West Brom will not be renewing the contracts of first-team squad members Pele, Carl Hoefkens and Jared Hodgkiss. Sherjill MacDonald will also be leaving the Hawthorns, having already agreed a move to Antwerp, while loan stars Jay Simpson and Ryan Donk will return to Arsenal and AZ Alkmaar respectively.

The Baggies are hoping to trim their playing staff to 20 professionals ahead of the 2009/10 campaign.

"Buying players is certainly a possibility but what has proved successful for us over the last few seasons is the strategy of loaning players with an option to buy them - players such as Ishmael Miller, Juan Carlos Menseguez and Youssouf Mulumbu fall into that category," Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace told the club's official website.

"It gives them the chance to come in and prove themselves and meanwhile we can see what type of characters they are.

"It can de-risk a longer-term deal and is therefore a good way to go.

"This summer we want to bring people in who can further strengthen the team even though we've gone down a level."