Darragh MacAnthony, co-owner and chairman of Peterborough United, said that Wrexham ‘went quiet’ regarding a prospective trade for Jonson Clarke-Harris.
In the closing hours of the summer transfer season, Wrexham was looking to add another striker, but they finally came up empty. It has also been revealed that they had another deal for Luke Armstrong of Harrogate Town that was firmly on their radar but was not completed in time.
Given that Jonson Clarke-Harris is currently in the final year of his contract, Peterborough United was ready to transfer their talisman in the summer if the price was right.
Similar to Wrexham’s acquisition of Armstrong, Bristol Rovers appeared to have a deal for Clarke-Harris finalized but were too late; as a result, the striker is still playing for London Road.
MacAnthony, the co-owner and chairman of Posh, has now disclosed that Wrexham had also expressed interest in Clarke-Harris. According to him, the deal had seemingly been approved before the League Two team “went quiet” while he was speaking on his podcast “The Hard Truth” (source: Peterborough Telegraph). He stated:
“And Rovers were the only party to submit a reasonable offer.
“Wrexham got in touch with me and indicated they would submit an offer, which was intriguing. For the player, it could have appeared like an odd decision, but I could see the rationale because if they got him, it would definitely mean back-to-back promotions for them.
“It seems that Hollywood had approved the move, but after that, they just stopped talking. They never contacted me again, which surprised me, especially considering
The 29-year-old Clarke-Harris was also of interest to Charlton Athletic, but eventually only Bristol Rovers made an offer for his services.
In January, keep an eye on this
The January transfer window will be Posh’s final opportunity to get a fee for Clarke-Harris before losing him for nothing when his contract expires next summer. It seems quite likely that he will transfer, and everyone involved is hoping that a deal can be reached early on to prevent a late collapse once more.
The admirers of Clarke-Harris might be hoping to acquire him for less money than he would have cost in the summer, but only time will tell who will make a move for the striker.
Given his performance in League One, he would have been a statement signing for Wrexham, but with third-tier clubs like Bristol Rovers and Charlton Athletic interested, it’s possible that the player wishes to stay at a level where he knows he can still succeed.
