Cheltenham Town are set to lose as many as five first-team players this summer as preparations for the 2024/25 League Two season begin, as reported by journalist Jon Palmer. 

The football club were relegated from League One last season on the final day, following their failure to beat Stevenage away from home and now Darrell Clarke’s side are likely to lose a large chunk of their out-of-contract stars.

Nine players have already confirmed to have left Cheltenham Town after being released, which includes former Derby County captain Curtis Davies and former Manchester United playmaker Josh Harrop but now it looks almost certain that the five players offered new deals are also set to depart.

Which players are set to leave Cheltenham?

According to Jon Palmer, Cheltenham Town’s club captain Sean Long and experienced midfielder Liam Sercombe will both be leaving the League Two side this summer, coming as a major blow for Darrell Clarke. Sercombe contributed to 13 goals in 45 league appearances whilst Long contributed to five in 45 games.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Luke Southwood has played almost every minute for Cheltenham over the last two seasons but is set to depart and is currently out injured with a broken leg. Meanwhile, wing-back Will Ferry and striker George Lloyd are also stumbling over signing a new contract at the football club and look likely to depart.

How important is this summer for Cheltenham?

Following relegation down to League Two, manager Darrell Clarke has a major rebuild job on his hands with the majority of their starting eleven looking likely to leave the football club in search of pastures new.

If those five players were to depart, Cheltenham would need to act quickly to source replacements before their targets move elsewhere, but losing each player for nothing will also have a knock-on effect on the club’s financial budget heading into the summer window.