Wrexham owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds could quickly have a glaring problem to fix, and it isn’t in the transfer market.
Wrexham are currently planning for their return to League One after a 19-year absence.
Following the departures of several first-team players, Phil Parkinson has a task on his hands to assemble a squad capable of battling for a third consecutive promotion.
Luckily, the Wrexham boss will be backed by the riches of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, with the former hinting at the possibility of former Welsh legend Gareth Bale signing for the club.
With the transfer window opening this Friday, there is no rush to get deals over the line, having missed out on Wigan’s Jason Kerr and free agent Conor Hourihane, but there is a rush to tie down some of their crucial players to new contracts.
14 first-team players are out of contract at Wrexham in 2025
Although signing the right players is important this summer, that work will be in vain if they fail to tie down their current assets to new contracts.
McElhenney and Reynolds have often shown their short-term approach to transfers, specifically going for experienced heads over youngsters that can develop over time.
It’s signing such as Steven Fletcher and James McClean that have helped them on their way to success however, to continue their progression, they must have one eye on the future.
That means giving some of their most important players new deals. Remarkably, 14 first-team players see their contracts expire this summer.
The list includes Jack Marriott, George Evans, Tom O’Connor, Sam Dalby, James Jones, McClean, Jacob Mendy, Andy Cannon, Ryan Barnett, Anthony Forde, Jordan Davies, Billy Waters, Ollie Palmer and Max Cleworth.
Which Wrexham players deserve new contracts?
There are several on the list, including Forde, Waters, Jones, Davies and Dalby who the club will perhaps let go next summer – if they are still at Wrexham.
However, the number of players they’d like to keep significantly outweighs those they’d be willing to sell, with key first-teamers Cannon, Evans, Cleworth and O’Connor deserving of new deals after a fantastic League Two campaign.
In the case of Cannon and Evans, they’ve played their football higher up the pyramid, turning out in the Championship for Hull City and Millwall respectively. It means that if they were to reach the second tier, they would be handy squad players to have.
Meanwhile, for O’Connor and Cleworth, they’re the two players in the Wrexham squad with the biggest resale value. O’Connor has previously attracted interest from Championship side Coventry City while Cleworth’s potential as a ball-playing defender is limitless.
In short, McElhenney and Reynolds could have major problems heading into 2025 if contracts with some of their key players aren’t agreed, and they must be mindful of that.
The post Rob McElhenney & Ryan Reynolds could quickly have glaring problem to fix at Wrexham this season - opinion appeared first on The Wrexham Insider.