Norwich City have issued their retained and released list for 2019, headed by the decision not to sign striker Jordan Rhodes on a permanent deal.
Rhodes joined the club last summer on a loan move from Sheffield Wednesday, scoring nine goals in the process.
Left behind
Rhodes was a goalscoring supremo just a few season ago, first for Huddersfield Town and then with Blackburn Rovers. Yet injuries and lack of form in recent years have limited his opportunities at Middlesbrough and then Wednesday.
The 29-year old started the campaign as a regular alongside Teemu Pukki in a 3-5-2 formation. Despite scoring twice in his first three matches, a dry spell of strikes coincided with several poor results that left Norwich dwindling just above the Championship drop zone.
The emergence of Pukki in a 4-5-1 formation limited Rhodes' opportunities as he became a regular on the substitutes bench. But Rhodes did chip in with crucial goals before Christmas, scoring an EFL Cup hat-trick against Wycombe, two goals at home to Aston Villa and a last minute winner to defeat Millwall.
Gayle in?
Yet the six foot striker has only scored once in 2019, two weeks into the calendar year, and Norwich have decided not to exercise the option to sign the forward who provides a contrasting style of play to Pukki.
Many Norwich fans admitted their disappointment with the decision via social media after Rhodes' name was banded around the stands in the final game of the season at Carrow Road.
With limited options in the number nine role, speculation grows over who will provide cover for Pukki, Dwight Gayle seemingly the hot favourite after West Brom opted against signing him permanently.
Rhodes leaves East Anglia after making 40 Norwich appearances, although 29 of those were from the bench.
Naismith and Jarvis depart
Fellow veteran striker, Steven Naismith, has also been released despite scoring 18 goals in 43 appearances on loan to Hearts since January 2018.
Naismith joined Norwich from Everton for a significant fee of £8.5 million midway through the Canaries' last Premier League campaign. A hat-trick in just his sixth game against Chelsea appeared a positive sign but injuries limited the Scotland international to just 37 starts and eight goals in two years.
It has been a familiar problem for Matt Jarvis who signed for Norwich almost four years ago but only made 21 appearances.
The winger scored his only two Norwich goals in his three matches for the club but hasn't featured at Carrow Road for the senior team since May 2016. He has spent the last few months on loan at Walsall but only featured ten times.
Pinto returns to Zagreb
Defender Ivo Pinto had been a regular in the starting eleven since signing in January 2016 but the development of Max Aarons has left the right-back out of the equation for much of this season.
Despite playing just shy of 100 games previously, Pinto made it through just two sets of 90 minutes this season and has rejoined Dinamo Zagreb on a free transfer.
Winger Yanic Wildschut also departs after failing to live up to his £7 million price tag from Wigan. The Dutchman scored just three times after signing in January 2017 but has since endured less than effective loan spells at Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers.
Felix Passlack completes the list of senior players to depart after making just a solitary league appearance on loan from Borussia Dortmund.