West Bromwich Albion can confirm their men’s retained and released lists following the conclusion of the 2024/25 campaign.
Released players
Defender Semi Ajayi and midfielders Grady Diangana and John Swift will be leaving the club at the end of June.
Internationals Ajayi and Diangana joined in the summer of 2019 and played instrumental roles in helping the Baggies achieve automatic promotion to the Premier League in their maiden terms at The Hawthorns.
Semi arrived from Rotherham United and went on to make 177 appearances for the club, 147 of which were as a starter.
The Nigerian scored 13 goals for Albion across his six years, including memorable ones in the Premier League during the 2020/21 campaign at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool, as well as a dramatic last-gasp winner against Peterborough United in the Sky Bet Championship in August 2021.
Grady, meanwhile, initially penned a season-long loan from West Ham United before making the move permanent in the summer of 2020.
The DR Congo playmaker took just three minutes to score on his second-tier debut for the Baggies down at Luton Town in August 2019, before going on to notch the winner three minutes later.
Diangana amassed 202 appearances for the Albion, scoring 26 goals. His final strikes for the club came in the 5-1 home victory over Portsmouth in January 2025 on an afternoon when he found the net twice.
Swift joined the Baggies on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 having spent the previous six years at Reading.
The 29-year-old made an instant impact, scoring Albion’s equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough on his debut on the opening day of the 2022/23 season.
He scored 19 goals in total, including seven in his first campaign, nine in his second and three in 2024/25.
Swift departs after featuring 126 times for the club.
Fenton Heard, Josh Shaw and Reece Hall will also be leaving the Baggies. Midfielder Heard made two first-team appearances, with defenders Shaw and Hall playing one senior game each against Aldershot Town and Fleetwood Town respectively.
Goalkeeper Ted Cann will also be departing, as will youngsters Ronnie Hollingshead, Archie Kirton, Matt Richards, Sam Beedie, Rhys Morrish, Corey Sears and Fran Cherchi.
Loan spell ending
The loan deals involving strikers Adam Armstrong and Will Lankshear, as well as defender Mason Holgate, finish at the end of May.
The club would like to thank all departing players for their efforts during their time at The Hawthorns and wishes them every success in the future.
Contract offered
Ten academy graduates have all been offered new contracts.
Attackers Reyes Cleary, Akeel Higgins, Layton Love and Eseosa Sule – who have all made their first-team debuts – are four of those players.
Goalkeeper Louis Brady, defenders Michael Parker and Alex Williams, midfielder Souleyman Mandey and forwards Dan Chimeziri and Divine Onyemachi have also been handed the chance to pen new deals with Albion.
Returning from loan
Defender Caleb Taylor will return from his loan at Sky Bet League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers. The 22-year-old, who is under contract until the summer of 2028, played 39 times for the Chairboys across two separate spells during the 2024/25 campaign, scoring three goals.
Full retained and released list
Released
Semi Ajayi
Grady Diangana
John Swift
Fenton Heard
Reece Hall
Josh Shaw
Ted Cann
Ronnie Hollingshead
Archie Kirton
Matt Richards
Sam Beedie
Fran Cherchi
Rhys Morrish
Corey Sears
Loan spell ending
Mason Holgate
Adam Armstrong
Will Lankshear
Contract offered
Reyes Cleary
Akeel Higgins
Layton Love
Michael Parker
Eseosa Sule
Alex Williams
Louis Brady
Dan Chimeziri
Souleyman Mandey
Divine Onyemachi
Returning from loan
Caleb Taylor