As Premier League clubs reveal which players are being released or leaving on free transfers, we pick out the notable departures.
AFC Bournemouth
Ryan Fredericks has left the Cherries after two seasons at the Vitality Stadium. He was the club’s first signing when they returned to the Premier League in 2022, arriving from West Ham United, and he made 12 Premier League appearances in the 2022/23 season. But a calf injury ruled him out of the entire 2023/24 campaign.
Arsenal
Arsenal say goodbye to the longest-serving player in their squad, with Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny departing after eight years at the club. He joined in 2016 and made 91 Premier League appearances, while winning the FA Cup in 2017. He told Arsenal’s official website: “It’s meant a lot to me being here for so long. It was the best eight years of my life.”
Also departing is Portuguese right-back Cedric Soares, who joined from Southampton in 2020. He made 41 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, the last of which came in March’s 6-0 win at Sheffield United.
Brentford
Midfielders Saman Ghoddos and Shandon Baptiste both leave Brentford after four years, having helped the club reach the top flight and then consolidate their status.
Ghoddos made 51 Premier League appearances, with the highlight coming in October 2023 when he won the Budweiser Goal of the Month award for a strike against Burnley, becoming the second Iranian to do so after Alireza Jahanbakhsh.
Baptiste played 55 Premier League matches for Brentford, scoring two goals and adding two assists. His last appearance came in mid-March against Burnley.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Former Southampton and Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana leaves Brighton after making 95 Premier League appearances over four seasons with the Seagulls, scoring three goals.
The 36-year-old told the club’s official website: “After taking a little time to think about where the football club is at, and having been away from my family for the last four years, I just feel it’s the right time.”
Chelsea
Veteran centre-back Thiago Silva departs at the age of 39, having spent four years at Stamford Bridge. The Brazilian arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and helped the Blues win the UEFA Champions League in his first season, followed by the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup.
He was an FA Cup finalist twice, suffering defeat in both the 2021 and 2022 finals, while in the Premier League he made 113 appearances, scoring eight goals and contributing to 32 clean sheets.
He told the club’s official website: “Chelsea means a lot to me. I came here with the intention of only staying for a year and it ended up being four years. My sons play for Chelsea so it’s a source of great pride to be a part of the Chelsea family. I hope to leave the door open so that in the near future I can return, albeit in another role here.”
Crystal Palace
Long-serving duo James Tomkins and Jairo Riedewald leave after eight years and seven years at Selhurst Park respectively.
Tomkins joined from West Ham in 2016 and went on to make 125 Premier League appearances for Palace, scoring 10 goals, including two in home matches against arch-rivals Brighton. The 35-year-old’s involvement has gradually decreased and he made only four top-flight appearances this season.
Riedewald arrived from Ajax in 2017 and played 80 Premier League matches, including 33 appearances in the 2020/21 season. He scored twice for the club.
Everton
Dele is moving on after two and a half years with Everton. He joined the Toffees from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2022 and played 11 Premier League matches in the second half of that season, before spending the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Besiktas.
Last summer, Dele bravely opened up about his struggles with mental health, and his addiction to sleeping pills. He didn’t make an appearance for Everton last season.
Fellow midfielder Andre Gomes also departs after six years with Everton, having joined from Barcelona in 2018. The 30-year-old, who recovered from a horrific ankle injury against Spurs in November 2019, has ended up with 100 Premier League appearances, and two goals.
Club captain Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young are to be offered new one-year contracts.
Fulham
Centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo leaves the club after making 78 Premier League appearances for the Cottagers, with media reports suggesting he will sign for Chelsea.
The Cottagers have revealed they remain in discussions with Willian and Bobby De Cordova-Reid, after both players’ contracts expired.
Willian has been a mainstay since the club returned to the top flight in 2022/23, scoring nine goals and providing seven assists in 58 Premier League matches, while the versatile De Cordova-Reid scored six goals in 33 outings this season.
Liverpool
Two senior players depart the Reds, with Joel Matip’s eight-year stay at Anfield coming to an end. The central defender was part of the side that won the club’s first Premier League title in 2019/20, along with the UEFA Champions League in 2018/19.
Meanwhile, Thiago leaves Liverpool after making 68 Premier League appearances during an injury-disrupted spell on Merseyside.
Manchester United
There are a number of big-name departures at Old Trafford, with Anthony Martial heading out of the exit door after scoring 63 goals in 209 Premier League matches for the club.
Raphael Varane leaves after three seasons with the Red Devils, while full-back Brandon Williams and midfielder Tom Huddlestone, who fulfilled a player-coach role for Man Utd’s Premier League 2 side, have also been released.
The club are in discussions with 36-year-old Jonny Evans and experienced goalkeeper Tom Heaton over potential new contracts. Evans made 23 Premier League appearances this season after rejoining United last summer.
Nineteen-year-old attacker Omari Forson, who made four Premier League appearances this season, has been formally offered a new deal.
Newcastle United
Newcastle say goodbye to four players: Paul Dummett, Jeff Hendrick, Matt Ritchie and Loris Karius.
Defender Dummett is one of Newcastle’s longest-serving players, having made his Premier League debut in 2013. He would go on to appear 151 times in the top flight for them.
Hendrick arrived from Burnley in August 2020, but struggled for playing time after his first season, being loaned to QPR and Reading. He appeared 25 times in the competition for Newcastle.
Midfielder Ritchie was signed from Bournemouth in 2016 and helped Newcastle earn promotion to the Premier League the following season and would go on to play 145 times in the competition for them.
Karius featured twice after arriving in September 2022, once in the League Cup and the other a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest
Three players will be departing the City Ground this summer: Harry Arter, Wayne Hennessey and Cheikhou Kouyate.
Arter joined Forest from Bournemouth, when they were in the Championship back in September 2020, but failed to make a Premier League appearance for them.
Goalkeeper Hennessey appeared four times in the league following his 2022 move from Burnley.
Former West Ham and Crystal Palace midfielder Kouyate played 33 times in the league for Forest, scoring once.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs bid farewell to four senior players, with Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga all moving on.
The versatile Dier played 274 times in the Premier League, scoring on his top-flight debut against West Ham in August 2014. He moved to Bayern Munich in January on an initial loan until the end of the season, starring alongside former Spurs team-mate Harry Kane.
Croatia international Perisic moved from Inter Milan in May 2022. His second season at Spurs was disrupted by an ACL injury in his right knee. He made 39 Premier League appearances and netted once.
Left-back or winger Sessegnon arrived from Fulham in August 2019, but injuries disrupted his spell in north London, restricting him to just 57 appearances across all competitions.
Defender Tanganga joined Spurs’ academy at the age of 10 and made his Premier League debut in January 2020, going on to play 27 times in the competition. The 25-year-old also suffered from injuries and spent this season on loan at FC Augsburg and Millwall.
West Ham United
Angelo Ogbonna departs east London after nine years. The 36-year-old centre-back made 249 appearances for the club after his arrival from Juventus in July 2015.
During his time with the Hammers, Ogbonna played a key role in their 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League final success, as he made eight appearances in the competition during the campaign.
Of his 249 appearances, 201 came in the Premier League, which is the second-most of all Italian players to feature in the top flight.
