Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed their retained list that has revealed they have decided to allow as many as ten key first-team players to leave Hillsborough at the end of their current deals.

Amongst those leaving the club include the likes of Joost van Aken, Kadeem Harris, Jordan Rhodes, Joey Pelupessy, Matt Penney, Moses Odubajo, Elias Kachunga, Tom Lees, Adam Reach and Keiren Westwood. That means that the Owls are going to have considerably altered their wage bill following their relegation to the third tier of English football this season.

Some of the players within the group that are leaving the club have been linked with moves elsewhere and they will be free to join other clubs now. Rhodes is reportedly closing in on a move to Huddersfield Town, while Reach has been linked with the likes of Cardiff City and Watford. Lees and Harris have also been the subject of reported interest as well amongst that group.

The Owls’ retained list revealed that they have offered a contract to defender Osaze Urhoghide, and they have also activated their one-year extension options on the deals of Ciaran Brennan, Alex Hunt and Sam Hutchinson. While Liam Shaw’s expected exit to Celtic has also been confirmed with him having rejected the offer of a new deal at Hillsborough.

The verdict

This is a major update from the Owls and shows that there is going to be a lot of changes that are going to be made to the squad this summer. There are some potentially surprising departures, but you can understand why they feel they need to get the majority of the players off their wage bill as they aim to readjust following their relegation to League One.

The likes of Reach, Lees, Harris and Rhodes should not be short of potential suitors and this news will be a boost to the sides that have been reported to be in the market for them ahead of the summer. However, for others on the list it might be more challenging for them to find new sides given the financial difficulties around football at the moment.

Sheffield Wednesday are right to have offered Urhoghide a new potential contract and they will be hoping he commits his future because he is a player with a lot of potential to be developed in the coming years. While you can also see why they have decided to keep the likes of Hutchinson, Hunt and Brennan, all of who could play a major role for them next term.