Bristol Rovers have confirmed the release of 13 players following the publication of their retained list, including promotion hero Glenn Whelan and defender Cian Harries.
Whelan starred at the base of midfield in Rovers’ final day 7-0 victory over Scunthorpe United and manager Joey Barton had indicated he wanted the former Stoke City and Aston Villa midfielder to stay on in north Bristol, potentially also in a coaching role.
Captain Paul Coutts also paid tribute to the impact of the Republic of Ireland international, who is studying for his UEFA Pro License, for his leadership and guidance over the last nine months.
But the 38-year-old, whose family are based in Cheshire, is on the list to be leaving BS7 alongside Harries who had been a regular starter at the beginning of the campaign but fell down the pecking order following the January arrival of James Connolly from Cardiff City and Barton’s switch to a back four.
Of the other names to have played first-team minutes in 2021/22, veterans Brett Pitman, Leon Clarke and Junior Brown will also be released at the expiry of their contracts next month.
The departures also include academy graduate Cam Hargreaves, who was a first-team presence under Barton’s predecessor Ben Garner, and midfielder Ben Liddle who was also signed during that time.
There is no mention of Antony Evans, Sam Nicholson, Anssi Jaakkola or Alex Rodman's respective situations; all four are out of contract next month but Rovers have not indicated whether they’ve been offered, have accepted new deals or options have been triggered.
Evans’ situation is particularly of interest given his performances throughout 2021/22 in which he scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists from midfield. Since the start of the year, Barton has indicated talks would take place upon conclusion of the season once the Gas knew which league they would be playing in.
Nicholson has been with Rovers since 2020 and has been a regular starter for both Barton and Garner, while Rodman is the club’s longest-serving player outside of those who have been developed through the academy system, having been signed from Shrewsbury in 2018.
Jaakkola’s injury issues has seen the Finn lose his status as the club’s No1 to James Belshaw but remains a popular figure in the dressing room and the Gas retain a one-year option on his contract.
The full list of players to be leaving the club is:
Junior Brown
Leon Clarke
Cameron Hargreaves
Cian Harries
Ollie Hulbert
Ben Liddle
Pablo Martinez
Tom Mehew
Jon Nolan
Brett Pitman
Kieran Phillips
Lucas Tomlinson
Glenn Whelan
As is the norm, the retained list also confirms the loan returns of Elliot Anderson (Newcastle United), Luke Thomas (Barnsley), James Connolly (Cardiff City), Connor Taylor (Stoke City) and Sion Spence (Crystal Palace) to their parent clubs.
That means, of the 26 players who played in League Two last season and finished the campaign at the club, putting Evans, Nicholson, Rodman, Jaakkola to one side, it leaves Rovers with 13 first-teamers, plus Zain Westbrooke should he be welcomed back in the fold after spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Stevenage.
That offers an indication into the scale of work that will be required this summer as the Gas prepare for life in League One. Barton is also appearing on BBC Radio Bristol on Thursday evening from 6pm and should provide further details on the retained list and the contract situations of the aforementioned quartet.
Rovers have also offered a six-month contract to 19-year-old defender Sam Heal, a week after fellow academy products Jamie Egan and Harvey Greenslade signed professional deals.
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