Wrexham face a big summer transfer window and Phil Parkinson has commented on the club’s process regarding transfers.
Wrexham clinched promotion to League One in April but fans are no doubt still on cloud nine.
Seeing the Wrexham players celebrate in Las Vegas has been great to watch and Andy Cannon has described the trip as ‘special’.
The focus back in Wrexham will be on transfers with Phil Parkinson and co having plenty of work to do.
The reality is that jumping from League Two to League One – just one year after promotion from the National League – is a huge leap.
Wrexham have a battle-tested, experienced squad but there are some big sides in League One.
Wrexham need another injection of quality this summer and Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds will need to fund some new additions.
Maybe Wrexham’s transfer record will be broken too; it currently stands at the £300,000 paid to sign Ollie Palmer in 2022.
Phil Parkinson on Wrexham transfers
Wrexham’s recruitment has been strong throughout the McElhenney and Reynolds era.
The ability to tempt players into dropping down divisions to join the Wrexham project has been a huge factor in the rapid rise.
Wrexham may look to go down that route once again this summer, potentially trying to lure Championship players down to League One.
Some think that Wrexham will just splash the cash but boss Parkinson has put a halt on those thoughts.
Speaking to BBC Sport Wales, Parkinson has admitted that Wrexham do not have an endless pot of money.
Parkinson noted that Wrexham have a ‘valuation system’ and are happy to move away from targets if the demands aren’t right.
Parkinson is happy with the club’s recruitment so far, believing that a number of players can make an impact for years to come.
The Wrexham boss vowed to not pay ‘over the odds’ for players this summer, vowing to stick to the budget set above him.
“For all the players we’ve signed, there’s lots of stories of ones we haven’t signed and got close to,” said Parkinson. “We have a kind of… a value on players we go for and if it goes above that, we just move away from it and I think it’s important we do that because there isn’t an endless pot of money. We’re working towards a budget, we try and sign the players who offer us value going forward and I feel we’ve done that really well in terms of over the last few years, we’ve built a squad of players, a lot who can carry on the journey with us.”
“We’re not going to pay over the odds for players and we have our own valuation system, and we’ll work towards that,” he added.
What do Wrexham need this summer?
Wrexham head into the window needing signings.
A goalkeeper will be a top priority with Arthur Okonkwo’s loan spell from Arsenal coming to an end.
Okonkwo becomes a free agent this summer and Parkinson has admitted that Wrexham are ‘working’ on a deal to bring him back permanently.
That deal won’t be easy, so Wrexham need to have a number of backup targets in mind in case Okonkwo can’t be signed.
Centre backs are a real priority after Wrexham released Aaron Hayden, Jordan Tunnicliffe and Ben Tozer at the end of their contracts.
More competition is needed for the likes of Max Cleworth, Eoghan O’Connell, Will Boyle and Thomas O’Connor.
At least two centre backs will be needed and we think a midfielder will be a priority too.
Luke Young is leaving the club this summer and his presence needs to be replaced in the engine room.
Creative competition for Elliot Lee would be welcome too but attacking additions may depend on whether Steven Fletcher pens a new deal.
Another left wing back option is something Parkinson should think about too, given James McClean’s age and Jacob Mendy’s injury problems.
It’s clear that Wrexham have work to do and Parkinson will be looking to get that really kickstarted in the coming weeks.
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