Aston Villa seem resigned to losing players after coming up short in the 2018 Championship play-off final against Fulham.
Parachute payments are reduced for next season, which will be Villa’s third since enduring Premier League relegation and there’s Financial Fair Play to consider.
While it’s already been confirmed club captain John Terry is to leave the West Midlands, others look sure to follow.
Villans attacking midfielder Jack Grealish is another linked in tabloid gossip columns with a departure from Villa Park, yet he’s still got two years left on his current deal, so will command a fee.
Who is out of contract alongside Terry at Villa this summer then? These are the four others.
Mark Bunn
Backup keeper Bunn joined from Norwich City on a three-year deal in 2015 but was behind Manchester United loanee Sam Johnstone in the pecking order under Steve Bruce this season.
He played just 20 times for Villa across all competitions over those three years and had fellow former Norwich goalie Jed Steer to contend with for a place in matchday squads.
Who plays between the sticks next season looks to be a key decision for Bruce or whoever the Villa boss is, with the bookies making them as big as 4/1 in the latest UK sports betting to be promoted from the Championship at the third attempt.
Christopher Samba
Ex-Blackburn Rovers and QPR centre back Samba joined as a free agent last summer after injury problems and had a brief run in Villa’s first XI during the winter.
There was no displacing Terry and James Chester after that, however. Given his lucrative one-year deal being up and that failure to reach the Premier League, any new contract would depend on the Congo international lowering his wage demands.
It looks like an overhaul of Villa’s central defensive options is also on the cards, so you can see why they’ve drifted in the betting on winning the Championship outright to 12/1 with Bet365 and other major bookies.
Alan Hutton
It’s sad to see Villa’s two current longest serving players also facing the door. Former Scotland full back Hutton moved to Villa Park way back in 2011.
Although his seven years with the Villans has been punctuated with loan spells away at Nottingham Forest, Real Mallorca and Bolton Wanderers, there have been six different permanent managers since Hutton joined.
While he’s a right back by trade, Hutton established himself in the Villa team down the opposite side of defence this past season. A change of position may have done enough to secure a new deal, though, as chairman Tony Xia is keen on keeping him.
Gabriel Agbonlahor
YouTube: Gabby Agbonlahor: My greatest Aston Villa moments
Ex-England international forward Agbonlahor first signed professional terms with his hometown club in June 2005 and has played almost 400 games since yet has already said his goodbyes.
Although that means he doesn’t quite make their all-time top list, Agbonlahor is only behind Gareth Barry for most Villans appearances in the Premier League era.
He’s served nine permanent Villa bosses, the first being David O’Leary, but Agbonlahor was at his best during the Martin O’Neill era netting double figures in the goal charts in three consecutive Premier League campaigns.
