Over the years, there have been plenty of players to have been signed by Barnsley Football Club.

While some with have cost the club a fair amount in transfer fees, others, will have arrived at the club for nothing.

But just because the Tykes haven't had to shell out on certain players, doesn't mean that they haven't made a positive impression during the time with the Yorkshire club.

Here, we've taken a trip down memory lane to take a look at some of the best free signings made by Barnsley in recent years.

Joining following his departure from Ipswich in 1996, Thompson didn't spend long with Barnsley, but still played an important part in the club's history.

The defender helped the club win promotion to the Premier League for the very first time during his debut campaign at Oakwell, and although he didn't quite make it at top-flight level with the Tykes, he does still seem to be fondly remembered around the club.

Another free signing who helped Barnsley win promotion to the Premier League in 96/97, was Jovo Bosancic.

The Serbian midfielder joined the Tykes in 1996 after leaving Portuguese side Campomaiorense, and spent the next two seasons at Oakwell, helping them into the Premier League, though he was unable to stop them dropping straight back out of it, though he too is still a popular figure around Barnsley.

Roberts joined Barnsley from Halifax on a free transfer in the summer of 2015, and helped the Tykes win promotion to the Championship during his first season at Oakwell.

The defender - who made 84 appearances in all competitions for Barnsley - was made captain of the club in January 2017, but left that summer to join Birmingham for a reported £3.5million, not a bad return for a free signing from non-league.

Following his departure from Inverness, Watkins joined Barnsley in 2015, and made a big impact in his first season with the club, helping them win promotion to the Championship via the play-offs, and the EFL Trophy.

The following season saw the forward score a respectable ten goals in 42 league appearances as the Tykes finished safely in mid-table, before he joined Norwich that summer.

Having already played for the club between 2009 and 2011, Hammill was a familiar face when he returned to Barnsley on a free transfer following his departure from Huddersfield in 2015.

His first season back at Oakwell saw him help the club win promotion, with Hammill himself netting an unforgettable stunner in the Tykes' play-off final win over Millwall, and the winger would ultimately go on to make well over 100 appearances for Barnsley during that second stint with the club, scoring 13 goals and providing 10 assists.

Joining on a free transfer from Barnet in the summer of 2016, Yiadom fast emerged as a key figure for Barnsley, helping re-establish themselves as a mid-table Championship side following promotion the season before.

A string of impressive performances saw Yiadom handed the captaincy for the Tykes, but he was unable to prevent them suffering relegation to League One, and left for Reading in the summer of 2018, although he is still highly thought of among members of the Tykes fanbase.