Why sign him unless he was relatively cheap to take on. He wasn't Premier League quality, but below that he could do a job, and that probably opens up more than just England to him.
I wonder if the amounts offered (if anyone was interested) are just that little bit too low (especially with Covid's effects on the lower and lesser leagues' finances) to make it worth his bother as he probably has enough in his account to enjoy the rest of his days in ease and leisure. I suspect he should have gone on a free last winter and took a small pay hit to secure a longer term deal but he possibly though he could get more by hanging on until he was a free agent but I guess that blew up in his face (rather like one of his shots).
If he's out for more than a season though, I'd think that was him finished. Don't know what the moral of this story is mind.