A chairman of a Championship club has ruled out a move for one of Wrexham’s transfer targets, dealing a crushing blow to Phil Parkinson.
The start of the League One campaign is less than a month away and Wrexham have been one of the busiest clubs in the division.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds knew that to adequately prepare the Reds following promotion from League Two, the Hollywood owners would have to get their business done early.
Phil Parkinson has achieved exactly that by getting five new signings through the door, including Arthur Okonkwo, Lewis Brunt, George Dobson and most recently, Callum Burton and Sebastian Revan.
Parkinson has fleshed out his squad with quality all over the pitch but his work in the transfer market is far from done as one of his targets could now be crossed off the list.
Wrexham target Ryan Longman could now stay at Hull City
At the start of July, a report listed Wrexham in the running to sign Hull City winger Ryan Longman.
The Reds joined League One rivals Birmingham City and Championship side Millwall in showing an interest.
With Longman entering the final year of his contract in East Yorkshire, it was noted that Hull could look to cash in on the 23-year-old.
Unfortunately for Wrexham, the Tigers appeared to have made a U-turn as vice chairman Tan Kesler expects the former Brighton man to play a part under new manager Tim Walter next season.
Longman was loaned out to Millwall last term under previous manager Liam Rosenior however, Kesler expects the youngster to yield a positive return on the reported £1.5 million they paid for him in January 2022.
Speaking to BBC Radio Humberside, he said: “In this case there is interest for Sean [McLoughlin], interest for Ryan [Longman]. For me, especially for Ryan, he’s coming back from a very successful season in my opinion. We’ve invested in him, and he should, and he will prove our return on our investments this season.
“And I’ve spoken with him and he’s very focused knowing the fact we expect well from him this season but it’s no secret that clubs are coming in and asking and showing interest for him as well, but for us, he should stay.”
Targeting Ryan Longman shows Wrexham’s ambition
To prise Longman away from Hull, Wrexham would have to smash their transfer record – a £300,000 deal that took Ollie Palmer from AFC Wimbledon to the Racecourse Ground in January 2022.
That just shows how ambitious they are to capture players who are far too good for League One, instead of resting on their laurels and accepting mediocrity.
Targeting a player like Longman, though, was always going to be difficult.
The ‘excellent’ Hull wideman played 35 times for Millwall in the Championship last term and impressed Gary Rowett, who waxed lyrical over his footballing intelligence and ability to play multiple positions.
A winger by trade, who transformed into a reliable wing-back in East Yorkshire, Longman would have likely dislodged Jacob Mendy from the left-back role or challenged for a place in the forward line.
Unfortunately, any deal to sign him doesn’t look like it’s going to happen and Parkinson must move on to other targets.