The franticness of the transfer window is over, players have started to find their feet at their new clubs and fans have graciously accepted a rest from the non-stop demeanour of the market before going again in January. But it doesn't stop there.
Many players who were released at the end of the season had expected to find new clubs; but for some, that is not the case. Still on the free agent conveyor belt, now is the time for many to weigh up their options before going again in their careers - although it remains to be seen where that will be, with many likely facing a further waiting game.
With the window shut until the new year, free agents are the only options that clubs can snap up from now until then. Record Sport takes a look at some options that are available to those in the Scottish Premiership ahead of yet another gruelling season.
Jason Denayer
Denayer enjoyed a loan spell at Celtic back in the 2014-15 season, although he has yet to hit the heights expected of him following his temporary switch eight years ago from Manchester City. Enduring two year-long loan moves at Galatasaray sandwiched between a placement under David Moyes at Sunderland where the Black Cats were relegated with 24 points, a permanent move to Lyon transpired. He has flitted in and out of the Belgian national team but the 27-year-old has yet to find the right fit.
Dan-Axel Zagadou
Zagadou is another defender who had a lot of promise upon his emergence in the European scene, but has failed to capitalise on his unlocked potential. The Frenchman joined Borussia Dortmund as an 18-year-old following his release from Paris Saint Germain, and instantly showed the French giants what they were missing out on with a measly 11 Bundesliga appearances in his debut campaign. But whilst injuries have come to the fore since; 92 appearances for Dortmund whilst competing with the likes of Mats Hummels, Manuel Akanji and Emre Can shows that the 23-year-old could still have a very successful career in football if he can put his woes behind him.
Santiago Arias
Arias' exploits across Europe over the past decade makes it extremely hard to believe that not ONE club has snapped him up following his release from Atletico Madrid in the summer. Making the switch to Sporting just over 11 years ago, Arias made his name at PSV Eindhoven two years later; making 172 appearances over a five-year spell in the Eredivisie. Spanish giants Atletico took him on, and whilst he didn't quite have the quality to make that first-team spot his own, the Colombian would undoubtedly star in the Scottish Premiership - especially at just 30 years old.
Adel Taarabt
Taarabt is a player that fans will not forget for years to come. His silky playground style caught the eye at QPR, where he wowed fans in the Premier League before their relegation in 2013. A few years in Italy followed where he failed to make a mark at Genoa and AC Milan whilst being on the books at Benfica; before finally coming into his own at the Estadio Da Luz in 2019. 122 appearances over the last three seasons has shown that he still has it at a top level - just imagine what the Moroccan would do in the Scottish top-flight.
Matej Vydra
Vydra was incredibly unlucky in his recent spell with Burnley, even by their own admission. Brought in for £11m back in 2018, the Czech star never really fit into their style of play with Ashley Barnes, Chris Wood, Jay Rodriguez and Wout Weghorst all preferred ahead of him. Despite this, his demeanour never changed; determined whenever he stepped onto the pitch, he was pivotal to Burnley's hopes of survival last season with two vital goals against Chelsea and Wolves.
Towards the end of the season, Vydra actually played on with an cruciate injury at Watford and provided an assist which had the Clarets outside of the relegation zone at the time; but with that injury being long-term, he was let go at the end of the season. Make no mistake, his mindset would be an incredible asset for a team which has had attitude problems up front this campaign...Gio van Bronckhorst, are you listening? He was previously linked with Rangers during Gerrard's time in charge.
Eliaquim Mangala
What a strange career Mangala has had. Joining Manchester City for £32m back in 2014, the Frenchman appeared to have the world at his feet as Manuel Pellegrini's men aimed for the league title with him marshalling the defence. However, things never quite clicked for the former Porto star in England. Just 59 top-flight appearances, including a failed loan spell at Everton, saw Mangala move to Valencia, although game-time was also hard to come by in Spain. A one-year deal at Saint Etienne saw him back to his best last season, yet their relegation meant that he couldn't be kept on due to wage disparities. Could a move to Scotland see him back to his best?
Leandro Bacuna
If Bacuna was to move to Scotland, he would surely be given a glowing recommendation by younger brother and former Rangers star Juninho. Leandro has been in England since 2013, where he massively impressed for Aston Villa before relatively successful spells at Reading and Cardiff followed. He has made almost 300 league appearances in England's top two tiers over the last nine years, acting as a valuable, versatile option - he could more than come in handy for the majority of Scotland's top clubs.
Faouzi Ghoulam
Ghoulam was a key part of the great Napoli side that went from Europa League regulars to title contenders over the last decade. The Algerian left-back rarely missed a game from 2015 to 2017, though the arrival of Portugal star Marco Rui saw his game time diminish due to the attacking nature of the former Roma star. It hasn't all been doom and gloom for Ghoulam, though - he still made over 60 appearances in the previous four years at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium - but with his time up on the Amalfi coast, what comes next?
Hatem Ben Arfa
See Taarabt for being a player that fans will not forget. After a stint at Newcastle ended with a failed loan spell for Ben Arfa, it seemed as though his career would begin to dwindle with his undoubtable talent and skill being tarnished as having no end product. An incredible turnaround at Nice the following year changed that, but despite a move to Paris Saint-Germain, Ben Arfa has failed to nail down a regular team with four new clubs in four years since. Still, aged 35, Ben Arfa can still cut it with the very best on his day, and his talents in Scotland would set the world alight given that he could almost single-handedly put himself forward for a 'Goal of the Decade' highlights reel.
Simone Zaza
The proud owner of producing the most embarrassing penalty of all-time, Zaza was released by Torino at the end of last season. Since impressing for Sassuolo in Serie A in 2015, he has seen spells at Juventus, West Ham and Valencia not go quite the way he wanted before finding a home in Turin alongside Andrea Belotti. Generally speaking, he impressed in La Liga and fared well at the Stadio Olimpico Grande, yet a new direction by manager Ivan Juric saw him part ways.
Jetro Willems
Willems was only with Newcastle three seasons ago, and impressed well in his time on Tyneside with a series of attacking displays. However, a cruciate ligament injury in 2020 saw him miss the rest of the season and the entirety of the following season; where he only came back to full fitness for relegated Bundesliga outfit Gruether Furth last season. Just 28 years of age, there is still time for Willems to get back to his best...
Fabian Delph
There are a lot of cultured sounding names in the list - and admittedly, Fabian Delph isn't one of them. But with a huge reputation and an equally impressive trophy cabinet to boot, Delph wouldn't be a bad signing at all for one of the Scottish Premiership's top sides. Still only 32, Delph has played in the English Premier League every year since 2009 - winning the title twice itself with Manchester City - and despite not playing so much recently, his winners mentality could only prove beneficial for a club hunting for the Premiership title. Take Joe Hart's influence for example.
