The retained list has been announced by Peterborough United and as expected it was headed by a popular defender Gaby Zakuani.
Defender Gaby Zakuani heads a list of six players released by Posh after the conclusion of their contracts. Fellow defenders Shaun Brisley and Andrew Fox were part of the released list along with Jack Friend, Kyle Vassell and Souleymane Coulibaly.
It is the release of Zakuani that has caused most controversy amongst Posh fans with those split between “he`s a legend and gives 100% every match” to those that also realise that the best years are now behind Zakuani.
Although a popular player, his ability has been questioned for a number of seasons. While some see his desperate last ditch blocks as good defending, what they need to look at is why he had to do that last ditch tackle! His positional play is also very suspect and has cost Posh goals time and time again. You just need to see the last two matches he played and where he was when Posh conceded goals!
Zakuani will be missed around the club but Posh need better if they are going to achieve promotion so as sad as it may be, the time was right to wave goodbye to a very popular player and to look forward as Posh must improve on their dismal defensive record.
Zakuani`s record for this season was:
| Games Played | 25 |
| Goals Scored | 3 |
| Clean Sheets | 4 |
In the Vital Posh poll where we asked should the out of contract players be released or offered a new contract, 51.47% of you voted to offer Zakuani a new contract. However, in the Keep, Sell, Release or Loan Out poll, 64.29% of you want Zakuani to stay!
It`s no real surprise that fellow defender Shaun Brisley has exited the club. He`s never really nailed a first team place and only looked decent when playing in the middle of a back three.
Brisley only made two appearances for Posh during the season with both matches coming in August in the 3-1 home defeat to Sheffield United and the 4-1 thumping by Charlton Athletic in the Capital One Cup second round.
He`s spent more time on loan and in truth impressed at League Two level which is probably his level.
Brisley`s 2015/16 playing record for Posh was:
| Games Played | 2 |
| Goals Scored | 0 |
| Clean Sheets | 0 |
There was also no surprise in the results of the two polls. 81.16% voted for him to be released instead of being offered a new contract with similar results in the other poll.
Andrew Fox entered Posh with no League experience to his name but was given a one-year contract as someone to challenge left-back Kgosi Ntlhe. He put the effort in when on the pitch but his lack of experience and quality was obvious to everyone.
Westley enthused about how far he ran in matches but what did that achieve. He rarely created chances and often conceded possession or at best won a throw-in or corner.
Was he worth the gamble? He would`ve been cheap which may have swayed the decision on whether to sign him or not but at the end of the day, he wasn`t what we needed but he did a decent job when called upon.
Fox`s 2015/16 playing record for Posh was:
| Games Played | 20 |
| Goals Scored | 1 |
| Clean Sheets | 4 |
There was a split decision on Fox over whether to offer him a new contract or not. At the end of the poll, 51.43% of the vote went for him to be released. He also received a similar percentage to be released in the Keep, Sell, Release or Loan Out poll where he received 55.67% to be released.
Striker Souleymane Coulibaly flattered to deceive and arguably the best thing about him was his goal celebration!
Sadly we didn`t get to see “that” celebration very often and was farmed out on loan to lowly League Two side Newport County in the latter stages of the season which was obviously a sign to everyone that he had no future at Posh.
| Games Played | 30 |
| Goals Scored | 5 |
It was a resounding vote of no confidence in the two polls for Coulibaly. He received 72.86% of the votes to be released instead of offering him a new contract while the bigger Keep, Sell, Release or Loan Out poll only 16.49% of the votes wanted him to stay.
Kyle Vassell started the season as one of a few forwards competing for a place in the matchday squad and went on to make seven appearances without scoring any goals! He`s always been a bit part player and is another one who has spent more time out on loan than he had playing for Posh.
He`s one of many pieces of deadwood at Posh but sadly the others aren`t as easy to get rid of at the moment!
| Games Played | 7 |
| Goals Scored | 0 |
This was a rather easy vote in the two polls. An amazing 98.51% of you voted that he should be released in the release / new contract poll with just 3.03% voting for him to be kept at the club!
The last player to be released following the end of his contract was another striker. 19-year-old Jack Friend was brought to Posh from Wisbech Town and scored loads of goals for the under 18s but was never given a chance to show what he had to offer in the first team.
He was sent out on loan to Boston United where he made three substitute appearances without scoring a goal.
With the number of forwards at Posh, it was always going to be tough on a youth player to make the breakthrough unless he could prove he could make a difference.
| Games Played | 0 |
| Goals Scored | 0 |
It was another no-brainer in the voting with 83.58% voting for Friend to be released although 17.53% voted for him to be sent out on loan which in our opinion would`ve been a good idea.
Left-back Kgosi Ntlhe will also be departing the club after rejecting two contract offers. Should he sign for another English club, Posh will be entitled compensation as he is under the age of 24.
Ntlhe hasn`t progressed as much as everyone had hoped and it all seems to stem from when he broke his leg against Sheffield Wednesday back in the 2012/13 Championship season. Since then, he has been in and out of the squad and has endured many injuries.
He only made nine appearances for Posh this season due to his injuries and his reluctance to sign a new contract.
| Games Played | 9 |
| Goals Scored | 0 |
| Clean Sheets | 2 |
This was another easy decision. 91.3% of the votes went for him to be released while in the Keep, Sell, Release or Loan Out poll only 9.09% of the votes to be kept on at the club.
A number of other players will also be placed on the transfer list as per club policy as they are entering the final year of their contract. The players concerned are goalkeepers Ben Alnwick and Dion-Curtis Henry, defenders Ricardo Almeida Santos and Michael Smith, and midfielders Jon Taylor, Jack Payne, Erhun Oztumer and Harry Anderson.
Whether these players are offered new clubs will be decided by the incoming manager. Posh are holding a press conference on Monday [16th May] where it is widely expected that Grant McCann will be announced as the new manager.
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