World Cup-bound Ross Stewart amongst eight players released by Southampton

Southampton have confirmed that eight players will be released from the club following the conclusion of the 2025/26 term.

The Saints endured a bitter end to the Championship campaign after being expelled from the play-offs for breaching regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training.

In spite of their play-off despair, they have confirmed that manager Tonda Eckert, who admitted that he was responsible for 'spygate', will remain at St Mary's ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, where they will start the season on -4 points.

Eight players will depart the South Coast upon the expiry of their Southampton contracts, including World Cup-bound Scottish international Ross Stewart.

A statement from Southampton read: "Oriol Romeu, Will Smallbone, Ross Stewart, Alex McCarthy, Joe Aribo, Jamie Jones, Charlie Taylor and Elias Jelert, whose loan has expired, will all depart this summer".

Romeu made 263 Saints appearances across two separate spells with the club, "playing an integral part in the club’s best ever Premier League finish in 2016, qualifying for the group stages of the Europa League that same season and reaching the EFL Cup final in 2017, where he also collected the Fans’ and Players’ Player of the Season awards".

Smallbone will end an 18-year affiliation with the club, and while his final season was spent away from St Mary's, playing 10 games in a one-year loan spell with Millwall, he accumulated 90 appearances for Southampton.

Stewart's departure is one that may draw the attention of a few EFL clubs, finding the net on eight occasions in the 2025/26 Championship term despite playing just 979 minutes.

Arribo and Jelert were scarcely used in their final term, while Jones and Taylor leave the club having not featured in 2025/26.

• Will Smallbone potential next club