Luton Town forward avoid Wrexham transfer agreement as management made final transfer decision

Luton Town forward John McAtee is very much a wanted man this summer, as his future looks away from Kenilworth Road.

The 24-year-old joined the Hatters in August 2022 after being very impressive for Grimsby Town in the National League.

Unfortunately for McAtee, his time at Luton hasn’t been as successful, as he’s yet to play a competitive game for the club, and now it looks like he could be sold by the Championship side in this transfer window.

Bolton Wanderers were the first side to show interest in the striker, but it now appears as though the Trotters have been joined by a host of teams, one of which includes Wrexham.

Wrexham joins the race to sign Luton Town’s John McAtee

It was revealed last week by The Bolton News that Bolton were lining up a move to sign McAtee from Luton.

The report stated that McAtee was on the club’s shortlist after being told by Luton that he has no guarantees of regular football in the Championship.

But Bolton are now not the only side interested in the player, as according to HITC, Wrexham and a host of Championship clubs are ready to battle it out to sign the Luton striker.

The report states that the Hatters are ready to sell the forward, with teams such as Wrexham, Plymouth Argyle, Blackburn Rovers, Millwall, Derby County, Portsmouth, and, of course, Bolton all keen on the player.

Wrexham’s current attacking options

Wrexham continued their rise up the football league last season by securing promotion to League One.

The Red Dragons are expected to be one of the favourites for promotion once again this season, despite being in a league that includes teams such as Birmingham City, Bolton, Peterborough United, and Rotherham United.

But given the Welsh side’s spending power, they already have a squad that is more than capable of performing well in League One.

Phil Parkinson has brought five new players in this summer, none of whom have been attacking players, but Wrexham already have a bundle of options in that area of the pitch.

Parkinson currently has players such as Billy Waters, Elliot Lee, Jack Marriott, Sam Dalby, Ollie Palmer, Jake Bickerstaff, Steven Fletcher, and Paul Mullin to choose from.

These are players that would likely get in most League One sides, and any team would love the option to pick from.

Therefore, with Wrexham now being linked with a move for McAtee, it doesn’t make much sense given the wealth of options, but it also wouldn’t make much sense for the player to join the Welsh side, as game time may not be a guarantee.

McAtee should ignore Wrexham’s interest

McAtee looks set to leave Luton this summer because, one, he obviously isn’t fancied by manager Rob Edwards, and two, because the player wants to be playing regular football, not sitting on the bench at Luton week in and week out.

Therefore, if the striker is going to leave the club, then it is going to be for a team that allows him to play football on a consistent basis, and at this current time, Wrexham may not be able to guarantee that to the player.

The Red Dragons have a bundle of options in the final third, and while McAtee would be a very good addition for Wrexham, as he scored 12 goals in the third-tier last season, he may not be a regular starter as much as he was for Barnsley last season.

That is because Mullin is a key part of Wrexham’s attack, and that will likely continue again this season. Elliot Lee is also another player who has been instrumental for the club since joining, and that is unlikely to change this season.

Now, there could be an argument for McAtee to be a partner for Mullin, but Parkinson has always been inclined to play a more direct player with Mullin, which indicates Palmer or Fletcher could have a big role yet again next season.

McAtee’s 12 goals and four assists last season would put him in the third-highest goal+assist category for Wrexham in that campaign, just behind Lee and Mullin.

McAtee would be a good signing for Wrexham, and it is understandable why the club would be interested, given how well he did in front of goal last season, but given the number of options the club already has, it just doesn’t seem like the right move for McAtee, especially when there are other teams interested in signing him who don’t have that many attacking options to call upon.

McAtee would probably continue to score goals for this Wrexham team, but the player needs to be playing regularly, and at this stage, the guarantee of that at Wrexham cannot be given.