Bolton Wanderers wasted little time in announcing their retained list not long after the League One season came to an end.
The Whites' campaign drew to a conclusion on April 30 with a 4-2 home win over Fleetwood Town. The three points, coupled with Portsmouth suffering final day defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday, saw Wanderers end the season in ninth.
Despite finishing 10 points from the play-offs as hopes of a late push ultimately left Wanderers with too much to do, it was a good first campaign for a newly promoted side back in the third tier of English football. Next season, Bolton are targeting a place in the top six at least.
READ MORE: Next season League One verdict as Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield Wednesday & Derby County prepare
Wanderers boss Ian Evatt spoke to every member of his squad the Monday after the regular season was confirmed. This included informing those out of contract this summer if they would be offered fresh terms or not.
A total of eight players were confirmed to be departing Wanderers this summer when their contracts expired. Xavier Amaechi will also not be returning to the club after the conclusion of his loan spell from Hamburg.
Wanderers have already begun their summer business by announcing the signing of defender Jack Iredale. He has joined on a free transfer and penned a three-year deal after leaving Cambirdge United.
Evatt's side were quick to announce who would be leaving this summer, and many teams across the EFL have followed suit. More than two thirds of teams in League One have announced their retained lists.
And for those who are yet to do so, they are running out of time to lodge lists of which players will be staying and leaving clubs this summer. Teams in Bolton's division yet to publicly announce theirs include Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth.
Clubs up and down the EFL have until midnight until the third Saturday in May to upload lists to an online portal of which players are staying and which are released this summer. Tomorrow, Saturday 21, is said third one of May and the deadline.
Those teams who are still in action for the play-offs - such as Sunderland and Wycombe Wanderers, who face one another in tomorrow's League One play-off final - are granted extra time to submit their retained lists. This tends to be four extra days.
Though clubs not in action anymore have to submit their retained lists by midnight tomorrow or face the prospect of fines, they are free to announce them publicly whenever they wish. Players leaving, however, may jump the gun and announce departures via social media.
Wanderers have already landed one fresh face via the free agents market this summer and more will soon become available in the days to come as teams yet to do so submit their retained list and make the subsequent announcements.
