Revealed: Southampton make decision on Ross Stewart and six other senior players

Southampton have confirmed that Ross Stewart will leave the club when his contract expires this summer, with six other first-team players also set to depart St Mary’s.

Stewart, whose deal runs out at the end of June, will exit after the club opted not to trigger an extension clause in his contract, ending his three-year spell on the south coast. The 29-year-old striker featured 33 times during the 2025/26 season, scoring 11 goals, and leaves with 50 appearances for Saints overall.

Joining Stewart on the departure list are Oriol Romeu, Will Smallbone, Alex McCarthy, Joe Aribo, Jamie Jones and Charlie Taylor, all of whom will leave following the expiry of their contracts this month.

Meanwhile, Elias Jelert will return to parent club Galatasaray after completing his loan spell. Southampton made no reference to James Bree in their retained list after the defender recently signed a new three-year contract.

Smallbone’s exit brings an end to an 18-year connection with Southampton, having joined the club’s academy at the age of eight. The midfielder went on to make 90 senior appearances and played a major role in the club’s successful 2024 Championship promotion campaign.

Among his standout moments were scoring in the play-off semi-final victory that helped Saints reach Wembley before setting up Adam Armstrong’s decisive goal in the final to secure promotion back to the Premier League.

Veteran goalkeeper Alex McCarthy will also move on after spending a decade at the club. The 36-year-old made 165 appearances for Southampton and played an important role during the 2024 promotion-winning season, keeping clean sheets in both the semi-final first leg and the Wembley final.

Joe Aribo departs after four years at St Mary’s, having featured 111 times across all competitions for the club.

Romeu, meanwhile, leaves after adding seven appearances during the recent campaign to finish with 263 outings for Southampton across two spells. The Spaniard also played an influential leadership role at Staplewood and was instrumental during his first stint, helping Saints achieve their highest-ever Premier League finish, qualify for Europe and reach the 2017 EFL Cup final.

In an official statement, Southampton thanked all departing players for their service and commitment, wishing them success in the next stages of their careers.