Forest Green Rovers were eliminated from their play-off campaign earlier this week, but now their attention has already shifted to next season.
Robbie Savage’s side finished 7th in the National League and set up a tie against Boreham Wood, but despite being goalless after regulation time – Zak Brunt grabbed his 39th goal contribution of the season, sliding the ball home from close range to knock Forest Green out.
The club have acted quickly to begin the process of shortening their extensive first-team squad ahead of the summer transfer window.
Readers can access our National League retained list summary page, here.
Forest Green departure set to boost play-off rival
With the club having 33 contracted players as the season came to an end, the chances of the club allowing several players to depart was likely. This would ensure that they would be better able to recruit fresh additions during the off-season.
One departure in particular is likely to pique the interest of play-off rivals Southend United, due to loanee Harry Cardwell being released by Forest Green this summer.
Cardwell’s exit was confirmed via Forest Green’s official website – bringing to an end his almost two-year stint with the club, though he spent the remainder of the 2025/26 season on loan at Southend.
Back in March, journalist Chris Phillips confirmed that Southend were set to land Cardwell on a permanent contract at the end of the campaign, but now his departure freshens the claims that he will be a Shrimper once again next season.
The 29-year-old contributed to five goals during an injury-hit spell back at Roots Hall.
Can Forest Green bounce back next season?
After their 2025/26 season came to an end in London, Savage’s attention can now shift on to the new campaign – after confirmation that seven players will depart this summer.
The full list is as follows;
- Sean Long, Ryan Inniss, Christian Doidge, Liam Sercombe, Harvey Bunker, Harry Cardwell & Keon Sanniola
Meanwhile, experienced defender Jordan Moore-Taylor and goalkeeper Harry Isted remain in talks over a new contract.
This means that after those players are taken off and the loanees go back to their parent clubs, Forest Green are left with a squad of 24 going into the off-season.
The list includes several key players like Laurent Mendy, Kyle McAllister and Ricardo Rees, which gives Savage a strong foundation to build upon.
Forest Green signed almost 30 players throughout the 2025/26 season, showing that they weren’t afraid to dive into the market to try and improve their side.
With York City promoted back to the EFL, there is a strong possibility that Forest Green will be plotting for promotion this coming season and retaining their key assets is a strong start to that.
