With the transfer window having closed about a month ago, the only avenue for EFL clubs to add players until January 2024 is through the free agent market.

And there is still plenty of quality up for grabs for clubs if they feel as though they need a fresh injection of talent or energy into their side for a few months.

One of the players who is looking for a new club is former England international winger Andros Townsend, who has certainly had somewhat of a tough last 18 months for a number of different reasons.

What is Andros Townsend’s current situation?

Townsend, who earned 13 caps for his country between 2013 and 2016, joined Everton in the summer of 2021 after leaving Crystal Palace, but he tore his ACL against his former team in an FA Cup match in March 2022.

It is an injury that would effectively end his time at the Toffees despite having almost a year left on his contract – his single appearance for the Merseyside club last season came in an under-21s encounter in May, and he was released in the summer.

The 32-year-old was on trial with Premier League returnees Burnley over the summer, impressing particularly in a 90-minute effort against Portuguese giants Benfica, but the Clarets dropped out of the contract, leaving Townsend without a club.

Potential moves to Turkey and Saudi Arabia have also gone through in recent weeks, so Townsend is still looking for a club to help him relaunch his career – and he may do so in England.

Which EFL club should bet on Andros Townsend?
Townsend will almost certainly stay in England since there should be clubs interested in his talents – but which EFL clubs should be looking at him? Let’s see what some of the FLW writers think…

Wignall, Ben

If his knee holds up – and considering that he played many times for Burnley in pre-season, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t – there are Championship clubs that could use someone of his caliber.

With Ryan Hedges being out for several months and Sam Gallagher also out, there may be a position for Townsend to attempt and win at Blackburn Rovers.

Tyrhys Dolan, Dilan Markanday, loanee Andrew Moran, and Arnor Sigurdsson are all options for Jon Dahl Tomasson, but the first three are all very comparable players, and none have the pedigree or explosive shooting power that Townsend possesses.

Furthermore, Blackburn’s roster is relatively young, and having recently lost a number of games, they may simply require some experience to complement their youth – Townsend would suit that criteria as well.

Queens Park Rangers are another club that has already dug into the pool of free players and appears to be lacking in offense.

Gareth Ainsworth’s team lacks depth in the last third, with Sinclair Armstrong, Lyndon Dykes, Ilias Chair, and Chris Willock vying for three spots.

Townsend, on the other hand, could be a game-changer off the bench, and it would be near to his London roots – it is a move that could make even more sense than Blackburn.

Ned Holmes

There are a number of teams that could benefit from adding a winger of Andros Townsend’s quality but it surely comes down to who can afford the free agent.

He’ll need to take a pay cut wherever he goes but it’s hard to see anyone outside the club’s biggest spenders being able to give him what he wants all the same.