Wrexham left Blackburn Rovers disappointed late on deadline day, completing a deal to sign defender Dominic Hyam.
Wrexham had already snapped up Conor Coady and invested in Callum Doyle over the summer, but Phil Parkinson still wanted one more new defender.
Dominic Hyam joined Wrexham late on deadline day, completing a £2.7million move from Blackburn Rovers.
The Scot adds valuable competition across Wrexham’s back three and brings bags of Championship experience with him.
Blackburn Rovers chief on Dominic Hyam transfer
Hyam is a clearance machine, and while he may start his Wrexham career on the bench, he will make an impact over the course of the season.
Blackburn have suffered a major blow with Hyam’s exit, and Wrexham’s deal appeared to take them by surprise.
Rovers boss Valerien Ismael admitted he didn’t expect Hyam’s asking price to be met, and thought Wrexham would back off.
Wrexham paid up and secured Hyam, and the defender seemingly pushed for the move to go through.
Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, Blackburn’s head of football operations Rudy Gestede opened up on Hyam’s exit.
Gestede noted that Hyam was ready to sign a new contract before changing his mind and making it clear that he would be interested in a departure.
Gestede praised Hyam for remaining professional, and admitted that the defender called him on deadline to admit he wanted to join Wrexham.
Wrexham have only just reached the Champioship but are already able to snatch proven performers from direct rivals, summing up the pulling power of the club under Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds.
“We had a discussion with Dom at the end of the season,” said Gestede.
“It was clear at first that he wanted to sign an extension. At first, Dom was saying that he wanted to stay. We gave him the conditions that he wanted, then his agent called, saying that he had talked about it and maybe it was time for him to move on, if something was coming this summer.
“So we sat down, and we said, ‘okay, if something is coming, we have to prepare ourselves’, and then, something came at the end of the transfer window. We put our price, they matched the price, Dom called me and said ‘Rudy, that’s a new challenge for me, maybe it would be good for me to go’.
“I said ‘okay, if he wants to go, and we’ve got the valuation, then let’s make the deal happen’. It was pretty clear from the beginning of pre-season. We all knew that, if something was coming, Dom was willing to discuss and to see if it was a good solution for him.
“He stayed professional, he trained hard, played every game as usual, and when the deal came, he called me and said ‘Rudy, that’s something I want to discuss, it’s somewhere I want to go, can we find an agreement?’, then we discussed it with the club, we found the right valuation for us, and then Dom left,” he added.
Dominic Hyam will face Blackburn Rovers twice in quick succession later this season
Hyam said an emotional goodbye to Blackburn last week, and he will have circled games against Rovers on his calendar.
Wrexham’s Championship fixture list means both games against Blackburn actually come in quick succession this season.
Blackburn travel to the STōK Cae Ras on 29 November, before Wrexham kick off 2026 with a trip to Ewood Park.
Hyam may expect a warm reception upon his return to Blackburn, but he will be looking to help Wrexham secure big wins in both games against his former club.