Caley Thistle manager John Robertson has confirmed defender David Raven will leave the Highlanders next month after turning down the offer of a reduced contract extension.
Raven’s contract expires on January 7, with Robertson having been keen to move the Englishman on in the summer but unable to find him a new club.
The 32-year-old has found his way into the Caley Jags line-up in recent weeks, playing his part in the backline that helped the team record seven successive clean sheets earlier in the season which prompted Robertson to offer him a new deal.
Raven’s rejection of the fresh terms will end his five-and-a-half year stay at Caledonian Stadium, having joined from Tranmere Rovers in 2012.
The right back has become an Inverness fans’ favourite, making 183 appearances for the club and notably netting the extra-time winner in the Scottish Cup semi-final victory against Celtic in April 2015, which set the club on to winning the competition with a final win against Falkirk the following month.
Raven has come close to leaving the club under previous managers John Hughes and Richie Foran but Robertson has confirmed the former Liverpool defender will finally depart Inverness after the turn of the year.
Robertson said: “We offered David an extension until the end of the season on reduced terms, but he’s decided to reject that.
“Whilst we are disappointed, we understand his reasons for it.
“We have to be practical in what we did and we couldn’t extend David’s wage on what he was on at the moment.
“He just felt he couldn’t do it. The wage we offered would still have earned him more than most of his team-mates, certainly the newer guys coming into the team, but it didn’t work for him.
“That’s the way it is. It’s unfortunate but that’s the decision that’s been made.
“David will continue to stay in the team until his contract runs out. He’s in the team on merit and on form.”
Robertson could allocate some of Raven’s wages towards funding a new striker, after confirming he is keen to strengthen to his attacking options.
Robertson says others may need to follow Raven out the exit door however, and he added: “Connor Bell is chipping away and John Baird got on the goal trail the other day, but we need more. We need a 15 to 20 goal a season striker if possible.
“On our budget, and given what’s there and what’s about, that’s going to be very difficult. It may well be somebody on loan or somebody that’s fallen out of favour at another club.
“We can’t go out and find someone that’s being paid £1,500-a-week, or even £1,000. That’s going to be beyond our means so we will need to maybe move a couple of players on and try and entice someone to come and do a short-term thing for us.
“We are looking to move a few out. Two or three will go out naturally because their contracts are up and we may try and move another one on.”
