BIRMINGHAM CITY have released FIFTEEN players just weeks after the club’s promotion to the Championship.
Tom Brady’s ruthless side acted decisively after breaking the all-time EFL points record with 108 on their way to winning in League One.
Grant Hanley and Lee Myung-Jae – who both joined the club in January – have been released following the expiration of their contracts.
Scotland defender Hanley, 33, made 79 appearances in the Premier League across spells with Blackburn and Norwich City.
While Luke Harris, Kieran Dowell and Ben Davies have returned to their parent clubs following respective loan spells.
Boss Chris Davies has kept his main men and reportedly wants around six key signings this summer.
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The brutal sword saw TEN youngsters axed and told to find other clubs.
Ben Beresford, Junior Dixon, Taylor Dodd, Laiith Fairnie, Harley Hamilton and Josh Home will all leave this summer.
Joining them out the door are Femi Olofinjana, Sahid Kamara, Stoyan Pergelov and Oliver Sayer.
Meanwhile, long-serving striker Lukas Jutkiewicz has retired from football following nine years and 358 appearances for the Club.
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Birmingham said: “We thank each player for their efforts during their time at Blues and wishes them every success in their future careers.”
The club were keen to keep Rangers star Davies on a permanent basis, but a deal with the Scottish side couldn’t be met.
Teams often let go of players after a promotion to upgrade their squad for the higher league, manage finances, and create space for new signings.
Fellow newly promoted side Wrexham also released a hefty amount of their squad after each of their three back-to-back promotions.
Wrexham’s latest cull saw owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney say goodbye to eight players who helped them climb the ranks.
This includes former Premier League star Steven Fletcher, who has previously stated that it was not his choice to leave.
Local lad Jordan Davies, Mark Howard, Harry Dean, Brad Foster, Josh Adam and Liam Hall will all miss out on Championship action too.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
