Wrexham had a busy summer transfer market, as they brought 13 new players into the club during this period in order to strengthen their side ahead of the Championship campaign.
It is their first season at this level for 43 years, with Phil Parkinson receiving the backing of owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac to maintain their status in the second tier following Wrexham’s £33 million investment in new signings.
It took time for the Red Dragons to find their feet at this level due to the need to integrate all the new signings with them needing to understand the system of the team; however, they appear to have done so with their current unbeaten run of four league games.
While Wrexham still have one concerning stat they need to contend with, a key reason behind this still being their defensive woes, the attack seems to be functioning perfectly, as they have scored in every game this season.
The Welsh club invested in some fine attacking talent over the summer, and for one former Premier League star, watching one player join Wrexham this summer was ‘hard to take’.
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Barry Bannan found Josh Windass’ Sheffield Wednesday departure hard
Josh Windass was one of the 13 summer signings made by Wrexham this summer, with the player opting to leave Sheffield Wednesday due to their financial issues, with the striker seeking a more stable environment.
The Red Dragons attacker left the Owls for free after winning an appeal to terminate his contract due to the ongoing financial crisis at Hillsborough, and his impact has been impressive at the Racecourse Ground so far, with his performance against Norwich City earning three points for Wrexham.
However, Barry Bannan has opened up about his decision to leave Sheffield Wednesday to join Wrexham this summer on the Wednesday Week podcast.
He said: “Josh is one of my best mates. That hurt the most, probably because we had a great relationship off the pitch, but on the pitch we had a really good telepathic relationship as well in football terms.
“I knew when he was going to run, and he knew that when I got the ball, if he ran, then he would probably get it. That hurt me, not just because he’s a mate, but I was missing someone on the pitch who made me look good, and I probably made him look better as well. That was hard to take.”
Barry Bannan on his decision to remain at Sheffield Wednesday
The former Scotland international was of interest to several Championship and League One clubs this summer, with there being shock and surprise that he opted to extend his deal at Sheffield Wednesday.
Bannan had been a target for Wrexham this summer; however, his decision to remain at Hillsborough stopped any chance of him moving to the Racecourse Ground, and he explained this decision on the podcast.
He said: “My agent told me there was a mutual agreement that if I wanted another year, just me and the chairman would have to agree to it, but it never got taken up. I nearly didn’t get re-signed, because by the time we’d agreed on a new contract, we went into the embargo, and we weren’t allowed to sign players.
“I had contact from other clubs, and it’s one that was looked at properly for the first time really in my career here. We let my daughter know, and she put the block on it straight away, so it’s thanks to Elsie [that I stayed].
“It was the closest it’s ever come because there all the other times, I’ve never gone that far into it. What Elsie says and Elsie wants, she gets.”