Sunderland AFC announce retained list for 2026-27

[Dave_39]

Sunderland AFC can today confirm our retained and released list following the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign.
Dan Neil, Dennis Cirkin, Bertrand Traoré and Niall Huggins will all leave Sunderland, with all other first-team players being retained.
Meanwhile, the club can confirm it remains in discussions with Lutsharel Geertruida.
After helping Sunderland gain promotion from League One, Dan Neil captained the Club back to the Premier League and made more than 200 appearances in red and white.
Dennis Cirkin also leaves the Black Cats after five years, having helped push the Club from the third tier to the top-flight, playing 120 times.
Bertrand Traoré departs after one year on Wearside, helping the team to a successful first season back in the Premier League.
Niall Huggins moves on after joining in the summer of 2021. The full-back won the Club’s Goal of the Season award for his exceptional strike against Watford during the 2023-24 season.
Under-21 players Oliver Bainbridge, Marshall Burke, Dan Cameron, Thomas Lavery, Elias Lenz, Ethan Moore, Adam Richardson, Rhys Walsh and Jake Waters will all leave the Club this summer, with second-year scholars Ivan Struk and George Bell also departing the Academy of Light.
All players depart the club with the thanks and best wishes for the future from everybody at Sunderland AFC.
Youth players Finn Geragusian, Liam Hunt, Charlie Dinsdale, Bayley Hester, Marcus Neill, Finlay Holcroft, Joseph Neild and Felix Scott have all been offered professional contracts.
Contracted:
Ahmed Abdullahi
Simon Adingra
Omar Alderete
Milan Aleksić
Aji Alese
Isaac Allan
Nilson Angulo
Abdoullah Ba
Dan Ballard
Luke Bell
Brian Brobbey
Alan Browne
Habib Diarra
Melker Ellborg
Leo Hjelde
Trai Hume
Wilson Isidor
Jenson Jones
Jaydon Jones
Ben Kindon
Enzo Le Fée
Ben Metcalf
Reinildo Mandava
Arthur Masuaku
Eliezer Mayenda
Simon Moore
Nordi Mukiele
Romaine Mundle
Luke O’Nien
Anthony Patterson
Timothée Pembélé
Chris Rigg
Robin Roefs
Nazariy Rusyn
Noah Sadiki
Trey Ogunsuyi
Jenson Seelt
Luis Hemír
Jocelin Ta Bi
Chemsdine Talbi
Granit Xhaka
Matty Young
Zak Johnson
Harrison Jones
Timur Tutierov
Out of contract & released:
Dennis Cirkin
Niall Huggins
Dan Neil
Bertrand Traoré
Oliver Bainbridge
Marshall Burke
Tom Lavery
Dan Cameron
Elias Lenz
Ethan Moore
Adam Richardson
Rhys Walsh
Jake Waters
Ivan Struk
George Bell
Ongoing discussions:
Lutsharel Geertruida
Youth players offered professional contracts:
Liam Hunt
Charlie Dinsdale
Bayley Hester
Marcus Neill
Finlay Holcroft
Archie Lightfoot
Joseph Neild
Felix Scott

Finn Geragusian

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[Moanjam]

Discussions with Gerty

 

[Hannah1989]

sad about Traoré going but with his injury can see it happening

with the young guns being offered contracts that will go towards the home grown section

and Gerty wanting to stay just shows where we are heading

 

[Robertson]

