Luke Young has reflected on his time at Wrexham, recalling the ‘surreal’ moment when a ‘top-class’ player signed for the club.
Wrexham signed Luke Young in the summer of 2018 from Torquay United.
At this point, the Reds had ambitions of winning promotion to League Two but weren’t matched in the transfer market.
Fast forward to when Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds tookover in February 2021 things drastically changed, with Wrexham holding a position of power in the window.
The Hollywood owners showed that instantly by signing Paul Mullin from League One side Cambridge United while in the summer of 2022, Phil Parkinson was able to attract Elliot Lee to the club.
It was a signing that Wrexham made in 2023 however, that Young described as a ‘surreal’ moment.
Luke Young recalls ‘surreal’ feeling when Ben Foster signed
Former Manchester United and England goalkeeper Ben Foster came out of retirement in March 2023 to sign for Wrexham.
Parkinson needed to act quickly in the market as starting goalkeeper Rob Lainton suffered an injury, with Foster filling that void.
The veteran goalkeeper only played eight times in the National League, playing a crucial role in the Reds wrapping up the title as he made that penalty save in the thrilling 3-2 victory over rivals Notts County.
For a player who once played in the Champions League for Man United, the “top class” keeper dropping down to the fifth tier of English football was a shock, with Young recalling the ‘surreal’ feeling when he found out.
“Again, a crazy moment,” Young told the Rob Ryan Red podcast. “You hear talk about him signing and you’re like ‘nah, not going to happen’.
“And then nothing gets announced that he has signed but you walk into the club and into the canteen to have breakfast and there he is, sat eating breakfast. Ahhh right, yeah, we’ve just signed Ben Foster. It was a surreal moment and again, it has shown the calibre of players the club can attract.”
Wrexham’s transfer priorities
Wrexham’s main priority in the transfer market is in the goalkeeper department.
Young is confident that the club can tie up a deal for Arthur Okonkwo, although links to Marko Marosi suggest they aren’t putting all their eggs in one basket.
Aside from signing a new No.1, Parkinson is crying out for cover at centre-back following the departures of Jordan Tunnicliffe, Ben Tozer and Aaron Hayden.
The Reds have already seen their advances for Wigan’s Jason Kerr get rejected, with the 27-year-old signing a new contract.
Jacob Mendy also requires some competition at left wing-back to allow James McClean to play in midfield permanently, and they should look at out-of-contract Derby player Louie Sibley.
A new midfielder to rival Andy Cannon and Lee is desired, with Wrexham currently in the running for Brighton’s Marc Leonard alongside Birmingham City and Oxford United.
That leaves a strike partner for Mullin, as while they’ve currently got seven on the books, there are question marks over their proficiency in the third tier.