Released Players 2022

Released players so far in England's top five divisions. Feel free to add updates.

PREMIER LEAGUE

AFC Bournemouth

Gary Cahill
Brennan Camp
Ryan Glover
Connor Kurran-Browne
Luke Nippard

Arsenal

No news yet

Aston Villa

Lewis Brunt
Brad Burton
Jack Clarke
Charlie Farr
Ben Guy
Callum Rowe
Harrison Sohna
Michael Tait
Jake Walker

Brentford

Julian Jeanvier
Zanka
Álvaro Fernández
Jonas Lössl

Brighton & Hove Albion

Tudor Baluta
Adam Desbois
Lars Dendoncker
Ulrick Ella
Ayo Tanimowo
John Lucero
Jaami Qureshi

Chelsea

No news yet

Crystal Palace

Martin Kelly

Everton

No news yet.

Fulham

Jean Michael Seri
Alfie Mawson
Cyrus Christie
Fabri
Michael Hector
Timmy Abraham
Jacob Adams
Eric Ameyaw
Xavier Benjamin
Tyler Caton
Jerome Opoku
Jonathon Page
Julian Schwarzer
Jaylan Wildbore

Leeds United

No news yet.

Leicester City

No news yet.

Liverpool

No news yet.

Manchester City

Fernandinho

Manchester United

Lee Grant
Juan Mata
Jesse Lingard
Paul Pogba
Nemanja Matic
Edinson Cavani

Newcastle United

Ryan Barrett
Brad Cross
Oisin McEntee
Mo Sangare
Reagan Thomson
Jake Turner
Adam Wilson

Nottingham Forest

No news yet.

Southampton

No news yet.

Tottenham Hotspur

J’Neil Bennett
Kacper Kurylowicz
Dermi Lusala
Thimothee Lo-Tutala
Josh Oluwayemi
Tobi Omole
Isak Solberg

West Ham United

Mark Noble
Andriy Yarmolenko
Ryan Fredericks
David Martin
Nathan Holland
Jayden Fevrier
Bernardo Rosa
Amadou Diallo
Ossama Ashley
Isaac Evans

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Conor Carty
Pascal Estrada
Marcal
Raphael Nya
Jamie Pardington
John Ruddy
Romain Saiss
Faisu Sangare

EFL CHAMPIONSHIP

Birmingham City

Yoane Zohore
Renedi Masampu
Archie Matthews
Oriol Soldevila
Kane Thompson-Sommers
Connal Trueman

Blackburn Rovers

Joe Rothwell
Bradley Johnson

Blackpool

Cameron Antwi
Ryan Grant
Johnny Johnston
Matthew Liptrott
Charlie Monks
Ethan Robson
Sky Sinclair
Grant Ward

Bristol City

Khari Allen
Louis Britton
Barney Soady
Nathaniel Williams
Callum O'Dowda

Burnley

No news yet.

Cardiff City

Aden Flint
Alex Smithies
Marlon Pack

Coventry City

Jodi Jones
Josh Pask

Huddersfield Town

Naby Sarr
Fraizer Campbell
Carel Eiting
Alex Vallejo
Jamal Blackman

Hull City

Tom Huddlestone
Richard Smallwood
Tom Eaves

Luton Town

Elliott Lee

Middlesbrough

Sol Bamba
Neil Taylor
Lee Peltier

Millwall

Alex Pearce
Connor Mahoney

Norwich City

Josip Drmić
Josh Giurgi
Aston Oxborough
Nelson Khumbeni
Reece McAlear
Solomon Alidor-Hamilton
Olatunde Okeowo.

Preston North End

Scott Sinclair
Tom Barkhuizen
Paul Huntington
Connor Ripley
Ethan Walker
Izzy Brown
Jack Baxter
Jacob Holland-Wilkinson
Jamie Thomas
Joe Rafferty
Joe Rodwell-Grant
Mathew Hudson
Oliver Lombard

Queens Park Rangers

Charlie Austin
David Marshall
Dom Ball
Dillon Barnes
Lee Wallace
Keiren Westwood

Reading

Terell Thomas
Brandon Barker
Orjan Nyland
Felipe Araruna
Alen Halilovic
Marc McNulty

Rotherham United

Freddie Ladapo
Jake Cooper
Joe Mattock
Angus McDonald
Jacob Gratton
Mickel Miller