Sunderland AFC can today confirm our retained and released list following the conclusion of the 2025/26 campaign.
Dan Neil, Dennis Cirkin, Bertrand Traoré and Niall Huggins will all leave Sunderland, with all other first-team players being retained.
Meanwhile, the club can confirm it remains in discussions with Lutsharel Geertruida.
After helping Sunderland gain promotion from League One, Dan Neil captained the Club back to the Premier League and made more than 200 appearances in red and white.
Dennis Cirkin also leaves the Black Cats after five years, having helped push the Club from the third tier to the top-flight, playing 120 times.
Bertrand Traoré departs after one year on Wearside, helping the team to a successful first season back in the Premier League.
Niall Huggins moves on after joining in the summer of 2021. The full-back won the Club’s Goal of the Season award for his exceptional strike against Watford during the 2023-24 season.
Under-21 players Oliver Bainbridge, Marshall Burke, Dan Cameron, Thomas Lavery, Elias Lenz, Ethan Moore, Adam Richardson, Rhys Walsh and Jake Waters will all leave the Club this summer, with second-year scholars Ivan Struk and George Bell also departing the Academy of Light.
All players depart the club with the thanks and best wishes for the future from everybody at Sunderland AFC.
Youth players Finn Geragusian, Liam Hunt, Charlie Dinsdale, Bayley Hester, Marcus Neill, Finlay Holcroft, Joseph Neild and Felix Scott have all been offered professional contracts.
Contracted:
Ahmed Abdullahi
Simon Adingra
Omar Alderete
Milan Aleksić
Aji Alese
Isaac Allan
Nilson Angulo
Abdoullah Ba
Dan Ballard
Luke Bell
Brian Brobbey
Alan Browne
Habib Diarra
Melker Ellborg
Leo Hjelde
Trai Hume
Wilson Isidor
Jenson Jones
Jaydon Jones
Ben Kindon
Enzo Le Fée
Ben Metcalf
Reinildo Mandava
Arthur Masuaku
Eliezer Mayenda
Simon Moore
Nordi Mukiele
Romaine Mundle
Luke O’Nien
Anthony Patterson
Timothée Pembélé
Chris Rigg
Robin Roefs
Nazariy Rusyn
Noah Sadiki
Trey Ogunsuyi
Jenson Seelt
Luis Hemír
Jocelin Ta Bi
Chemsdine Talbi
Granit Xhaka
Matty Young
Zak Johnson
Harrison Jones
Timur Tutierov
Out of contract & released:
Dennis Cirkin
Niall Huggins
Dan Neil
Bertrand Traoré
Oliver Bainbridge
Marshall Burke
Tom Lavery
Dan Cameron
Elias Lenz
Ethan Moore
Adam Richardson
Rhys Walsh
Jake Waters
Ivan Struk
George Bell
Ongoing discussions:
Lutsharel Geertruida
Youth players offered professional contracts:
Liam Hunt
Charlie Dinsdale
Bayley Hester
Marcus Neill
Finlay Holcroft
Archie Lightfoot
Joseph Neild
Felix Scott

Finn Geragusian

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SAFC.com never loads properly over the connection at work so thanks for posting the text.

 

[LBW]

Sad to see Dan & Dennis leave, they have been a huge part of the revival of our club, I wish them every success, both good players and will have good careers. I do think we might regret not giving Dan a chance, I think he was better suited further up the pitch than the holding role.
Dennis just needs to get fit and stay fit, poor lad has had some real tough personal issues to contend with for such a young lad as well, he never moaned though. Hope they both go and and smash it

 

[Bank of England 2]

Busy times ahead for Flo & Co. I discounted the 7 youth players in there, but counted 17 out of the other 38 contracted players that we should be moving on. 13 of them were out on loan last season. We need to find them a permanent home or we'll be in the same situation next season.

Hope we get Gerty tied down, then bring on the the reinforcements!

 

[Smug in Boots]

Discussions with Gerty

Which makes me believe he's still under his Sunderland contract.

If he'd already left he'd be no different to any other prospective signing.

I'd guess there are conditions, in his contract, that give us an advantage over other clubs ...

... not to mention we're the greatest team the world has ever seen.

 

[Brainy Dose]

Which makes me believe he's still under his Sunderland contract.

If he'd already left he'd be no different to any other prospective signing.

I'd guess there are conditions, in his contract, that give us an advantage over other clubs ...

... not to mention we're the greatest team the world has ever seen.

He doesn't have a contract with us. He's contracted to Leipzig until 2029. We had a loan agreement with Leipzig,which has now come to an end. If the player has indicated he wants to sign for us,it'll be for us to negotiate a deal with Leipzig and,in any event,he can't become our player until the transfer window opens,when I hope he'll be very happy to sign for the greatest team the world has ever seen.

 

[Smug in Boots]

He doesn't have a contract with us. He's contracted to Leipzig until 2029. We had a loan agreement with Leipzig,which has now come to an end. If the player has indicated he wants to sign for us,it'll be for us to negotiate a deal with Leipzig and,in any event,he can't become our player until the transfer window opens,when I hope he'll be very happy to sign for the greatest team the world has ever seen.

I've just had it confirmed that his contract with Sunderland terminates at the end of the month ...

... btw, a loan agreement is a contract

"A Premier League loan agreement is a legally binding contract. It is a multi-party legal arrangement that outlines the temporary transfer of a player from their parent club to a loan club."

