Elliot Lee has become a midfield linchpin since signing for Wrexham, with his playmaking efforts proving to be crucial in the Red Dragons’ promotion-winning campaign last season.
The 28-year-old is expected to be a vital part of the squad once again as Wrexham look to emulate their National League success as Elliot Lee not only has experience of getting promoted from League Two but he also has appearances in the Premier League and European football on his impressive CV.
Finding his feet
Elliot Lee, who was born in Durham in the North East of England, belongs to a family of footballers as he is the son of former Newcastle, Charlton and West Ham midfielder, Rob Lee, and also has an older brother, Olly Lee, who most recently played for Gillingham before retiring in 2023.
Lee began his footballing career in the youth setup of West Ham United and would go on to make his first-team debut under Sam Allardyce in January 2013 in an FA Cup third-round replay against Manchester United.
The young attacking midfielder spent much of his time with the Hammers out on loan, having spells with Colchester, Southend, Luton and Blackpool.
However, before he eventually departed the London Stadium, Lee did earn himself two Premier League appearances for West Ham and even featured in the Irons’ brief Europa League campaign in the 2015/16 season.
West Ham earned their spot in the qualifying rounds via UEFA’s fair play rule but they fell out of the competition in only the third qualifying round but not before Elliot Lee made four appearances against continental opposition and even scored his one and only West Ham goal which came against Andorran outfit, Lusitanos.
Life at Luton
After leaving West Ham in 2016, Elliot Lee joined Championship club Barnsley but he would fail to make an impact with the Tykes, making just six appearances before leaving by mutual consent after just one season.
This paved the way for Lee’s move to Luton in 2017, where he’d previously spent time on a loan spell, during which he chose to wear his now-iconic number 38. Lee first picked the shirt number as a tribute to his former West Ham youth teammate, Dylan Tombides, who passed away from cancer at the age of 20 and also wore the number 38, which West Ham retired in his memory.
Elliot Lee’s permanent spell with Luton proved to be an immensely successful one as he was part of a team that won back-to-back promotions to take the Hatters from League Two up into the Championship.
Lee would go on to make 113 appearances for Luton, scoring on 27 occasions before he eventually fell out of favour as the club attempted to push up the Championship table.
This ultimately saw the midfielder loaned out to League One sides Oxford and Charlton before he finally departed Kenilworth Road in 2022.
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Elliot Lee becomes Wrexham’s midfield maestro
Elliot Lee joined Wrexham on a three-year deal in July 2022 and has since become a vital player in Phil Parkinson’s promotion-winning side.
Lee was almost ever-present for Wrexham last season, appearing in a total of 51 matches in all competitions and scoring on 15 occasions.
Several of Lee’s goals were spectacular to say the least, with particular highlights including goals against Farnborough and Coventry in Wrexham’s impressive FA Cup run as well as a 25-year screamer against Dorking, a well-worked team goal against Chesterfield, and some cultured finishes against Eastleigh both home and away.
With several promotions already under his belt, Elliot Lee will undoubtedly play a key role once again as Wrexham look to maintain the momentum they built up last season and challenge at the top end of League Two, with some even predicting that the Red Dragons are favourites to go up already.
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