WREXHAM’S Hollywood story is looking for its next batch of A-list stars ahead of the club’s return to the Championship.
High-profile owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have sanctioned a summer of spending that they hope will make Wrexham competitive in the Championship following three consecutive promotions.
PAWrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been trying to find some new stars for their Championship season[/caption]
GettyThe Welsh club failed in an attempt to sign Christian Eriksen earlier this summer[/caption]
Reynolds and McElhenney have transformed the Welsh club since taking over in 2021, and their impressive ambition has taken Wrexham from the National League to the Championship in record time.
A huge part of that rise has been splashing the cash on signings who are considered better than the current level, attracting players who are already a step up from the division they’re playing in.
This summer saw their most ambitious effort so far when the club tried to convince former Manchester United and Tottenham star Christian Eriksen, 33, to head to the Racecourse.
Eriksen, a 144-time Denmark international, only left Man Utd at the end of the season, bringing an end to a £150,000-per-week deal at Old Trafford.
Wrexham’s ambition to sign the Champions League veteran was clear, sending CEO Michael Williamson to present a two-year plan to Eriksen that detailed how they intend to reach the Premier League.
According to the Mail Online, Eriksen was impressed by the “attractive” pitch, but made the decision to respectfully turn it down in the hopes of continuing to play top flight football next term.
Speaking to the Mail, Eriksen’s representative Martin Schoots said: “Wrexham are really upgrading everything both on and off the field and it is a hugely impressive project, as you can see from the presence of people like Michael there.”
Although Wrexham had missed out on their blockbuster name, their ambition and pitch had begun to make waves in the transfer market.
GettyConor Coady has signed a two-year deal with Wrexham[/caption]
GettyWrexham are investing heavily on and off the pitch[/caption]
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It’s claimed that word of their approach for Eriksen got around, changing the perspective of which players could actually be on the table for the Championship rookies.
Among those who had their head turned by the stories was former England international and Premier League regular Conor Coady.
Coady, 32, was soon tapped up by Wrexham’s transfer team and penned a two-year deal at the Racecourse after Wrexham agreed a fee of around £2m to get him out of Leicester City.
Like Eriksen, Coady was sold on a project that is seeing Wrexham improve their facilities as well as their squad.
Work is underway on a new 7,750-capacity Kop stand that will take the stadium’s total capacity to 18,000, more than Prem sides like Bournemouth and Brentford.
While a new £1.7m hybrid pitch with undersoil heating has been installed this summer to meet Fifa and Uefa requirements.
There will be plenty of new stars gracing that pitch too, with Wrexham already signing EIGHT new faces this summer.
It’s claimed that they had set a summer budget of a whopping £20MILLION for boss Phil Parkinson, a number that was quickly passed around the transfer market and meant agents and clubs were offering up their players to the Welsh side.
An insider told the Mail: “It feels a bit chaotic, with agents running the show to an extent.”
But Wrexham appear happy with their spending, already splashing £11.1m of that hefty budget.
That cash has gone on the likes of Kieffer Moore from Sheffield United, Lewis O’Brien from Nottingham Forest and even new full-back Liberato Cacace from Italian side Empoli.
Wrexham’s summer signings
A look at who Wrexham have brought in ahead of their Championship campaign…
Ryan Hardie – £750,000, Plymouth Argyle
Danny Ward – free, Leicester City
Liberato Cacace – £2.16million, Empoli
George Thomason – £1.2m, Bolton Wanderers
Josh Windass – free, Sheffield Wednesday
Lewis O’Brien – £3m, Nottingham Forest
Conor Coady – £2m, Leicester City
Kieffer Moore – £2m, Sheffield United
TOTAL SPEND: £11.11million
Reynolds and McEllhenney have been shrewd where possible too, signing experienced Championship striker Josh Windass from Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer.
Windass, who left Wednesday after the mutual termination of his contract amid their financial woes, had been the subject of interest from a slew of other Championship clubs but still chose Wrexham.
While Welsh international goalkeeper Danny Ward was also snapped up from Leicester on a free.
Perhaps the big-ticket star is yet to arrive too, with reports suggesting Wrexham are edging towards completing a club record £7.5MILLION deal to sign Nathan Broadhead from Ipswich Town.
That deal is thought to have been agreed in principle last week, but Broadhead’s exit is yet to be sanctioned by Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna.
Wrexham will need all their new faces firing and ready to go from the off as they face a baptism of fire for their first game back in the Championship.
The Red Dragons take on relegated Prem side Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday, a test that will show them just how difficult life in the second tier can be.
https://www.instagram.com/wrexham_afc/Josh Windass joined Wrexham from Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer[/caption]
Instagram @wrexham_afcKieffer Moore has arrived from Sheffield United[/caption]
Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien has also made the switchAlamy
Nathan Broadhead could be the next big name to join WrexhamGetty Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
