Malouda, Gallas and Schwarzer all released

LONDON. Chelsea’s Florent Malouda, Tottenham Hotspur’s William Gallas and David Bentley, the Manchester City forward Roque Santa Cruz and the Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer all featured on the Premier League free transfer list, which was released on Friday.The France international Malouda, 32, last played for Chelsea in their 2012 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich but has since been frozen out of the first-team picture and so saw out the remaining season of his £80,000-a-week contract training with the under-21s. His former club Lyon, who sold him to Chelsea for £13m in 2007, looks the most likely destination.Gallas leaves White Hart Lane on a free transfer three seasons after the French defender joining Spurs from their north London rivals Arsenal, and the midfielder Bentley, who spent time on loan in Russia with FK Rostov and at his former side Blackburn Rovers last season, is another set to move on.Santa Cruz, 31, was loaned out to Málaga last season, where he played under Manuel Pellegrini, who is reported to be in line to take over at Manchester City.Kolo Touré, meanwhile, will not feature in City’s future plans for their new manager and Ivory Coast defender’s move to Liverpool at the end of his contract was confirmed last month. The full-back Wayne Bridge is to join Reading.The 40-year-old Schwarzer, who had been linked with a switch to Arsenal in the past, turned down the offer of a new deal at Fulham, and so will move on.Arsenal announced earlier this week that Andrey Arshavin, Denílson and Sébastien Squillaci would all be leaving this summer, which was confirmed on the Premier League list.The Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun and the Portugal defender Paulo Ferreira have both been released by Chelsea.The long-throw specialist Rory Delap departs Stoke along with the retiring ex-England striker Michael Owen, Jermaine Pennant, Matthew Upson and Dean Whitehead.Relegated Wigan, QPR and Reading, meanwhile, all announced the expected free transfers as they prepare for life in the Championship.

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Malouda, Gallas and Schwarzer all released