In the past, Real Madrid had a superstar every year, but now Real Madrid has a sign-free sign-up

. In 2001, Sol Campbell made a free transfer from Tottenham to Arsenal, and it was Andrew who led the deal and shocked the foundations of the football world.

"I told him you have to fulfill the contract," Andrew said, "and then you can see if anyone can give you a better job than you are now."

As the former captain of England, Saul Campbell's transfer from Tottenham to the Gunners is still considered one of the most sensational transfers in Premier League history.

More dramatic is that few people knew about the deal until the press conference was held.

Things 24 years later, Andrew said in an interview that he was surprised that the players who fulfilled their contracts were sometimes considered "villains" in the incident.

Andrew said: "Anyone criticizing a player who performs a contract is hypocritical because the player has work to do - playing football."

"Players are usually just chess pieces in a big game. Agents, coaches, club officials are all determining the fate of the player, and players rarely control their own destiny."

"If a player performs a contract, they will be criticized; if they want to terminate the contract early, they will be criticized; this situation must change." Andrew said.

For fans who are still paying attention to free agents, Dele Ali left Serie A club Cuomo after the contract was terminated, while former Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksson and Chelsea 2021 Champions League captain Cesar Azpilicueta still have no clubs.

There is no denying that these names are unlikely to shake the foundations of this summer transfer window – but maybe free agents will be the protagonist next summer.

Free players in 2026 include Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and Stones, Arsenal's Trosad, Bayern Munich's Yupamecano and Barcelona's Frankie DeJong.

Among other Premier League teams, two players in the final year of the contract are also worthy of attention, namely Liverpool centre-back Connert and Crystal Palace captain Mark Guy, whose plan to transfer to Liverpool on the transfer deadline failed.

And both names are now associated with... Real Madrid!

If any of them followed Arnold's footsteps into the Spanish capital, almost no one would be surprised.