Wellington Phoenix have confirmed the departures of seven players from their roster, after their 2021/22 A-League campaign.
First-teamers Jaushua Sotirio, Gael Sandoval, Gary Hooper, James McGarry and Matthew Bozinovski, as well as scholarship players Kurtis Mogg and George Ott, won't return to the club next season.
Sotirio and McGarry are both understood to be on the verge of joining A-League rivals Newcastle Jets, while Hooper will return to the UK, after serving two stints with the Phoenix since 2019.
Meanwhile, Sandoval and Bozinovski will both return to their parent clubs, Guadalajara (Mexico) and Melbourne Victory (Australia) respectively. Mogg and Ott will also leave, after they were not offered contracts to stay beyond the 2021/22 season.
Attacking midfielder Reno Piscopo is "considering his options", after his contract also expired at the end of the season.
Aside from the seven players leaving, defender Louis Fenton has also announced his retirement from football, aged just 29.
The departures leave the Phoenix with 15 players contracted for the 2022/23 season. They have the potential to sign up to three more foreign players - hailing from countries other than New Zealand or Australia - for next season.
The departures of Sandoval and Hooper leave the Phoenix with defender Scott Wootton and David Ball as overseas players for next season.
