As the new Premier League season is about to commence in a couple of months’ time, each and every club in the league is busy bolstering their ranks to be more competitive for the upcoming season. So, as per Premier League norms, all the clubs have to submit a list of players that they are retaining and another list of players that they will release for the upcoming season.
Each team is supposed to make a list of 25 players who can participate in the Premier League, so each team can alter their squad in the summer transfer window.
Note: Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa were relegated last season from the Premier League.
1) AFC Bournemouth
The just promoted club-AFC Bournemouth managed to survive the league in their first season as they went on to finish 16th in the league. They managed to pull off a shocker of a win when they beat the then champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and beating Manchester United at home in the process.
Below is the list of players who have been released:
Joshua Lewis CarmichaelSylvain DistinJonathan Mukendi MulebaJayden Connor StockleyJoshua WakefieldStephane Zubar
2) Arsenal
Arsenal had a very frustrating season as they yet again failed to mount a title challenge with all of the top teams falling apart. Arsenal had a genuine shot at winning the league for the first time since 2003/04 season, where they finished the season unbeaten.
They finished second in the league after a late Tottenham Hotspur collapse. They released three players at the end of the season, who were all important players. Mikel Arteta has been released after the Spaniard’s problems with long-term injuries, prompting him to announce his retirement.
Mathieu Flamini made more than 200 appearances for the London club in two spells, has also been released. Fan favourite Tomas Rosicky has also been released from his contract. The 35-year-old was signed by Arsene Wenger 10 years ago.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Mikel Arteta AmatriainMathieu FlaminiTomas Rosicky
3) Aston Villa
Aston Villa have had an atrocious season that saw them relegated to the Championship. It was a season where they finished last after losing 27 games and only eight wins. This season has been shocking considering the fact that Villa were always considered to be the league’s mainstays.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Charlie Brendan Alec BannisterJanoi DonacienLewis KinsellaKodi Lyons-FosterCharles N'ZogbiaKieran Edward RichardsonBenjamin Kevin SiegristJoshua John Webb
4) Chelsea
Chelsea’s season has been horrendous as they finished 10th in the league. It is still hard to guess how a club of this stature fell from grace this much, as they finished the league as champions the season prior to this.
Star players like Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas all failed to step up as the champions could not defend their title. They were out of the race by the end of September, showing how poor their season was.
Manager Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties in mid-December, as his side were down to being only one point above the relegation zone. The performances improved slightly under Guus Hiddink, as they climbed the table with a 15-game unbeaten streak.
Chelsea released Marco Amelia, who did not make a single start for Chelsea, with academy players like Tika Musonda and Kevin Wright deemed surplus to requirements. Chelsea have also released loanees Radamel Falcao and Alexandre Pato, but they are not considered in this l
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Marco Amelia,Tika Kafusha MusondaKevin Wright
5) Crystal Palace
Despite having a stellar campaign the season before this one, Crystal palace had a very average campaign this season as they finished 15th in the league. They did, however, manage a few high profile victories as they went on to win a match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. High profile players like Emmanuel Adebayor and Marouane Chamakh have been released.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Emmanuel AdebayorReise Malcolm AllassaniAndreas Malde BreimyrMarouane ChamakhConnor William DymondSpencer Ellis Henderson ForteMatthew GeorgeDavid Michael GregoryBrede Paulsen HangelandWilliam James HoareChristopher David KettingsAdrian Joseph MariappaPatrick McCarthyOliver David PainChristian Stephen Scales
6) Everton
Everton’s season ended in disappointment as they finished a lowly 11th in the league. They were frail defensively as they couldn’t make Goodison Park the fortress that they hoped. They did, however, manage to beat Chelsea 3-1 at home. They released players like Leon Osman and South Africa captain Steven Pienaar.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Aidan James GrahamAnthony James HibbertLeon OsmanSteven PienaarFelipe Mattioni RohdeJindrich StanekJordan Thorniley
7) Leicester City
Leicester City finished the season as the champions of England, as they won their first title in their entire history. They were very clinical and had a good defensive record as they went on to claim the title with three games to spare.
They were excellent as they managed to beat most of the top clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City to name a few. Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer was released at the end of the season.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Kyle Stuart BaileyJack BarmbyJacob Mathew BlythDean John HammondAaron HassallMichael Eamon James KellyKeenan Rakwarne KingPaul Martyn KoncheskyJonathan MaddisonHarrison Andreas PanayiotouMark SchwarzerMax Presley Smith-VarnamRyan Watson
8) Liverpool
Liverpool started the season with manager Brendan Rogers, who guided the club to second place in the 2013/14 season, narrowly missing out on the league to Manchester City by two points. When Liverpool found themselves lying at 10th place, Brendan was released of his duties, with the former Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp coming in to replace him.
He did manage to improve the team, as he recorded wins against the top clubs like an away victory against Chelsea and a massive 1-4 win against Manchester City. They even beat Manchester United in the Europa League Round of 16 and went on to reach the finals.
A European trophy would mean an automatic Champions League qualification, but such was not the case as they lost the finals to Sevilla 3-1. Although Klopp couldn’t inspire his club to a CL spot, Liverpool fans have been given something to cheer about as they look to get back at the top.
They released first team players like Jose Enrique and Kolo Toure, while also releasing the German prodigy Samed Yesil.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Tom BrewittDaniel ClearyWilliam George MarshRyan McLaughlinAlex Joseph O'HanlonKristof PolgarJose Enrique Sanchez DiazKolo Abib ToureSamed Yesil
9) Manchester City
Manchester City had a brilliant start to the season as they were in a comfortable position due to the failures of other big clubs. But they couldn’t continue their form, as injuries to Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero hampered their season.
