Wrexham have once again broken their transfer record under Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac.
When they became owners in 2021, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac took less than a year to make a record signing, landing Ollie Palmer from AFC Wimbledon in January 2022 for £300,000.
Three years on, that fee pales in comparison to the money being spent at the Racecourse Ground this summer.
Liberato Cacace became their new record signing earlier this summer, surpassing the £2m fee paid for Sam Smith in late January.
More recently, however, Wrexham have signed Nathan Broadhead from Ipswich Town in a deal that, with add-ons, could be worth £10m.
It’s a huge increase in spending and sees the Welsh outfit beginning to finally catch up with the type of money Birmingham City have been spending on players over the last year or so.
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Nathan Broadhead vs Jay Stansfield
Birmingham and the Red Dragons have become sort of rivals over the last year due to them both competing in League One for promotion, and the relationship formed between Mac, Reynolds and Tom Brady.
Brady has hit out at Wrexham on a few occasions, most recently in the Blues’ new documentary series that aired earlier this month.
Now, after the Broadhead deal was made official, we have taken a look at how the Welsh side’s new record signing compares to Jay Stansfield.
Birmingham smashed the League One transfer record in 2024 when they landed the attacker for what Sky Sports reported was an initial £15m fee.
Stansfield cost more than Broadhead, but he is five years younger at 22. Here’s how the two compare when it comes to stats.
| Player | Total career appearances | Total career goals | Total career assists | Championship appearances, goals, assists | Premier League appearances and goals |
| Nathan Broadhead | 217 | 61 | 22 | 61, 18, 4 | 19, 2, 0 |
| Jay Stansfield | 191 | 87 | 21 | 46, 13, 2 | 4, 0, 0 |
Stansfield has more overall goals, but he has scored fewer in the Championship.
The Birmingham ace has also spent the majority of his career (130 games) playing as a centre-forward.
Broadhead, meanwhile, has played 108 matches as a left-winger and 41 as a centre-forward.
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How will Wrexham use Nathan Broadhead
Given his transfer fee, it’s expected Broadhead will be a regular starter for Phil Parkinson.
But it remains to be seen exactly how he will be used. Wrexham play two up top, and at present, Josh Windass is playing just off the main striker.
He excelled in this role against Southampton, but starting both Windass and Broadhead up front wouldn’t really fit Parkinson’s style.
The Wrexham manager prefers to have one big man up front – Ollie Palmer in the past and Kieffer Moore on the opening day.
Moore is now injured, so we could well see Broadhead given a chance alongside Windass until the former Sheffield United man is back.
But unless Parkinson changes to a 3-4-2-1 system with just one striker, it seems like Windass will have to drop slightly deeper into midfield to make room for Broadhead.