Sheffield United

David McGoldrick
Lys Mousset
Luke Freeman

Stoke City

James Chester
Tom Ince
Steven Fletcher
Tommy Smith

Sunderland

Aiden McGeady
Lee Burge
Arbenit Xhemajli
Jordan Willis
Will Grigg

Swansea City

Yan Dhanda
Korey Smith
Ben Hamer

Watford

Ben Foster
Nicolas Nkoulou
Andre Gray
Juraj Kucka

West Bromwich Albion

Sam Johnstone
Andy Carroll
Romaine Sawyers

Wigan Athletic

Gavin Massey

EFL LEAGUE ONE

Accrington Stanley

Matt Butcher
Stephen Sama
Lewis Mansell
Ben Pleavin
Luke Stowe
Kevin Spinelli

Barnsley

Aapo Halme
George Miller
Tomas Kalinauskas
Connor Hodgson
Daniel Jinadu

Bolton Wanderers

Alex Baptiste
Andrew Tutte
Liam Gordon
Nathan Delfouneso
Liam Edwards
Matty Alexander
Jay Fitzmartin
Reiss Greenidge

Bristol Rovers

Glenn Whelan
Brett Pitman
Leon Clarke
Jon Nolan
Junior Brown
Cameron Hargreaves
Cian Harries
Ollie Hulbert
Ben Liddle
Pablo Martinez
Tom Mehew
Kieran Phillips
Lucas Tomlinson

Burton Albion

Oumar Niasse
Michael Bostwick
Danny Rowe
Luke Redfern
Aaron Amadi-Holloway

Cambridge United

Wes Hoolahan
Kai McKenzie-Lyle
Tom Dickens

Charlton Athletic

Jason Pearce
Chris Gunter
Adam Matthews
Ben Watson
Conor Washington
Pape Souare
Stephen Henderson

Cheltenham Town

Charlie Colkett
Scott Flinders
Conor Thomas
Andy Williams

Derby County

No news yet.

Exeter City

Colin Daniel
Jordan Dyer
Jack Veale
James Dodd
Ellis Johnson
Nigel Atangana
Ben Seymour
Callum Rowe

Fleetwood Town

Harrison Biggins
Callum Camps
Kieran O'Hara
Anthony Pilkington

Forest Green Rovers

Taylor Allen
Jack Evans
Jake Young
Opi Edwards
Elliott Whitehouse
Vaughn Covil
Luke Hallett

Ipswich Town

James Norwood
Myles Kenlock
Tomas Holy
Tom Carroll

Lincoln City

John Marquis
Max Melbourne

Milton Keynes Dons

Connor Wickham
Hiram Boateng
Aden Baldwin
Jay Bird
John Freeman
Brandon Mason

Morecambe

Rhys Bennett
Toumani Diagouraga
Greg Leigh
Jacob Mensah
Freddie Price

Oxford United

Sam Winnall
Jamie Hanson
Leon Chambers-Parillon
Michael Elechi

Peterborough United

David Cornell
Serhat Tasdemir
Kyle Barker

Plymouth Argyle

Ollie Tomlinson

Portsmouth

Shaun Williams
Paul Downing
Callum Johnson
Ollie Webber

Port Vale

David Amoo

Sheffield Wednesday

Saido Berahino
Sam Hutchinson
Chey Dunkley

Shrewsbury Town

Shaun Walley
Ethan Ebanks-Landell
Arron Pierre
David Davis
Josh Daniels
Cameron Gregory

Wycombe Wanderers

Jean-Baptiste Fischer
Adam Przybek
Olly Pendlebury
Andre Burley
Malachi Linton
Max Ram

EFL LEAGUE TWO

AFC Wimbledon

Cheye Alexander
Corie Andrews
Darius Charles
Ben Heneghan
Egli Kaja
Jack Madelin
Isaac Olaniyan
Zaki Oualah
Derick Osei Yaw

Barrow

Tom Beadling
Mike Jones
Kgosi Ntlhe
Dimitri Sea
George Williams

Bradford City

Callum Cooke
Caolan Lavery
Gareth Evans
Olivier Sukiennicki
Richard O'Donnell
Theo Robinson