After that the announcement of Pep Guardiola as the new City head coach, they players just stopped performing. They couldn’t continue their form and they had to pay for their complacency as the minnows Leicester City lifted their first title.
City fell down so much that they had to take it to the 37th league game of the season to seal a Champions League spot. They released Argentine defender Martin Demichelis, who was bought by the then incoming manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Charlie AlbinsonMartin Gaston DemichelisNathaniel Adeyomi Andrew OseniSam TattumRichard Ian Wright
10) Manchester United
Manchester United had a dismal campaign as they narrowly missed out on a Champions League spot, finishing just behind city rivals Manchester City. Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United were supposed to be title contenders for the 2015/16 season, but they couldn’t gather the momentum to carry on with their decent start to their season.
Van Gaal had to settle for an FA Cup victory that they achieved after beating Crystal Palace in extra time of the final. Although they did manage to have the leanest defence, conceding just 35 goals for the whole campaign, their main problem was scoring goals.
They managed just a paltry 49 goals all season, resulting to their dismal campaign. They released multiple Champions League winning goalkeeper Victor Valdes after the keeper could not adjust to the role of a cover keeper.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
George Edward DorringtonNicholas Edward PowellOliver Michael RathboneVictor Valdes Arribas
11) Newcastle United
Newcastle had a very poor season as they managed to only finish 18th in the league, thus relegating them to the Championship. They were poor at both defending and at attacking, as they couldn’t even manage 10 wins. The only released Steven Taylor from their squad.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Steven Vincent Taylor
12) Norwich City
Norwich once again succumbed to being relegated to the Championship. They were dismal throughout the season as they could only gather nine wins throughout the entirety of the season. They have not yet established themselves as the Premier League mainstays.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Reiss AwuahAfolabi CokerAdel GafaitiReece Hall-JohnsonCameron King
Jamar Kasheef LozaCameron NormanObasiarinse Idehaloise Uade
13) Southampton
Southampton had a brilliant season as they finished sixth in the league finishing just behind the two Manchester-based clubs. They managed to secure a European spot due to their excellent performances in the league this season. They released the Uruguay international Gaston Ramirez, who was their record signing.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
William David BrittKelvin DavisGaston Exequiel Ramirez Pereyra
14) Stoke City
Stoke City had a good season as they managed to finish the league in the top half of the table, just above the previous year’s winners Chelsea. Stoke have to hand in credit to Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri, who have been excellent for the club. They, however, did release players like Peter Odemwingie and Steven Sidwell.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Benjamin Thomas BarberEdward DrydenBobby James MoseleyRyan O'ReillyPeter OdemwingieSteven James SidwellPetros Skapetis
Mason Bradley Watkins-Clark
15) Sunderland
Sunderland avoided relegation by a hair’s length as they finished just above Newcastle on 17th place. The Black Cats have to hand this to Sam Allardyce, who somehow managed to save their sinking ship. Avoiding relegation was also possible due to their victory against Chelsea late in the season.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Liam John AgnewWesley Michael BrownSteven Kenneth FletcherDaniel Anthony William GrahamStephen Alan HarperMikael MandronMartin Smith
16) Swansea City
Swansea had a decent season as they managed to avoid relegation by finishing 12th in the league. At one point of the season, it looked as if they were certainly going to get relegated, but due to a managerial change, they somehow finished at a decent 12th place.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Daniel Mark AlfeiKyle Thomas CoppJames Andreas DemetriouStephen FallonAlexander GogicRaheem Shaquille Rushan HanleyHenry Lloyd JonesLee Paul LucasGareth Thomas Owen
17) Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham had their best season ever in the Premier League as they finished third, just behind Leicester City and Arsenal. They were also serious title contenders as they were second for the majority of the second half of the table.
If only they could have beaten Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge with only three games to go, they might have actually been able to lift the trophy for the first time in their Premier League history. After the draw against Chelsea, they had a total collapse as they lost 5-1 to the recently relegated Newcastle United.
Their success is credited to their manager Mauricio Pochettino, who was the mastermind behind their recent success. Spurs also played so well due to inspired individuals like Dembele, Harry Kane and newcomer Dele Alli, who all had excellent seasons. They also had an excellent backline courtesy of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, who were elegant in defence.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Emmanuel Olukolade Sonupe
18) Watford
Watford had an excellent season considering they had just gotten promoted to the Premier League. They were firm favourites to get themselves relegated back to the Championship, but they held strong and finished at a fairly decent, finishing 13th.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
George William ByersJosh DohertyLars Hening Joel EkstrandKarl Anthony Uchechukwu IkpeazuJorell James JohnsonMahlando Javion MartinBernard Ayitey Mensah JnrLuke Thomas SimpsonAlfie Mac Young
19) West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion had an average campaign as they finished 14th in the season. They had a tough start to their season, but they eventually steadied their ship with wins over Manchester United and going on a seven-game unbeaten streak. They released Stephane Sessegnon at the end of the season
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Victor Chinedu AnichebeSamir NabiStephane Sessegnon
20) West Ham United
West Ham United had an excellent campaign as they finished at a supremely high 7th place, their best in the last few years. This was possible only due to the combined efforts of Dimitri Payet and Andy Carroll, who scored 18 goals between themselves. This was their last season at Upton Park and they ended with a bang by beating Manchester United 3-2.
Below is the full list of players who have been released:
Jordan Antonio BrownLeo Alexander ChambersElliot Robert LeeNathan MavilaAmos Lawrence NashaJoseph Martin O'Brien
