{"id":952655,"date":"2026-05-11T13:10:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/952655\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T13:10:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:10:31","slug":"when-bristol-city-must-publish-their-retained-list-as-first-team-trio-near-end-of-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/952655\/","title":{"rendered":"When Bristol City must publish their retained list as first-team trio near end of contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bristol City have less time this year to finalise contract decisions than they did after last season’s Championship play-off campaign<\/p>\n

Bristol City winger Mark Sykes in action for the Robins(Image: Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Bristol City and clubs across the EFL have until the third Saturday of May to tell their players if they want to keep them beyond the end of their current contract and reveal their retained list, with this year’s deadline falling on May 16.<\/p>\n

The Robins concluded their mixed season a little over a week ago with a final-day home win over Stoke City<\/a> at Ashton Gate. With their victory over the Potters, the Reds secured a 12th-place finish<\/a>, with their final margin to Hull City and the play-off places standing at 11 points.<\/p>\n

City’s win against Stoke didn’t just signal the end of the Championship campaign, but also marked the end of Roy Hodgson’s tenure at Ashton Gate<\/a>. The 78-year-old’s short-term contract has now expired, meaning the Robins are – at the time of writing – without a first team head coach.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Latest Bristol City next manager odds with Portsmouth and Lincoln City bosses current favourites<\/a>READ MORE: Bristol City legends unite for ‘Into the Big Time’ as 1975\/76 promotion story told in new book<\/a><\/p>\n

Naturally, appointing a permanent boss and a sporting director<\/a> will be the Reds’ top priority. Away from off-the-field matters, however, the decision-makers at Ashton Gate have some big calls to make in regard to the future of a handful of first-team and academy players.<\/p>\n

Each of Mark Sykes, Sam Bell and Sam Morsy has a contract that is set to expire this summer<\/a>, as do Harry Cornick – who has spent the second half of the season on loan at Stevenage, and Ephraim Yeobah, who joined Carlisle United on a temporary basis during the March international break.<\/p>\n

While it would come as a complete shock if Cornick were to remain on the Reds’ books, given his incredibly limited minutes in recent seasons, the uncertainty around just who will be replacing Hodgson in the City dugout and who will be named sporting director has made it hard to predict exactly what the summer will hold for the likes of Bell, Morsy and Sykes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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In an interview last month, Morsy admitted that he was taking things “one game at a time<\/a>” and not looking beyond the end of the season, given his inability to know exactly who he would be playing under if he were to remain at Ashton Gate.<\/p>\n

As fans wait for an update on the hunt for a new manager, the deadline for extensions to be offered is approaching. EFL rules state that clubs must tell their players by the third Saturday in May, which this season is May 16, if they wish to keep them beyond their current deals, which typically expire on June 30.<\/p>\n

That deadline is earlier than it was for the Reds last season, as clubs competing in the end-of-season play-offs are typically granted an extension, given the fact that they still have fixtures to fulfil.<\/p>\n

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Such notifications have to be in writing and should include the terms of the new deal being offered. In some cases, though, such details can be provided slightly later. At the same time, clubs in all three tiers of the EFL are required to submit a retained list to the league, confirming the status of all players.<\/p>\n

In that retained list outlined will be: players who are out of contract and have been offered new deals, players who are out of contract this summer and haven’t been offered a new contract, players who remain under contract beyond the summer – which will include those where extension options have been activated – scholars who are still with the club, non-contract players who remain registered and players on week-to-week agreements and whether they’ve been kept on.<\/p>\n

Last summer, City’s retained list confirmed the departures of Stefan Bajic, Ayman Benarous and Kal Naismith<\/a>. Nahki Wells was one of a handful of players labelled as in negotiations, but unlike Lewis Thomas and Olly Thomas, the Bermudian international ultimately departed the West Country as a free agent.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

OPINION<\/p>\n

\"AuthorDaniel Carter\"\"<\/p>\n

OPINION<\/p>\n

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