The Premier League free transfer listings

[Rip Van We Go Again]

sportinglife.com

Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira, Manchester United's Owen Hargreaves, West Ham defender Matthew Upson and Tottenham's Jonathan Woodgate are some of the bigger names to be released by their clubs this summer.

The Premier League has published its lists of retained players and those available on a free transfer this summer and it is no surprise to see the three relegated clubs - Birmingham, West Ham and Blackpool - offloading 32 players between them.

Age has finally caught up with Vieira, who is 35 next week, and he is joined on the exit list at Eastlands by Javier Garrido and former academy graduate Shaleum Logan.

Hargreaves' departure from United was fully expected as injury restricted him to just 11 minutes' football in the last two seasons

Woodgate suffered similar problems, making just four appearances in two years.

Birmingham have let a dozen players go, with the likes of Lee Bowyer, Sebastian Larsson, James McFadden, Kevin Phillips and Maik Taylor on their list of free transfers.

West Ham's England international Upson, Wales centre-back Danny Gabbidon, defender Lars Jacobsen and Jonathan Spector have all been put on the open market, while Blackpool midfielder David Vaughan's rejection of a new contract means he joins 11 others leaving Bloomfield Road.

Aston Villa have released John Carew, Robert Pires and Nigel Reo-Coker, while Blackburn have done similar with Jason Brown and Benjani Mwaruwari.

Bolton had already announced Johan Elmander, Ricardo Gardner and Jlloyd Samuel would be leaving.

Everton's third-choice goalkeeper Iain Turner has been released while Fulham have let go of Zoltan Gera, Diomansy Kamara and John Pantsil and Sol Campbell has left Newcastle.

Stoke have released Eidur Gudjohnsen and Ibrahima Sonko, with veteran Dutchman Bolo Zenden leaving Sunderland and Abdoulaye Meite West Brom.

Wolves midfielder Dave Jones, veteran defender Jody Craddock and goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann are all departing Molineux, while Wigan have released Steven Caldwell, Daniel de Ridder, Jason Koumas and veteran goalkeeper Mike Pollitt.



ARSENAL
Thomas Cruise, Roarie Deacon, Mark Randall.

ASTON VILLA
Durrell Berry, John Carew, Ellis Deeney, Calum Flanagan, Harry Forrester, Arsenio Halfhuid, Isaiah Osbourne, Robert Pires, Nigel Reo-Coker, Moustapha Salifou

BIRMINGHAM CITY
Marcus Bent, Lee Bowyer, Sebastian Larsson, James McFadden, Mitchell McPike, James O'Shea, Stuart Parnaby, Kevin Phillips, Daniel Preston, Luke Rowe, Robin Shroot, Maik Taylor.

BLACKBURN ROVERS
Jordan Bowen, Jason Brown, Zurab Khizanishvili, Benjani Mwaruwari, Michael Potts, Maceo Rigters.

BLACKPOOL
David Carney, Daniel Coid, Ishmel Demontagnac, Rob Edwards, Jason Euell, Marlon Harewood, Richard Kingson, Malaury Martin, Paul Rachubka, Andy Reid, Salaheddine Sbai.

BOLTON WANDERERS
Tamir Cohen, Johan Elmander, Ricardo Gardner, Joey O'Brien, Jlloyd Samuel, Samuel Sheridan.

CHELSEA
Samuel Hutchinson, Carl Magnay, Danny Philliskirk, Jan Sebek, Michael Woods.

EVERTON
Kieran Agard, Hope Akpan, Nathan Craig, Gerard Kinsella, Lee McArdle, Iain Turner.

FULHAM
Zoltan Gera, Edward Johnson, Diomansy Kamara, John Pantsil, Matthew Saunders.

LIVERPOOL
Jason Banton, Deale Chamberlain, Douglas Cooper, Sean Highdale, Steven Irwin, Nikola Saric.

MANCHESTER CITY
Javier Garrido, Scott Kay, James Poole, Shaleum Logan, Andrew Tutte, Javan Vidal, Patrick Vieira, James Wood.

MANCHESTER UNITED
Conor Devlin, Owen Hargreaves, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar.

NEWCASTLE UNITED
Sol Campbell, Shefki Kuqi, Patrick McLaughlin.

STOKE CITY
Abdoulaye Faye, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Ibrahima Sonko.

SUNDERLAND
Michael Kay, Nathan Luscombe, Daniel Madden, Robert Weir, Nathan Wilson, Mvoto Jean-Yves, Bolo Zenden.

TOTTENHAM
Jonathan Woodgate.

WEST BROM
Giles Barnes, Marcus Haber, Dean Kiely, Abdoulaye Méîté.

WEST HAM
Anthony Edgar, Holmar Eyjolfsson, Daniel Gabbidon, Lars Jacobsen, Filip Modelski, Jonathan Spector, Adam Street, Matthew Upson.

WIGAN ATHLETIC
Steven Caldwell, Daniel De Ridder, Joseph Holt, Jason Koumas, Thomas Lambert, Thomas Oakes, Francis Pollitt, Abian Serrano Davila.

WOLVES
Adriano Basso, Jody Craddock, John Dunleavy, Marcus Hahnemann, David Jones, Nathan Rooney.

[villasjf]

A lot of big hitters there and high wage earners. CAREW and NRC still without clubs even though NRC claimed interest from a champions league team and wanting to play for England.

[Concrete John]

Don't think there's too much there of any real interest to us.

Larsson, Carew, NRC and Upson are all good players though and will do well for someone.

[Damo70]

There's a few names their that might interest the clubs who have come up. If you take out the ones who have retired Woodgate and Hargreaves are the best but who's going to take a chance on either of them. Upson's not bad but he's past his best.

[PeterWithesShin]

NRC is probably the best one on that list. Probably why they were all released.

[Chris Jameson]

Do not despair everybody, having seen that list i'm fairly confident we will still see a Bent leading the line next season.

Wonder if Salifou was as as surprised as I am to learn he's only just been released?

[glasses]

Id take Vieira. He can still boss a midfield, even at his age, against at least 60% of the league

[eastie]

pantsil?

[Concrete John]

Id take Vieira. He can still boss a midfield, even at his age, against at least 60% of the league

Might be a good squad player to come in for a the odd game when we've got the kids playing, but I expect a new DCM signing like Parker, so with Petrov and Bradley still knocking around we probably wouldn't need him.

[TheSandman]

pantsil?

With his scoring record for us we could get away with selling Bent.

I have a strange feeling we may sign James McFadden.

[Fuse]

I read somehwere that over all 4 leagues that there are 600 players out of work afetr the end of last season. I think this is the beginning of clubs reigning in the spendign on wages and can see smaller squads, more youth promotion and thankfully the end of squad players earning £20k plus a week and not playing. Aside from the very rich clubs who can keep 25 players happy, the remaining 75% of the PL and other leagues cannot.

No disrepect tot he individuals on the list as it is just poor timing on their part but if it means the likes of Carew, Upson need to take a job paying 25% of what they previously earned then so be it. If they love football it shouldn'e worry them...

[Sam Smith]

I would take Larsson and Mcfadden.

Larsson would be a great option down the right hand (Defence or Midfield) side superb crosser, excellent athlete dead ball specialist.

Mcfadden was probably their biggest loss last season as he was the one who would retain possession and create space and chances up front for them. I have a feeling he would link very well with Bent when he ghosts into space.

[PaulTheVillan]

Didn't realise James McFadden had been released.

[Sam Smith]

I think they had an option (12 months) on him that they didnt take up.

[Chris Jameson]

Didn't realise James McFadden had been released.

I hadn't realised he'd even realised it had gone to court.