Bernard set Goodison Park alight on Saturday by opening the scoring for Everton against West Ham – and the Toffees didn’t even pay a penny for him.
He’s not the only free transfer currently shining in the Premier League. Ask any Crystal Palace fan and they’ll tell you that Vicente Guaita is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League on current form.
And the stats back them up. Of all the goalkeepers to start every top-flight game this season, none of them have more clean sheets (3) than the one Palace signed for nothing last summer.
Another man who has made the Eagles airtight at the back is former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill, who also arrived at Selhurst Park on a free transfer.
Only Liverpool and Norwich spent less than Palace during the summer, and the Eagles also had to contend with losing last season’s Player of the Year Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United.
But thanks to some savvy business, Roy Hodgson’s men are sixth after eight games, just two points behind champions Manchester City, who they host on Saturday.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash, which you can hear live on talkSPORT as part of our exclusive GameDay coverage, we take a look at seven other star players in the Premier League who didn’t cost their clubs a penny.
LIVE on talkSPORT
Check out all the live commentaries coming up across the talkSPORT network this weekend
- Cardiff vs Sheffield Wednesday (Friday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Everton vs West Ham (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Blackburn vs Huddersfield (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Tottenham vs Watford (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Crystal Palace vs Man City (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Wigan vs Nottingham Forest (Sunday, 2pm) – talkSPORT 2
Joel Matip (Liverpool)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently hailed the free signing of Matip from Schalke in 2016 as one of the best pieces of business the Reds have done.
“He was always an incredible talent. He played at 18 for Schalke and he was an outstanding player early in his life,” Klopp said.
“Consistency issues at certain points but he has grown, developed.
“In a world of big fees, Joel on a free transfer is one of the best pieces business we did. He is in a really good moment and that is really cool.”
James Milner (Liverpool)
When Manchester City let Milner join Liverpool for free in 2015, they can’t have known they were gifting their future title rivals one their most valuable players.
Milner still starts regularly for the Reds, even at the age of 33, and slots in a number of positions when called upon.
The Reds have taken maximum points from their opening eight league games, with free signings Milner and Matip at the team’s core.
Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal)
Before Kieran Tierney’s return to fitness in recent weeks, Kolasinac was Arsenal’s only fit senior left-back.
The Gunners were notoriously stingy in the years leading up to the most recent transfer window, when they smashed their club record to sign Nicolas Pepe for £72million.
Kolasinac is the second player on this list to arrive from Schalke, signing for the Gunners on a free transfer in the summer of 2017.
Bernard (Everton)
Everton have splashed nearly £200m since the summer of 2018, but they didn’t pay a penny for the tricky Brazilian.
The Toffees fought off stiff competition to sign Bernard from Shakhtar Donetsk, and despite Everton’s struggles since his arrival, the 27-year-old has shown glimpses of the brilliance he can produce.
His goal against West Ham was a fine example of what he’s capable of.
Ryan Fredericks (West Ham)
When Fredericks joined West Ham from Fulham last year, many expected it to prove one of the signings of the summer.
But the right-back endured a tough start to life in the Premier League and struggled to break into the first team.
However, Fredericks is finally fulfilling his potential at the London Stadium this season, emerging as one of the club’s star players in their bright start to the campaign.
The 27-year-old has started every game under Manuel Pellegrini this season.
Josh King (Bournemouth)
Once on the books at Manchester United, King managed to slip through the system until he joined Bournemouth for free from Blackburn Rovers in 2015.
Four years and 45 goals later, I wonder whether United would take the 27-year-old at Old Trafford right now?
Marc Albrighton (Leicester)
Albrighton was a regular for the Leicester team which pulled off one of the greatest achievements in sports history when they won the Premier League title in 2016.
That’s not bad for someone who struggled on loan at Wigan before being released by Aston Villa in 2014.
He doesn’t start as much under Brendan Rodgers following the arrival of Ayoze Perez, but the 29-year-old is still a useful option from the bench for the over-achieving Foxes.