Carlisle United

Lewis Alessandra
Danny Devine
Mark Howard
Jamie Devitt
Manasse Mampala
Rod McDonald
Kelvin Mellor
Gime Toure

Colchester United

Dean Gerken
Miles Welch-Hayes

Crawley Town

Archie Davies
Henry Burnett
Tyler Frost
Alfie Jones
Reece Grego-Cox
Ricardo German

Crewe Alexandra

Travis Johnson
Luke Murphy
Will Jaaskelainen
Chris Porter
Scott Kashket
Tyreece Onyeka
Joe Robbins
Nathan Woodthorpe
Sam Booth

Doncaster Rovers

Cameron John
Fejiri Okenabirhie
Dan Gardner
Branden Horton
Ed Williams
AJ Greaves
Lirak Hasani

Gillingham

Vadaine Oliver
Ryan Jackson
Harvey Lintott
Christian Maghoma
Mustapha Carayol
Danny Lloyd
Gerald Sithole
Ben Thompson
Aaron Chapman

Grimsby Town

No news yet.

Harrogate Town

Lloyd Kerry
Ryan Fallowfield
Lewis Page
Mark Beck
Joe Cracknell
Simon Power
Connor Kirby
Joe Leesley

Hartlepool United

Zaine Francis-Angol
Josh MacDonald
Olufela Olomola
Martin Smith

Leyton Orient

Darren Pratley
Callum Reilly
Antony Papadopoulos

Mansfield Town

Farrend Rawson
Marek Stech
Josh Scott

Newport County

Padraig Amond
Ryan Haynes
Alex Fisher
Courtney Senior

Northampton Town

Michael Harriman
Scott Pollock
Sid Nelson
Benny Ashley-Seal
Joseph Mills
Josh Flanagan
Danny Rose

Rochdale

Joel Coleman
Matty Done
Joe Dunne
Jay Lynch
Alex Newby
Brad Wade.

Salford City

Ash Hunter
Tom Elliott
Matty Willock
Luke Burgess
Tylor Golden
Hayden Campbell
Liam Loughlan
Cerny Ando
Anton Smith
Ben Rydel
Mo Touray
Ian Henderson
Oli Fannon

Stevenage

Scott Cuthbert
Ben Coker
Luke O'Neill
Luke Prosser
Sacha Bastien
James Daly
Harry Draper
Timmy Smith
Ed Upson
Chris Lines
Charlie Carter
Bruno Andrade
Bradley Barry
Sam Dreyer
Luis Fernandez

Stockport County

Millenic Alli
Liam Hogan
Lois Maynard
Josh Schofield
Jamie Stott
Tom Walker

Sutton United

Kenny Davis
Ricky Korboa
Stuart Nelson

Swindon Town

Dion Conroy
Ryan East
Jayden Mitchell-Lawson
Emmanuel Idem

Tranmere Rovers

Jay Spearing
Nathaniel Knight-Percival
Joe Maguire
Callum McManaman
Emmanuel Dieseruvwe
Nicky Maynard

Walsall

Lee Tomlin
Jack Rose
Zak Mills
Joe Willis
Tom Leak

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE

Aldershot Town

Mitch Walker
Alfy Whittingham
Mo Bettamer
Josh Fawole
Reece Miller
Elis Watts
George Sheridan
Joe Rabbetts
Brad Webb

Altrincham

No news yet.

Barnet

Jake Askew
Joe Widdowson
Teddy Howe

Boreham Wood

James Comley
Adrian Clifton
Gus Mafuta
Scott Boden
Kane Smith

Bromley

Toby Stevenson
Scott Wagstaff
Kory Roberts
Archie Burnett
Ben Margetson
Jack Cawley
Sam Skeffington

Chesterfield

Fraser Kerr
Melvin Minter
Stefan Payne
Joe Rowley
Nathan Tyson
Curtis Weston
Alex Whittle

Dagenham & Redbridge

Ibby Akanbi
Kenny Clark
Joey Jones
Darren McQueen
Scott Wilson

Dorking Wanderers

Wes Fogden
Kane Willis
Dan Lincoln
Darren Oldaker
Jason Prior
David Ray

Eastleigh

Andrew Boyce
Alex Wynter
Tom Broadbent
Jack Torniainen
Danny Hollands
Cavaghn Miley
Sam Smart
Harry Pritchard
Dan Bradshaw
Tyrone Barnett
Dan Smith

FC Halifax Town

Martin Woods
Matty Stenson
Gerry McDonagh
Zak Dearnley

Gateshead

Kieran Aplin
Danny Greenfield
Alex Nicholson
Nelson Ogbewe

Maidenhead United

No news yet.

