Ross Stewart will leave Southampton this summer after the club did not agree an option to extend his contract. He departs after 50 appearances and 12 goals for Southampton, with his exit set out in the club's men's retained list for 2026.
Southampton FC Retained List
Southampton FC published the list after the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, and Stewart was among several first-team departures named on it. The club said Oriol Romeu, Will Smallbone, Alex McCarthy, Joe Aribo, Jamie Jones, Charlie Taylor and Elias Jelert will all leave this summer too.
That means the summer rebuild is not limited to one position. Southampton is already moving on a mix of senior names and younger players, with Will Armitage, Sonnie Davis, Hugo Fisher, Will Merry and Sam Tabares also set to depart.
Ross Stewart in 2025/26
Stewart still put in a full season's work before the decision was made. He featured 33 times in 2025/26 and scored 11 goals, leaving him one goal short of a dozen in a campaign that kept him involved throughout the run-in.
The complication is hard to miss. He leaves as a promotion winner from 2024, yet Southampton has chosen not to carry his contract forward despite 50 appearances and 12 goals in total for the club. For a squad planning process, that removes a forward with a recent scoring return and a clear role in the group's recent history.
Summer Exit for Ross Stewart
Southampton's retained list turns the summer into a reset, not a routine contract cull. Stewart's departure, alongside the other names on the list, leaves the club with senior gaps to fill before the new campaign takes shape.
