Two ‘golden oldies’ leave Bees
Barnet’s list of those released has so far been far shorter than many League 2 clubs – Accrington Stanley have released 11 players and Wrexham 14. In North London only 2 have been allowed to leave but they are also two of the most experienced members of the squad.
Grazioli’s departure was no shock, with him having been on the transfer list for most of the past 2 seasons. He had established himself as a hero with 55 goals in 82 games firing Barnet back to the Football League but once there surprisingly struggled, scoring just 9 league goals in 3 seasons and being sent on loan to AFC Wimbledon earlier this season.
Sagi Burton arrived at the Bees last summer as the much yearned for ‘Football League experience’ at the back, having played over 250 games for several clubs, and made a fine start both as centre back and vice captain. However, injuries gave Joe Devera a chance to display his growing stature as a centre back and this meant that Sagi would have probably been relegated to the bench next season and this, combined with what was thought to be one of the best pay packets in the squad, is what led to his departure.
With these 2 high earners having left it is hoped that money will now be freed up to spend on other areas of the squad. This may or may not include new contracts for Adam Birchall and Nicky Nicolau – a subject that was not addressed by today’s announcement.
