Alex Lacey and Dion Kelly-Evans have been released by Notts County after the Magpies released their retained list in the wake of their play-off defeat to Grimsby Town.
Young striker Tyreace Palmer has also been let go, but new contracts have been offered to top scorer Kyle Wootton, defender Richard Brindley, left-back Adam Chicksen and goalkeeper Tiernan Brooks.
The departures of Lacey and Kelly-Evans do come as a surprise, however, with both players having been at the club for the last three seasons and are popular among supporters.
Lacey made 63 appearances for the club and scored six goals after arriving on a free transfer in November 2019 and played a key role in his first season as the Magpies reached the National League play-off final against Harrogate.
Kelly-Evans, who was a free transfer in the summer of 2019, has made 86 appearances and scoring one goal with his versatility proving useful given he can play as a right-back or a left-back.
A statement from the club's board of directors read: “We would like to place on record our gratitude to all departing players, who leave with our very best wishes for the future.
“As our supporters would expect, preparations for 2022-23 commenced long ago. We have identified the areas we need to improve and are in a strong position to act swiftly.”
A total of 14 players are under contract for next season and they are Sam Slocombe, Joel Taylor, Kyle Cameron, Connell Rawlinson, Jim O'Brien, Kairo Mitchell, Cal Roberts, Aaron Nemane, Ed Francis, Frank Vincent, Matt Palmer, Elisha Sam, Ruben Rodrigues and Lewis Knight.
The club has also offered a contract to under-19s striker Luther Munakandafa while loan players Vitezslav Jaros, Sam Graham, Jayden Richardson and Zak Brunt have all returned to their parent clubs.
While Wootton has been offered a new contract by Notts, he is attracting interest from a string of Football League clubs. Portsmouth are showing a strong interest in the forward who scored more than 20 goals this season.
Boss Danny Cowley has watched the striker in action and is ready to revamp his forward line at Fratton Park and is believed to be ready to make an offer for the ex-Scunthorpe United hitman.
