Wrexham confirmed back-to-back promotions at the end of the 2023/24 season and with the club preparing for life in League One, Phil Parkinson has told The Leader they won’t be paying over the odds for players.
Wrexham’s Hollywood dream continued this season when they ended their long-awaited Football League return with promotion. They’ll now be back in League One for the first time in 19 years.
The club are owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhnney, but Parkinson has reassured fans that this doesn’t mean they’ll be paying more for players than other clubs.
Speaking to The Leader, Parkinson said:
“Like I have said before, the way we have operated is that we identify the player and then a deal is put in place. We then decide whether it represents good value and if it does, then we try and get it over the line.
“If it doesn’t then obviously we move away as we have done in the past for various reasons. We haven’t got to the stage of the summer of talking about fees and things like that.
“We are just looking at the players who are out of contract and the ones who have got one year left. Obviously we have done a lot of homework in the previous weeks as well.
“The clubs we will be competing with for those players will have equal spending power so I haven’t really sensed that at the moment that people are trying to inflate the price because it is Wrexham.”
How did Wrexham perform last season?
After a poor result at the start of the season, losing 5-3 to MK Dons at the Racecourse, Parkinson’s side didn’t lose again until September 23rd.
Following a 3-2 win against Salford City, Wrexham have remained in the top seven in League Two ever since.
They spent the second half of the season battling for the automatic spots and secured their fate in the final ten games, losing just two games and finishing in the top three.
What players will Parkinson be looking to replace?
Shortly after the end of the season, Wrexham released their retained list. Amongst the players announced to be leaving the club was captain, Ben Tozer. Tozer joined the club in 2021 and has played 131 times for the club, including 29 games this season.
Tozer did spend the end of the season on the bench, but his departure suggests the club might be looking for more defensive cover this summer.
The 34-year-old was one of eight players to be released. Aaron Hayden, Rob Lainton, Callum McFadzean, Jordan Tunnicliffe, Luke Young, Owen Cushion, and Ben Davies will also be leaving the club at the end of their contracts.
