Greg Docherty is on the hunt for a new club after the Charlton Athletic captain was released by the Addicks following the end of the transfer window.
The midfielder joined Charlton in July 2024 and skippered the club to promotion from League One in his first season.
Docherty made 90 appearances in total for the south London outfit, but the 29-year-old had slipped down the pecking order at The Valley and the club decided to terminate his contract.
Charlton manager Nathan Jones said: "He's a leader, an unbelievable pro and he should take his rightful place in the history of Charlton Athletic.
"The tough thing is, we want to evolve, we want to improve on every level and it meant that Doc's game time was probably going to be more limited than he wanted. We had open conversations around that and felt this was the best way forward."
With Docherty available as a free agent, we've assessed which club the former Rangers and Hull City midfielder might join next.
Aberdeen
Docherty has been linked with a return to the Scottish Premiership and Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson has hinted at the prospect of dipping into the free agency market.
It's been a busy summer at Pittodrie with more than a dozen arrivals and deaprtures, and yet central midfield is still an area that seemingly requires fine tuning.
Docherty could provide direct competition for Toyosi Olusanya while strengthening Robinson's midfield options. The 29-year-old is not the playmaker the Dons perhaps crave, but his skillset would enable Aberdeen to move the ball forward quicker.
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday rounded off their summer rebuild with the impressive signing of Davis Keillor-Dunn from Wrexham, but the club's extensive injury list means they're almost certain to dip into the free agent market to bulk their squad.
Henrik Pedersen confirmed they're still scouring for new players and a player of Docherty's calibre would be a huge boost to Wednesday's promotion chances.
Defensive additions are seemingly a priority for the Owls at present, but Docherty should be an affordable option who strengthens Wednesday's midfield options and eases the burden on the ageing Barry Bannan.
Burton Albion
It feels as though Gary Bowyer has his hands tied following a difficult end to the transfer window which witnessed star forward Tyrese Shade join Portsmouth.
Burton Albion certainly need further reinforcements if the Brewers are to defy the odds and avoid League One relegation, and central midfield is one key area that could benefit from Docherty's experience.
The question is whether Burton's finances align with Docherty's demands, and if the former Scotland U21 international can be convinced the east Staffordshire outfit matches his ambitions.
