5 free agents Aston Villa and Wolves can still sign - including Juan Mata & Ross Barkley

The summer transfer window comes to a close at 11pm on Thursday with Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers both being busy in the market.

Villa has signed four first team players so far this summer, while Wolves have bolstered their ranks with five new faces.

The Villans haven’t added to their squad since July and have struggled in the league so far, winning one of their opening four games.

Steven Gerrard will be hoping to turn his fortunes around when his team face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening.

As for Wolves, they have also had an underwhelming start to the campaign, failing to win any of their league games.

Bruno Lage’s men travel to Bournemouth on Wednesday evening and will be looking to take advantage of a depleted Cherries side, who recently sacked Scott Parker, following their 9-0 loss to Liverpool.

Both teams will be looking at ways to strengthen their squads going into the last couple of days of the transfer window, but could looking at players currently without a club be one way to do it?

With that being said, we take a look at five free agents Villa and Wolves could sign this summer, including two familiar faces for the former mentioned club’s fanbase…

Florian Grillitsch - Centre-midfield

The 27-year-old is the lesser-known name on the list having played his whole career in Germany. He left Hoffenheim at the end of his contract on July 1 after five seasons with the club, where he made 151 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals and assisting his teammates on 11 occasions.

He has been capped 33 times by the Austrian national team and was Hoffenheim’s second-highest performing player with a rating 7.21 last campaign, according to SofaScore.

Fabian Delph - Centre-midfielder

No stranger to the Villa faithful having played for the club between 2009 and 2015, the Englishman has been without a club since leaving Everton at the end of his contract.

Now 32, the midfielder would likely provide backup for either side, especially with his history of injuries, however, his experience could be key for helping either side in their current form.

Ross Barkley - Centre-midfielder

Another player who is familiar with Villa after spending the 2020-21 season on loan with the club. He made 24 appearances that campaign, scoring three goals and registering one assist.

The 28-year-old left Chelsea by mutual consent on August 29 and would provide competition for both Villa and Wolves midfielders if he were to be snapped up.

Jason Denayer - Centre-back

The Belgian international has been a free agent since leaving Lyon at the end of last season and, according to reports, has been in talks with Wolves over a move to Molineux.

Predominantly a centre-back, the 27-year-old can also operate on the right-side of defence and as a defensive-midfielder.

Juan Mata - Attacking-midfielder

An experienced attacking-midfielder, who can be a threat for any side when played in a number 10 role. Juan Mata left Manchester United after eight-and-a-half years and remains a free agent as of writing.

His experience at the highest level, both for club and country, could be exactly what Villa and Wolves are missing this campaign.