Leicester City boss Craig Levein says he is disappointed he could not have offered new deals to several players.
Scott Gemmill, Nathan Blake, Lilian Nalis, Keith Gillespie and Ian Walker are among those released.
Levein told the Leicester Mercury: "That was the hardest thing I had to do and it is not the players' fault that they are earning high wages.
"All the players I had to let go, in different circumstances, would have stayed, purely on football."