In the wake of the team’s relegation to League Two, Port Vale is releasing James Wilson, Jayson Leutwiler, and Gavin Massey, all of whom are out of contract.

In his debut season at Vale (2021–22), former Manchester United striker Wilson led the team in scoring in all competitions, including a goal in their 3-0 victory over Mansfield Town in the League Two play-off final.

At the beginning of this season, former Canada international Leutwiler signed a one-year contract with the Valiants from Oldham Athletic, however he did not play in any league games for the team.

Following Vale’s promotion, Massey, a winger, signed on, making 81 league appearances while contributing three goals and four assists.

First-year professional contracts have been offered to Andrew Buah, Arron Davies, Jack Shorrock, and Rhys Walters by Vale, who are also in talks with left-back Deklan Wynne and striker Uche Ikpeazu about fresh agreements.

After Vale ended second-bottom with a 0-0 draw at home against Cambridge United on Saturday, manager Darren Moore told BBC Radio Stoke, “Conversations will be had over the coming weeks and days and we’ll see if we can get them tied down for next season.”

“We still have work to do, and the clock is ticking down until the next season. We want to bring in guys who are capable of leading the club.

“It was evident to everyone that we gave up too many goals and didn’t score enough goals, given the dynamics of the game.”