Four ex-Cobblers released by League Two clubs as Southend offer Holmes a new contract
Former title-winning duo offered new deals by their respective clubs
A number of former Cobblers are among the hundreds of players to have been released by clubs across League Two since the 2020/21 campaign ended 10 days ago.
Striker Kevin van Veen, who experienced a turbulent 12 months at Northampton between 2018 and 2019, is one of those players to be without a club following his release from Scunthorpe United.
The 29-year-old scored just two goals in 21 games this season and joins the likes of Alex Gilliead, Abo Eisa and Junior Brown as one of 17 players let go by the club.
Also looking for a new club this summer is left-back Joe Bunney. Since leaving the Cobblers in 2019, the 27-year-old has had brief spells with Blackpool, Bolton and Hartlepool before he joined Grimsby Town in February.
However, after just five appearances, Bunney has been released by the relegated Mariners, alongside James Hanson and Matt Green.
Town's former play-off winner Alan McCormack, who endured another injury-plagued campaign, managed 20 appearances in all for Southend United but the 37-year-old is again on the lookout for another new club after Phil Brown was unable to save the Shrimpers from dropping into non-league.
Joe Martin left the Cobblers for Stevenage in January but has now been released, while one-time Town loanees Lewis Ward and Shaun Brisley have also been let go by Exeter City and Port Vale respectively.
Elsewhere, Chris Lines (Stevenage), Jason Taylor (Barrow) and Ricky Holmes (Southend) have all been offered new deals, while Nicky Adams remains under contract with Keith Curle's Oldham Athletic and Jordan Turnbull has a year left at Salford City.
“We had our meetings at the end of the season with Keith and mine was short and sweet,” Adams told the Oldham Times this week. “He’s known me for a long time and he told me ‘go and have a rest, put your feet up, you know what I expect from you next season’.
“He wants me to try and lead a team to being successful again. We’ve had some good times me and Keith and we’ve had a really good relationship and I hope he is staying."