REVEALED... The full list of players released from the Premier League (all 154 of them)

Chelsea release Benayoun, Malouda, Turnbull and Hilario

Gallas, Bentley and Bostock allowed to leave by Tottenham

Roberto Mancini's son Filippo follows father out of Manchester City exit



Long-throw specialist Delap departs Stoke along with Pennant and Upson

Gera given marching orders by West Brom



Millions of pounds worth of footballing talent has been casually tossed aside after the Premier League published their annual list of released players.

William Gallas, David Bentley, Florent Malouda and Andrey Arshavin were among the high-profile casualties on a list of 154 players ruthlessly culled from their top-flight clubs.

Though the appearance on the list of the retired Michael Owen, Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher did not come as a surprise, plenty of high-class, and well paid, players have been jettisoned.

Gone: Yossi Benayoun was one of eight players released by Chelsea

Competition: Petr Cech is the only goalkeeper in Chelsea's squad after Ross Turnbull's and Hilario's exit Gallas was earning a weekly salary in the region of £60,000 at Tottenham and club-mate Bentley – who Spurs paid an initial £15m for in 2008 – has also left after failing to impress during his five-year spell at White Hart Lane. Youngster John Bostock has also been let go by Spurs after failing to make the grade. Across in west London, Malouda, who signed for Chelsea for £13m in 2007, had been picking up £80,000-a-week, despite being frozen out of the team and forced to train with the U21s. He did not play a single match for Chelsea last season, though his former club Lyon could provide him with a quick escape route back to France. Yossi Benayoun and goalkeepers Hilario and Ross Turnbull are others among the eight Chelsea players to be heading out of Stamford Bridge. Arshavin, who became Arsenal’s most expensive signing when he joined from Zenit St Petersburg for £15m in 2008, has also been discarded. Arsenal had confirmed earlier in the week that the Russian and fellow flops Sebastien Squillaci and Denilson were to be released. The three are among 14 players to have been released by the North London club – the most of any Premier League team. Shown the exit: David Bentley (left) and William Gallas (right) have both left Tottenham

Exit: Filippo Mancini was axed by Manchester City while Kolo Toure has agreed a move to Liverpool

Manchester City released a clutch of players, including three signed at a cost of more than £40m. Striker Roque Santa Cruz (£18m) was loaned out to Malaga last season, where he played under incoming City boss Manuel Pellegrini, but it seems the Paraguayan does not figure in City’s ‘holistic’ vision of the future. Also released were defenders Kolo Toure (£16m) and Wayne Bridge (£10m), though Toure will be joining Liverpool and Bridge will link up with Reading next season. And it seems that Roberto is not the only Mancini to have recently left the Etihad after his son Filippo, 22, was also shown the exit. Out the door: Hungarian Zoltan Gera (right) has been given his marching orders by West Brom Thrown out: Rory Delap (left) and Jermaine Pennant (right) have both been released by Stoke



FREE TRANSFER XI

You could make a pretty good team of players released from their clubs... Goalkeeper: Schwarzer (Fulham). Defence: Simpson (Newcastle), Gallas (Tottenham), Upson (Stoke), Shorey (Reading). Midfield: Bentley (Tottenham), Neville (Everton), Gera (West Brom), Arshavin (Arsenal). Attack: Di Santo (Wigan), Cole (West Ham). Subs: Pennant (Stoke), Santa Cruz (Man City), Lichaj (A Villa), Benayoun (Chelsea), Bramble (Sunderland), Diarra (Fulham), O’Neil (West Ham).

New Stoke manager Mark Hughes has only just started his new role at the Britannia Stadium, but he has already lost a major weapon in his attacking arsenal after long-throw specialist Rory Delap was released. Other Stoke players seeking new clubs were Jermaine Pennant, Dean Whitehead and Matthew Upson.

Mark Schwarzer’s five-year career at Craven Cottage is also over after the Australian turned down Fulham’s latest contract offer and was released, though the 40-year-old shot-stopper is bound to attract interest from other clubs, notably Arsenal who have been repeatedly linked with him.

West Ham’s Carlton Cole and Wigan’s Franco Di Santo could also provide somebody with an effective cut-price strike partnership after both left their respective clubs.



Di Santo is one of 11 Wigan players to be ditched as they prepare for life in the Championship, and QPR and Reading have both dumped 10 and 11 players respectively as cost-cutting measures after their relegation from the top-flight.