Maidstone United

No news yet.

Notts County

Dion Kelly-Evans
Alex Lacey
Tyreace Palmer

Oldham Athletic

Davis Kiellor-Dunn
Carl Piergianni
Dylan Bahamboula
Kane Badby
Ousseynou Cisse
Raphael Diarra
Dylan Fage
Jamie Hopcutt,
Kyle Jameson,
Christopher Missilou
Tope Obadeyi
Danny Rogers
Callum Whelan

Scunthorpe United

Rory Watson
Anthony Grant,
Tom Pugh
Harry Bunn
Aaron Jarvis
Lewis Thompson
Tom Collins
Harry Jessop
Harry Baker
Kenan Dunnwald-Turan

Solihull Moors

Jordan Cranston
Adam Rooney
Niall Clayton
Ben Usher-Shipway
Melis Bushaj
Tom Allsopp
Danny Newton

Southend United

Rob Howard
Abu Ogogo
Josh Coulson
James Dunne
Harry Phillips
Lewis Gard
Simeon Akinola
Will Atkinson
Leon Davies
John White
Ashley Nathaniel-George
Matt Rush
Reiss Chandler
Terrell Egbri
Eren Kinali
Miles Mitchell-Nelson

Torquay United

Klaidi Lolos
Louie Slough
Scott Piper
Chiori Johnson
Joe Felix
Dan Holman
Marcin Brzozowski
Jake Andrews

Wealdstone

Ira Jackson Jr
Dan Wishart
Andrew Eleftheriou
Alfie Marigliani
Charlie Cooper
Jamie Mascoll

Woking

Mark Smith
Tom Champion
Moussa Diarra
Jamar Loza
Solomon Nwabuokei
George Oakley
Tarryn Allarakhia
Tommy Block
Leo Hamblin
Selim Saied

Wrexham

Lee Camp
Cameron Green
Dan Jarvis
David Jones
Jordan Ponticelli
Devonte Redmond
Dawid Szczepaniak
Kwame Thomas

Yeovil Town

Reuben Reid
Mark Little
Adi Yussuf
Alex Bradley
Jordan Barnett

York City

Matty Brown
Maison Campbell
Lewis Cunningham
Clayton Donaldson
Jack Degruchy
Mackenzie Heaney
Luke Jones
Josh King
Remy Longdon
Jack McKay
Sean Newton
Reon Potts
Archie Whitfield
Kurt Willoughby

What do you recon, can Hurst get Will Griggs firing again?

Gary Cahill must be worth an approach

John Marquis released by Lincoln. How old is he now. Always seems to have a decent scoring record in the past.

Quoted from Les Brechin

John Marquis released by Lincoln. How old is he now. Always seems to have a decent scoring record in the past.

Only 30. That one stood out to me; would probably be out of reach for us financially though and I'd imagine Doncaster would be a likelier destination for him were he to end up in League Two. Probably not a Hurst-type signing either.

Solihull were quick to announce their departures, quite surprised to see Adam Rooney on there given there was a lot of emphasis put on him missing by his manager.

Tom Eaves at Hull was good goal scorer in lower divisions for Gillingham as was Sam Winnall and James Norwood so can any of them recapture their form in the future? Ethan Robson released at Blackpool and he was decent during his loan spell with us and maybe he is a league 1/2 player rather than Championship level.

One thing for sure is that there are a helluva lot of players looking for clubs.

Tudor Baluta sounds like a Jerry Lee Lewis song. Gotta have him. I can just imagine the songs about him

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

One thing for sure is that there are a helluva lot of players looking for clubs.

And sadly the problem is for us is that there are a lot of clubs looking for players who are above us in the leagues.

If only it was as easy as it is in Football Manager to get any player you wanted.

*queue the 'get Amond back' replies*

Is Jon Nolan , the same player we had ,and who PH had at Shrewsbury and Ipswich.

Neil Taylor is a brilliant wing back released by Middlesbrough, but can’t see him dropping down 2 leagues.

