Lars Jacobsen. Why did we let him go?

Lars Christian Jacobsen, (born 20 September 1979), and raised in Odense on Funen, is a Danish footballer who plays for the Denmark national football team.

He is still without a club having been released by

West Ham United.

A team still looking for a job

GOALKEEPER: Marcus Hahnemann
The American was last seen between the Premier League sticks at Molineux in November, when he lost his place to Wayne Hennessey and couldn’t force his way back into the fold. Even at 39, Hahnemann would still be a solid back-up for a top-flight side and a commanding No.1 for someone in the Championship. The former Reading keeper has made over 400 senior appearances and we’re pretty sure he could eke out another 30-odd this season.

RIGHT-BACK: Lars Jacobsen
Lars Jacobsen takes his place in my team for two reasons – 1) consistency and 2) Pascal Chimbonda is a complete tool. Jacobsen is a solid defender who likes to get forward and support in attack. The right-back has played for the Danish senior side on 41 occasions, and has Premier League experience with Everton, Blackburn Rovers and West Ham. At 31 years of age, Jacobsen still has plenty to offer at a competitive level. And he’s unlikely to carry a transfer request in his sock.

CENTRE-BACK: Sol Campbell
My centre-back pairing was ruined when the news broke that Anthony Gardner should complete his move to Birmingham City. This left me a man light and I have had to step to a new low – unfortunately, I have no choice but to include the ageing, fatting Sol Campbell. It was either that or Claude Davis.

CENTRE-BACK: Ibrahima Sonko
A free agent after his Stoke contract expired in the summer, Sonko has experience within the top two divisions in England and at 6ft 3in, can cause problems in both attack and defence. He’s still only 30 and looked half-decent during a loan spell with Portsmouth last season. More importantly, he’s not Claude Davis.

LEFT-BACK: Jlloyd Samuel
This summer, Samuel has been on trial with Leeds United, but after a slight injury he failed to gain a contract. He’s since turned up for a pre-season game in Bolton Hammers colours, but is still officially clubless. Samuel was a consistent performer for Aston Villa and then Bolton, though Cardiff fans will never quite forgive him for one of the worst 30-minute defensive displays ever seen against Middlesbrough during a loan spell last season.

RIGHT MIDFIELD: Jason Koumas
The right-hand side of midfield brought a quandary – Craig Fagan came close, but for me Jason Koumas still has the skill to play at a high level. Koumas is a dead-ball specialist and is currently a free agent after his Wigan deal expired. The former Welsh international can also play in an attacking midfield role and has shown in the past that he can score goals as well as provide the assists. Koumas would probably be out of his depth in the top flight, but many Championship clubs would be daft not to snap him up.

CENTRE MIDFIELD: Owen Hargreaves
On his day, he’s one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe – it’s just a shame he usually has about one fit day a year. Hargreaves has had a torrid few years with injuries, and has turned to Youtube to try and find himself a new club. His impressive/cringeworthy videos show he is on his way back and somebody, somewhere should take a chance on the fella.

CENTRE MIDFIELD: Thomas Hitzlsperger
Lordy, we almost had Darren Carter in here before we remembered Der Hammer. West Ham might well have put up more of a fight last season if Hitzlsperger has been fit for more than five minutes, and it’s no surprise that there are Premier League clubs interested in the man with the wonderful German/Brummie accent.

LEFT MIDFIELD: Boudewijin Zenden
How no club has snapped Zenden up is beyond me – he might be small but the Dutch midfielder has a powerful left peg. He can also do a job in central midfield, but has experience playing for some of Europe’s biggest clubs (and Middlesbrough and Sunderland) on the wing, including PSV, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool and Marseille. Even at 34, Zenden could still be effective for a lower-ranking Premier League side, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he moved down to the Championship.

STRIKER: James McFadden (last season played 4 scored 0)
McFadden is probably this team’s star turn. At only 28, he has plenty of years left in the game – assuming he can prove his fitness after anterior cruciate ligament damage – and offers versatility in his ability to play up front and wide on the left. The Scot works hard, has always been a consistent performer and Everton could do an awful lot worse than offer a contract to the player they sold for £5m over three years ago.

STRIKER: Danny Webber (last season played 8 scored 0)
Webber might be five years past his best – at Watford he scored 17 goals in less than two seasons before moving to Sheffield United to score ten goals in their promotion season – but we suspect that his raw pace would still be effective at Championship level. The issue with Webber is keeping him fit. Would him and McFadden ever make the same starting line-up?