Out-of-contract XI: Wes Brown, Didier Drogba, Joey Barton picked

Glen Johnson, Wes Brown and Micah Richards are among a number of defenders out of contract

As many as 153 players from clubs in the Premier League during 2014-15 are officially out of contract and either eager to stay put or find a new deal elsewhere.

Among those who are available for free include some players who have captained their country, while players with years of experience and Premier League medals are also on offer.

Defenders are out of contract in their droves (though pace is hard to come by), so our BBC Sport select team of out-of contract players may well need to sit deep, soak up pressure and attack through set pieces.

The average age of our out-of-contract XI is 30.6 years but we hope experience can win the day

We have been bold in opting for the relatively inexperienced John Guidetti to compliment Didier Drogba's ageing legs and a plethora of defenders on offer has allowed us to load up our team with experience at the back. A total of just under 1,800 Premier League appearances across the XI will at least give the team plenty of know-how and nous.

What would your team look like? Here are just some out-of-contract names you could choose from the official list of out-of-contract players.

Goalkeepers: Stephen Harper, Ben Amos, Thomas Sorensen, Gerhard Tremmel, Brad Jones.

Defenders: Ron Vlaar, Brede Hangeland, Peter Ramage, Antolin Alcaraz, Sylvain Distin, Maynor Figueroa, Paul McShane, Liam Rosenior, Matthew Upson, Glen Johnson, Micah Richards, Richard Dunne, Jos Hooiveld, Wes Brown.

Midfielders: Jonas Gutierrez, Ryan Taylor, Joey Barton, Karl Henry, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wilson Palacios, Youssouf Mulumbu, Abou Diaby, Ross Wallace.

Strikers: Didier Drogba, Stephen Dobie, Yannick Sagbo, Gary Taylor-Fletcher, John Guidetti, Bobby Zamora.