Quoted from marinernige

Is Jon Nolan , the same player we had ,and who PH had at Shrewsbury and Ipswich.

Yes

Quoted from chaos33

Neil Taylor is a brilliant right wing back released by Middlesbrough, but can’t see him dropping down 2 leagues.

He’s a Wrexham lad. Honestly wouldn’t surprise me.

Gerald Sithole (Gillingham) must be a target for Scunny.

Quoted from marinernige

Is Jon Nolan , the same player we had ,and who PH had at Shrewsbury and Ipswich.

Considering Hurst has signed him 3 times at 3 different clubs, as the inevitable former player links start, I think Nolan would actually be someone Hurst might take a look at.

A good few ex-Mariners on the list, none of whom I would want back for varied reasons - age, lost abilities etc.

One name that did crop up as a surprise to me as a former Hurst player was Shaun Whalley - thought he had scored a few last season, but don't know age or injury history.

I do think that Paul Hurst will already have his "want" list and that not many on that list will feature that we as mere fans know backgrounds and team ethics as well as playing abilities !!

The 2022 / 3 season "project" research has probably already finished, and is awaiting the lifting of telephones as replies to Blundell Park.

I hope that Mrs Hurst wasn't expecting a long holiday this year with hubby ??

How many raids on our last season of opponents will he be planning for ambitious players, amidst young loanees wanting proper mens' football experiences in League 2?

Three weeks of huge guesses and fan speculation makes for great reading on here, followed by his surprise signings.

On the up this year - brilliant !!!

Quoted from WayneBurnettsJockstrap

Tudor Baluta sounds like a Jerry Lee Lewis song. Gotta have him. I can just imagine the songs about him

What about Gerald Sithole from Gillingham, that one's got a bit of a ring to it.

Quoted from acko338

How many raids on our last season of opponents will he be planning for ambitious players, amidst young loanees wanting proper mens' football experiences in League 2?

My thoughts exactly. Probably 99% of National League players would give their right arm to play in the EFL so many would probably jump at the chance, but the problem is that if they are any good, there will no doubt be other teams sniffing about them too. In lower divisions, locality seems to be an important factor for players, so possibly anyone south of Birmingham would probably be a no-go.

Ira Jackson Jnr released by Wealdstone. I actually thought he was the best of the trio Hollowhead gave contracts too, but looks like he didn’t cut it at NL level,

Quoted from RonMariner

Ira Jackson Jnr released by Wealdstone. I actually thought he was the best of the trio Hollowhead gave contracts too, but looks like he didn’t cut it at NL level,

Some fans wanted to keep him, which shows how shoite we were.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Gerald Sithole (Gillingham) must be a target for Scunny.

Just inhaled a whole cashew nut!

Think we might be on the lookout for another winger for next season and see that Jodi Jones has been released from Coventry. He was superb during their League 2 campaign and still only 24.
Would be an excellent signing for us if we could get him.

Also note That James Norwood released from Hursts old club Ipswich. Could be a good bet and Ethan Robson released by Blackpool, was decent with us during his loan spell a couple of years ago

Quoted from Stew0_0

Think we might be on the lookout for another winger for next season and see that Jodi Jones has been released from Coventry. He was superb during their League 2 campaign and still only 24.
Would be an excellent signing for us if we could get him.

Also note That James Norwood released from Hursts old club Ipswich. Could be a good bet and Ethan Robson released by Blackpool, was decent with us during his loan spell a couple of years ago

Good player Jodie Jones but just cannot stay fit .Bit like Max
I personally would not take a chance on either

Just a quick look from me:

Tom Pugh, Scunthorpe - Highly rated youngster, not sure if Hurst worked directly with him
Rose, Northampton - Was always good at Mansfield, still only 28, and his pace could work well with Mcatee behind him
Oliver, Gillingham - I'm assuming he will end up back in League 1 however.
Lavery, Bradford - I believe we was interested last season from Walsall, but went to Bradford. Hasn't worked out there.

