their record Premier League goalscorer and featuring in domestic and European competition, including their Europa Conference League win in 2023.
Antonio’s last competitive appearances came during the 2023–24 season, before a serious road traffic accident in December 2024 ruled him out long-term. Since then, he has trained with West Ham’s Under-21s and later with Leicester City while continuing his recovery, but has not signed a new deal.
Matt Phillips
Primarily a wide midfielder or wing-back, Matt Phillips is a free agent after leaving Oxford United by mutual consent in February. He is 34 and has spent the majority of his career in the Championship and Premier League, with earlier spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Blackpool, and Queens Park Rangers.
Phillips was a long-term fixture at West Bromwich Albion between 2016 and 2024, making more than 200 league appearances across both tiers. His most recent football came at Oxford, where he featured in league and cup competition before his contract was terminated midway through the season.
Brandon Williams
A full-back who can operate on either side, Brandon Williams is a free agent after leaving Hull City by mutual consent in February. He came through the Manchester United academy and made more than 50 senior appearances for the club across league, cup, and European competition during the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons.
Williams later spent time on loan at Norwich City in the Championship before joining Ipswich Town for the 2023–24 campaign, where he featured in league matches and scored once. His most recent spell at Hull was brief, but he remains a 25-year-old defender with experience at full-back in both back four and wing-back systems.
Free agents always come with baggage. Fitness, wages, motivation, expectation. But for clubs feeling one piece short, the market is still there. Just not at last week’s prices.
Kortney Hause
A left-sided centre-back who can also cover at full-back, Kortney Hause has been without a club since leaving Aston Villa at the end of his contract in summer 2025. He previously played regularly for Wolverhampton Wanderers during their rise from League One into the Championship, and later became part of Villa’s promotion-winning squad in 2018–19.
His final seasons at Villa were disrupted by long-term knee problems, including a curtailed loan spell at Watford. Hause has not played competitive first-team football since 2023, but his most recent registration was with Aston Villa, where he trained with the Under-21s while continuing rehabilitation.
