Chris Wilder gave the clearest indication yet that he is looking to build his own team at Oxford United with a retained list that was shorter than many expected.

He has told eight players they will not be offered a new deal – including 2006-7 Player-of-the-Year Yemi Odubade, and experienced centre backs Chris Willmott and Barry Quinn.

On a day when James Constable completed the paperwork on his permanent transfer to the U’s from Shrewsbury Town – on a three-year deal and for an undisclosed fee – two other loanees returned to their parent clubs with Craig Farrell and Lewis Haldane going back to York City and Bristol Rovers respectively.

The eight who have not been offered a new deal are Eddie Hutchinson, Odubade, Willmott, Quinn, Phil Trainer, Craig Nelthorpe, Matt Day and Matty Taylor.

Trainer has spent the last three months of the season on loan at Blue Square North club AFC Telford.

Joe Burnell, who was on trial at Exeter earlier this month, and Chris Carruthers have been told they can talk to other clubs over the summer, although both are contracted to Oxford for a further year.

Wilder said it has been a tough day, having to tell some of the players who had played a part in the team’s fine end-of-season run that they would not be kept on.

“I have made honest individual decisions, and they are based in most cases in terms of what I can bring in,” he told the Oxford Mail.

“I am always honest and wanted to talk to all of the players face-to-face, but you can’t be too sentimental. I’ve got to be sure that we raise the bar.

“I’ve looked at what players have contributed now and what I think they would be able to contribute in the future.

“And there were some really tight decisions.”

One of the hardest is believed to have been Willmott, who has fought back from knee surgery to become a key member of the team and forged a good partnership in central defence with Luke Foster.

But, as with Odubade and Hutchinson, United’s manager had to take into account the high wages he was on.

He said: “Chris has done fantastically well to come back from his injuries and from being out for the best part of two years and he played his part in what we’ve done over the past four months.

“But I can possibly get in someone better, I believe, and that’s what I have to think about.

“It’s got to fit the budget for this club. I’ve said to Yemi, his is a financial decision as well.”

Confirmation that Constable is to be at Oxford until 2012 is a big boost to the fans.

The team’s leading scorer, who picked up both the Supporters’ Player of the Year and the Player’s Player of the Year awards on Sunday, had agreed a new deal with United earlier this month.

But doubts were placed on the arrangement when Shrewsbury boss Paul Simpson said he was unaware of it.

However, a binding agreement was done at board level, and Constable merely completed the paperwork this week.

“I have enjoyed my football this season and am looking forward to the future,” he said.

“The fans have been great, and we have genuine hope for next season.

“Having got the paperwork done, I can now go away over the summer, recharge the batteries then come back ready to go for pre-season.”