 

[rowley]

Sad to see Dan & Dennis leave, they have been a huge part of the revival of our club, I wish them every success, both good players and will have good careers. I do think we might regret not giving Dan a chance, I think he was better suited further up the pitch than the holding role.
Dennis just needs to get fit and stay fit, poor lad has had some real tough personal issues to contend with for such a young lad as well, he never moaned though. Hope they both go and and smash it

Agreed, hope they both do well, and I think they will.

Worth remembering though thar Dan turned contract offers down in the Championship and last season. He was probably told by his agent that better things were on the way for him.

Agents aren't bothered. Dan should have signed the deal and played it from there. He'll be 25 in December and he should have signed that contract which probably would have set him up. A bird in the hand and all that. I'm sure if he had signed he would have been given more time on the pitch, but a coach has to look to those he knows are committed.

But I hope he goes well, I really do.

 

[Nads]

Sad to see Dan & Dennis leave, they have been a huge part of the revival of our club, I wish them every success, both good players and will have good careers. I do think we might regret not giving Dan a chance, I think he was better suited further up the pitch than the holding role.
Dennis just needs to get fit and stay fit, poor lad has had some real tough personal issues to contend with for such a young lad as well, he never moaned though. Hope they both go and and smash it

Both will have good careers.

Dan to Hull I’d love to see get his PL games. Cirks will go to a good championship club.

More importantly though ‘HA’WAAAAY THE GERTY’

 

[darthmixalot1]

Agreed, hope they both do well, and I think they will.

Worth remembering though thar Dan turned contract offers down in the Championship and last season. He was probably told by his agent that better things were on the way for him.

Agents aren't bothered. Dan should have signed the deal and played it from there. He'll be 25 in December and he should have signed that contract which probably would have set him up. A bird in the hand and all that. I'm sure if he had signed he would have been given more time on the pitch, but a coach has to look to those he knows are committed.

But I hope he goes well, I really do.

Neil will get a hefty signing on bonus as a result of this so I'm sure he won't be too angry about his agent. He appears to be quite popular as well given how many teams have been linked to him so he should manage to get himself quite a wedge.

 

[Daz]

Discussions with Gerty

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[Smug in Boots]

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Qualifying for Europe has probably given him a nudge in our direction ...

... and I've just had it confirmed, by the club, that his contract with Sunderland terminates at the end of the month.

 

[Isidor’s Bane]

Sad to see some of the lads go, but no surprises really. I’m glad that we are looking at getting Geerty in on a permanent, it’s a no brainer for me.

Does this mean Alese has been given a new deal? I thought he was out of contract this summer.

 

[Brainy Dose]

I've just had it confirmed that his contract with Sunderland terminates at the end of the month ...

... btw, a loan agreement is a contract

"A Premier League loan agreement is a legally binding contract. It is a multi-party legal arrangement that outlines the temporary transfer of a player from their parent club to a loan club."

Ok mate....I don't get it,but I'll leave it and defer to your better information.

 

[Smug in Boots]

Ok mate....I don't get it,but I'll leave it and defer to your better information.

It's direct from someone at the club mate.

Besides SAFC wouldn't refer to the player, in an official club statement, if he was no different to Lucumi or whoever.

That's against the rules and generally regarded as 'tapping up'.

 

[Daz]

It's direct from someone at the club mate.

Besides SAFC wouldn't refer to the player, in an official club statement, if he was no different to Lucumi or whoever.

That's against the rules and generally regarded as 'tapping up'.

Was thinking it is a shame he has been called up as we would have had loads of time to negotiate a contract.

But on the other hand he now hopefully has Roefs and Brobbey in his ear for a few weeks asking him to sign

 

[Nads]

Was thinking it is a shame he has been called up as we would have had loads of time to negotiate a contract.

But on the other hand he now hopefully has Roefs and Brobbey in his ear for a few weeks asking him to sign

Brobbey tells him to sign he ****ing signs.

As would we all

 

[Smug in Boots]

Was thinking it is a shame he has been called up as we would have had loads of time to negotiate a contract.

But on the other hand he now hopefully has Roefs and Brobbey in his ear for a few weeks asking him to sign

As he’s already had his medical, met the club, etc, he doesn’t need to be there tbh. … he may already be discussing the finer points of a contract.

Besides, he could go to the WC and have a stinker or pick up an injury