Glentoran confirm Fuad Sule amongst summer departures with Patrick McClean 'placed on the transfer list'
Glentoran have confirmed midfielder Fuad Sule is amongst five players departing the club this summer while Patrick McClean has been placed on the transfer list “with discussions ongoing with interested clubs”.
Sule has been one of the Glens’ top performers since arriving from Larne, who he helped win their first Premiership title, in 2023 and racked up 72 top-flight appearances across two seasons at The Oval.
The 28-year-old’s future has long been a topic of speculation with his deal expiring this summer – the likes of Bohemians and Coleraine have been linked with potential moves.
Sule captained the Glens in the absence of club skipper Marcus Kane throughout spells of last season and helped them end their near five-year wait for silverware success by winning the Co Antrim Shield.
The former Barnet midfielder previously stated his intention to wait until the summer before making a final decision on his future, saying in February: "It's been very well documented, the situation with me at the moment - the people there are looking after the negotiations.
"All I can do is try my best to perform at the best of my ability on a Friday or Saturday. I feel like I'm doing that at the moment.
"I don't tend to let these kind of things kind of influence me in how I play. It just depends on what happens and I'll probably wait until the end of the season to see what happens."
He’s now set to depart the East Belfast club, which will be a major blow for Declan Devine’s side as they prepare for next season.
Devine stated his desire in February to retain Sule’s services, saying he felt “extremely lucky to have him”.
"He said himself that the conversations have been had and will continue to be had,” said Devine at the time. “He's a very intelligent man and he will look at his future closer to the end of this season, and that's fine because we know that we can trust and rely on him one million percent no matter what way he sees his future.
"I think he has been in the top two or three midfield players in the league. He has been a huge influence for us.
"He has won more Man of the Match awards for Glentoran this season than anybody else - he's an outstanding person and player.
"His appetite, energy levels, his ability...he plays as a holding midfield player and the amount of ground he covers every game, he's such an important cog in our machine. We're very fortunate to have him.
"When you come through the door as a manager and you've a player like Sule there, you're rubbing your hands because he's a top, top pro and a player that I feel has a massive future in the game."
Sule was handed a nine-game suspension by the Irish FA after picking up a red card following a brawl at the conclusion of Glentoran’s final league fixture against former club Larne.
Alongside Sule, Wassim Aouachria, Finley Thorndike, Jay Donnelly and Niall McGinn are all set to depart Glentoran while defender Patrick McClean has been placed on the transfer list.
"Glentoran can confirm that the following players will depart the club upon the expiry of their current contracts: Fuad Sule, Wassim Aouachria, Finley Thorndike, Jay Donnelly and Niall McGinn,” the club said in a statement. “We would like to thank each of them for their contribution to Glentoran and wish them every success in the next chapter of their careers.
“In addition, Patrick McClean has been placed on the transfer list, with discussions ongoing with interested clubs.
“Further updates will be announced in due course as part of the club’s ongoing strategic squad planning.”