Hartlepool United's retained list analysed as Gime Toure leaves to seek EFL move and Luke Williams handed another opportunity

As it stands, Pools have eight players contracted for next season in Ben Killip, Ryan Donaldson, Luke Molyneux, Gus Mafuta, Brad Young, Aidan Keena, Gavan Holohan and Nicky Featherstone.

Key players Luke James and Mark Kitching have been offered new deals with youngsters Josh Hawkes, Kenton Richardson and Aaron Cunningham also in discussions. Joe Grey is the only youth team player announced to have been offered a first professional contract.

The rest of Pools’ 2019-20 squad are now free to find new clubs, which could prove difficult given the shutdown of football due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hartlepool manager Dave Challinor described the process of putting the retained list together as ‘horrible’ and ‘ruthless’, particularly in the current circumstances.

Ultimately, it’s a necessary process as the club looks to the future with the goal of a Football League return. Taking everything into consideration, the retained list hasn’t supplied any significant surprises.

The two main talking points from the list surround the release of top scorer Gime Toure and Luke Williams being handed the opportunity to potentially earn a new deal despite failing to start a single game for Pools in two seasons.

Toure has very publically been angling for a move away from Victoria Park from at least the turn of the year. A number of League Two clubs were thought to be interested in the Frenchman’s services as he looks set to pursue his first EFL move in favour for another season in the National League.

Anyone who watched Pools regularly last season knows exactly what Toure is capable of. He produced several spectacular moments and could be unplayable on his day.

But for every bit of magic, there was a moment that would make you scratch your head. If Toure was consistent, he’d be playing far higher than the National League and the club knew that when they signed him.

Overall, he proved to be an asset to the side over the course of the season but was probably the one player whose form noticeably dipped following Challinor’s appointment as manager.

There’s no point having a player at the club who doesn’t want to be there but the 26-year-old will be a loss and needs to be effectively replaced if Pools are to remain a competitive force.

In terms of Williams – a player who is often a topic of discussion despite making just three substitute appearances last season – he may still have a future at the club after all.

The 26-year-old midfielder’s professional career hangs in the balance as a result of several significant injury set-backs. To describe his two years at Pools as an ‘injury nightmare’ would be putting it lightly.

Yet Williams, along with striker Lorne Bickley, has been invited back to train with Pools in pre-season, whenever that will be.

It’s a decision that may come as a surprise to some but it’s a no-lose situation for Pools. It won’t cost them any money and there’s a slim chance they could end up with a potential ‘match-winner’ in their ranks.

Even when Williams was contracted, his deal was weighted heavily on appearances so any new deal would almost certainly be of a similar nature.

Pools are likely the only local professional club who are willing to give a player with his injury record an opportunity – it’s up to Williams, or rather his body, to take it.

Of the players contracted for next season, Donaldson, Molyneux, Holohan, Mafuta and Featherstone would get into most National League sides and help form a solid outfield core to build upon.

There were few better playmakers in the fifth tier than Featherstone last season while Holohan proved himself as one of the best goalscoring midfielders in the division with nine goals in 19 starts being rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

James and Kitching have been offered new deals as expected. As two local players Challinor was able to bring the best out of in a short period, it is likely they will remain at the club next season proving some certainty is given over when it will start.

James is not the prolific goalscorer Pools still desperately need but his tenacity and work-rate make him a crucial player in the final third.

Kitching still divides opinion as an attacking left-back. Defensively, there’s certainly room for improvement and his final ball needs to be more consistent.

Still, he’s a player who fits into Challinor’s intense style of play well and has improved considerably over the last 12 months. At just 24, chances are he’ll keep getting better.

As for the players under-24, Hawkes, Richardson and Cunningham have sensibly been offered reengagement terms. The trio didn’t get as much game time as they would have hoped for last season and will all have a point to prove should they return next season.

As for the players leaving Pools, there are no real surprises. While players such as Myles Anderson and Jason Kennedy can feel very hard done by not to have been given much of a chance under Challinor, their lack of game last season suggested it was always unlikely that they’d be offered an extension.

Niko Muir is another who saw his opportunities limited and had to go out on loan. His record of one goal in nine appearances last season ultimately wasn’t going to be enough as Challinor looks to improve his attacking line.

The centre-back pairing of Fraser Kerr and Michael Raynes were mainstays in the team under Craig Hignett before Challinor shook things up.

Injuries prevented either player from featuring in the final months of the campaign and despite making 62 appearances between them last season, Pools have decided not to retain their services.

Kerr arrived at Pools from Gateshead last year with a strong reputation as a dependable defender at National League level but flattered to deceive during his time at Victoria Park.

The Scottish centre-back fell out of favour with Challinor over the festive period with the 2-2 draw against Barrow on December 28 proving to be his final league start for the club.

Raynes put in several commanding displays for Pools during the first half of the campaign but it wasn’t enough for the 32-year-old to earn a new contract.

The fact that Pools don’t have a senior centre-back currently tied down for next season may pave the way for a return for Gary Liddle and Timi Odusina following their loan spells last season.

Hartlepool’s retained list stated that Liddle and Odusina, along with fellow loanees Mark Shelton, Macauley Southam-Hales and Rob Harker have all returned to their parent clubs before specifying that positive conversations have taken place and they ‘may return to Victoria Park in the future’.

All the uncertainty surrounding football and the financial implications due to Covid-19 means there’s still plenty up in the air at the moment. But at least progress is being made at Pools – it’s just a case of watching this space.