20 Championship free agents still without a club, including former Portsmouth duo plus Sheffield United & West Brom men

As October draws to a close, focus is now starting to shift to the new year and what kind of business the January transfer window might bring. After a busy summer, the market will open up again on New Year’s Day and clubs will have the chance to both sign and sell players to fit their needs.

However, for teams needing new recruits earlier than January, there are still a number of players available to sign from the free agent pool. Following hundreds of players in England leaving clubs upon the expiration of their contracts in the summer, 20 players who last featured in the Championship are still without a new team.

Among the lengthy list are former Portsmouth duo Gavin Whyte and Joe Morrell. The two players were among multiple names to be released from Fratton Park, with the club announcing an initial 10 back in May. The likes of Sean Raggett and Joe Rafferty both saw their contracts run down and the pair are now playing together again at Rotherham United.

Morrell was still in negotiations with Portsmouth over a potential new deal but eventually, he also left the club at the end of the title-winning campaign. Whyte was included in the names of those still under contract back in May but Pompey revealed in August that he had departed by mutual consent after just one season on the south coast.

While the majority of the released Pompey players are now settled into new clubs, Morrell and Whyte are still without teams. We’ve taken a look below at all the remaining free agents still available to join new clubs, following their departure from Championship sides in the last few months.

Could John Mousinho’s side or any of their rivals opt to bring in one of these free agents as potential backup for their season so far? Portsmouth are currently struggling in the bottom three after a less than desirable start to their 2024/25 season in the second division.

Full list of Championship free agents

Goalkeepers

Jordan Amissah (Sheffield United)

Defenders

Mahlon Romeo (Cardiff City)

Osman Kakay (QPR)

Cyrus Christie (Hull City)

Erik Pieters (West Brom)

Ciaran Clark (Stoke City)

Daniel Ayala (Blackburn Rovers)

Martin Kelly (West Brom)

Matt Penney (Ipswich Town)

Midfielders

Adam Reach (West Brom)

Romaine Sawyers (Cardiff City)

Matty James (Bristol City)

Joe Morrell (Portsmouth)

Louie Watson (Luton Town)

Jake Livermore (Watford)

Marcus Browne (Oxford United)

Forwards

Samuel Kalu (Watford)

Gavin Whyte (Portsmouth)

Admiral Muskwe (Luton Town)

Martyn Waghorn (Derby County)