Queens Park Rangers have announced the departure of six first team players this morning.
Charlie Austin, Dom Ball, Dillion Barnes, David Marshall, Lee Wallace and Keiren Westwood will all depart the club after the final day of the Championship season, the club released in a statement.
Austin did sign a two year deal when joining the club last year, but the club say that the second year of that deal was subject to appearance criteria, which he must not have met.
As well as announcing those leaving the club, QPR have also confirmed that they are still in talks with a number of players over a new deal, with the intention of keeping them at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
These players are Albert Adomah, Yoann Barbet, Moses Odubajo, Charlie Owens and Olamide Shodipo.
Speaking in the statement, QPR CEO Lee Hoos said thanked the players for their time at the club.
“We would like to thank the departing players for their hard work and efforts during their time with the club." Hoos wrote.
“Charlie’s return to QPR, initially on loan, was the catalyst for an incredible turnaround in the club’s fortunes and we are incredibly grateful to him for his dedication and determination in helping us progress, both on and off the pitch.
“His leadership has been enormous for the development of the squad, while him being named the club’s Men’s Community Champion demonstrates how much importance he placed on his role with the fans and in the local area.
“Dom and Lee have also been excellent servants for QPR. Their commitment and desire are just two reasons why they leave as very popular players among the fanbase.
“David and Kieren came in during an unprecedented spate of injuries to our goalkeeping department, and they gave everything from the moment they arrived.
“While Dillon never played in the first team, we thank him for his efforts.
“We would like to wish Charlie, Dom, Dillon, David, Lee and Kieren all the very best for the future.”
The Verdict
There are some surprising names among this list and some that have made extensive first team appearances, too.
Charlie Austin has played 38 games for QPR this season, for example - although it seems that was not enough to trigger the criteria that would see his deal extended for another year.
There are some exits that felt inevitable though, such as Dom Ball.
He has barely featured for the R's in the second half of the season and given his contract was due to expire, you never saw him extending his stay.
There are certainly going to be re-enforcements needed this summer with the above players leaving.