Former Sheffield Wednesday men out of contract after retained lists released

And as Sheffield Wednesday supporters await the release of their retained list heading into the summer, a number of clubs across the football league have nipped in ahead of the curve.

Among the dozens of players now searching for a new club are three former Wednesday attackers.

Leon Clarke, who also went on to play for Sheffield United of course, has been released by League One Shrewsbury Town. The news comes as no real surprise after the 36-year-old managed only 10 matches for the Shrews before suffering a hamstring injury that required surgery.

He scored 18 goals in 87 matches for the Hillsborough club between 2007 and 2010.

Also without a club is 35-year-old George Boyd, who has left Salford City after a similarly unspectacular time in which he played only six matches. Having left Wednesday on a free in the summer of 2019, he played the 2019/20 season for Peterborough before signing at Salford in November.

Perhaps more of a surprise has been the fate of one-time Owls youth prospect Caolan Lavery – another who went on to play for the Blades – who has been released by Walsall.

Now 28, the Canada-born forward scored seven goals in 46 appearances across all competitions for League Two Walsall last season, a campaign that started with a 0-0 draw with Wednesday that Garry Monk’s men won on penalties.

Wednesday’s retained list is expected in the coming days, when decisions will be made on a raft of senior players.

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