Managing Wrexham as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Attack Arsenal and smash transfer record

May 1, 2024 admin Wrexham fc 0

Wrexham are back in League One after winning back-to-back promotions – but the squad will need some fine-tuning if they are to go up into the Championship at the first time of asking

The sequel is never as good as the original, right? Wrong.

Wrexham have trumped last year’s National League title triumph by going back-to-back and will be playing in League One next season after blitzing their way to a second consecutive promotion.

Such is the momentum that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s tinseltown-fuelled juggernaut currently have, the Red Dragons are already heavily fancied to be in the mix for a third (yes, third!) consecutive promotion. And given the resources at their disposal due to Messrs Reynolds and McElhenney, they are probably fancied for a reason.

But as good as Wrexham have been over the past two seasons, a bit of fine-tuning is never a bad idea. Having gone from non-league to the third-tier in such a short period, the squad will need a freshen up if the dream of another promotion is to become reality.

Luckily – or unluckily – for Reynolds and McElhenney, Mirror Football have handed me the imaginary Wrexham credit card to get them in the best possible shape to smash League One. So without further ado, let’s play Managing Wrexham: The League One edition

Saying goodbye

Phil Parkinson has already alluded to the fact that difficult decisions lie ahead in terms of outgoings and that’s going to be no different in our little make-believe world. A number of players are out of contract and we won’t be keeping the majority. A revamp of the goalkeeping unit is on the cards so we’ll bid farewell to both Mark Howard and Rob Lainton .

In defence, Callum McFadzean,Aaron Hayden and Jordan Tunnicliffe have all struggled for regular game time (injuries have affected the former two) so freeing them up feels like the right move. Further forward, there are arguably the toughest decisions. Club stalwart and captain Luke Young, one of the last bastions of the pre-tinseltown era, leaves with our very best wishes. Steven Fletcher has done a sterling job after signing a short-term deal in January, but Wrexham were picking from a restricted pool of options back then. Now we’re shopping in open waters, baby.

In terms of contracted players, there are several who already struggled for minutes in the fourth-tier; that isn’t likely to change after promotion. The likes of Sam Dalby , Billy Walters and Anthony Forde can go for the right price. Fresh loans for the likes of Jake Bickerstaff and Owen Cushion are also on the to-do list.

Like last year, we’re not expecting to lose anybody against our wishes. The allure of Wrexham’s project has only grown stronger over the past 12 months, so it’s hard to see any of our crown jewels being prised away by clubs higher up the pyramid.

Our first port of call, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, is Arsenal. Or their retained list to be precise. Arthur Okonkwo has been a revelation between the sticks after signing on loan and we want him. For good. For keeps. He’ll be our No.1 goalkeeper with January recruit Luke McNicholas ready to jump in as and when required.

There are gaps to fill in central defence with Hayden and Tunnicliffe gone. Sean Raggett boasts extensive experience at League One level and his contract is up at Portsmouth, who will grace the Championship next year. He’s played over 40 league matches in three of his five years at Pompey so is durable as well. On a free, he’s a no-brainer.

Elsewhere in defence, acquiring a quality operator who can compete with Jacob Mendy for the left wing-back spot would be a shrewd move. Luke Garbutt at Salford has experience, ability and he should know his way around a camera crew (for documentary purposes) from his time with the Class of 92. With a year left on his deal, a move shouldn’t break the bank, which is good, because we’ve got more work to do.

Moving on elsewhere…should we sign an attacking midfielder? Let’s sign an attacking midfielder. Bradley Dack hasn’t enjoyed the best of times at Sunderland due to injury issues and the opportunity to start afresh and join the Wrexham project could appeal. If we can keep him fit, a player of his quality is practically a cheat code in League One.

If there’s one thing Wrexham aren’t short on, its goal. But you can never have too many goalscorers, right? We’re gonna assume Gareth Bale isn’t planning to bin the golf clubs and dust off his boots anytime soon, so lets splash a bit more cash.

Macauley Langstaff has already been endorsed by Reynolds and McElhenney in the past and has reportedly even been an actual target, too. What better way to complete our squad than by smashing the club’s current £300,000 transfer record to bring Langstaff up into League One.

 

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