The speed at which Hurst has made signings this season - both loans and contracts - suggests he has many irons in the fire so would expect him to be ready with his usual surprises.  Holohan, JMD, Smith, Cropper, Mani and Abrahams were all signed in the second half of the season and become key squad members

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

Just a quick look from me:

Tom Pugh, Scunthorpe - Highly rated youngster, not sure if Hurst worked directly with him
Rose, Northampton - Was always good at Mansfield, still only 28, and his pace could work well with Mcatee behind him
Oliver, Gillingham - I'm assuming he will end up back in League 1 however.
Lavery, Bradford - I believe we was interested last season from Walsall, but went to Bradford. Hasn't worked out there.

Vadaine Oliver would be a great L2 signing.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Vadaine Oliver would be a great L2 signing.

Would be solid, 27 goals in 80 at Gills.

Some very interesting names on that list and wouldnt be opposed to any of these.....

Jodi Jones - Winger
Connor Wickham - Striker
John Marquis - Striker
Adam Matthews - RB
James Norwood - Striker
Ethan Ebanks Blake - CB
Chey Dunkley - CB
Saido Berahino - Striker (wage might be a stumbling block)
Hiram Boateng - CM

Would also be happy if we snagged Harry Boyes (LB - ex Solihull) on season long loan from Sheff Utd

Released lists only tell half the story. It misses out all the out contract players who have been offered a new contract but haven't/won't sign it.

Quoted from Stew0_0

Some very interesting names on that list and wouldnt be opposed to any of these.....

Jodi Jones - Winger
Connor Wickham - Striker
John Marquis - Striker
Adam Matthews - RB
James Norwood - Striker
Ethan Ebanks Blake - CB
Chey Dunkley - CB
Saido Berahino - Striker (wage might be a stumbling block)
Hiram Boateng - CM

Would also be happy if we snagged Harry Boyes (LB - ex Solihull) on season long loan from Sheff Utd

Hiram Boateng looked a good player when at Exeter certainly worth looking at.

Jodi Jones is levels above league 2 but he was on the verge of having to retire after his 3rd ACL injury. Far too risky, although keeps fit would rip this league up.

Whoever stays or goes we definitely need 1 or 2 players with a good long throw, caused us problems against Wrexham and ultimately theirs and Solihulls downfall.

Anthony Glennon released by Burnley.

No deal for Abrahams, it would seem. Done us a solid.

https://twitter.com/TAbrahams_/status/1535271331662536709?cxt=HHwWioCx2YrJsM4qAAAA

Quoted from MarinerDevil

Anthony Glennon released by Burnley.

Good player. Hope we’re interested.

Not surprised Abrahams isn't staying, as he didn't really fit into the team comfortably with the style Hurst was trying to play. However, he did a good job for us after a slowish start, always worked his socks off whenever I saw him play and bagged a few important goals. I suspect he'll probably be looking for a League 2 club further down south.

Quoted from MarinerDevil

Anthony Glennon released by Burnley.

he looked a class act , would be more than happy to see him back

Quoted from MarinerDevil

Anthony Glennon released by Burnley.

He wouldn't come to us, would he?

Quoted from HertsGTFC

He wouldn't come to us, would he?

on loan at barrow last year so it's not impossible. his performance at Bradford was sensational

Quoted from Maringer

Not surprised Abrahams isn't staying, as he didn't really fit into the team comfortably with the style Hurst was trying to play. However, he did a good job for us after a slowish start, always worked his socks off whenever I saw him play and bagged a few important goals. I suspect he'll probably be looking for a League 2 club further down south.

He's not ours to keep anyway - I think he still has another year on his contract at Carlisle?

Can we delete this thread please as I keep looking at it thinking it’s the retained list 🤦‍♂️

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Can we delete this thread please as I keep looking at it thinking it’s the retained list 🤦‍♂️

I think this thread is for players that have been released by other clubs and could be available to us.  

Could do with a renaming to be more clear.

Quoted from MarinerDevil

Anthony Glennon released by Burnley.

Yes but he was a Holloway signing wasn't he? Hurst might have a completely different view of him, if at all.

Best of luck to Abrahams. Have to agree with PH on this one, appreciate his efforts and glad he's enjoyed his time here and hope he finds somewhere soon. UTM

Quoted from lukeo

Best of luck to Abrahams. Have to agree with PH on this one, appreciate his efforts and glad he's enjoyed his time here and hope he finds somewhere soon. UTM

He’s under contract at Carlisle. Not even our decision.

I assumed his contract ran out very shortly