Hutchinson stays at Hillsborough as many make way
Sheffield Wednesday officially confirmed their first team retained list following the conclusion on the 2020/21 season with just three players definitely confirmed to be staying with the club.
Sam Hutchinson extends his stay with the Owls for another year having triggered a 1-year extension. The former Chelsea man left Hillsborough in the summer of 2020 having fell out of favour with then manager Garry Monk but returned to the club in January and featured in most of the games this year.
Youngsters Ciaran Brennan and Alex Hunt have also had 1-year extensions activated. Defender Brennan and midfielder Hunt will be looking for more game time next season as the Owls bid for promotion from League One under Darren Moore.
Defender Osaze Urhoghide has been offered a new deal while midfielder Liam Shaw turned down a contract offer in favour of a move to Celtic.
A host of established names are leaving the club. Tom Lees; Keiren Westwood, Adam Reach and Jordan Rhodes will all see lengthy spells with the Owls come to an end. While it was a disappointing campaign in 2020/21 fans will have good memories of better times with Lees and Westwood in the team as both were key members of the sides that finished in the top 6 in the Championship twice between 2015 & 2017.
Matt Penney, Kadeem Harris, Moses Odubajo, Joey Pelupessy, Elias Kachunga and Joost Van Aken are also on their way out while Izzy Brown and Jack Marriott return to their parent clubs following largely unsuccessful loan spells.
The departures will free up a significant amount of wages for the cash-strapped club but leaves Darren Moore with a big overhaul to oversee ahead of the new season.