Wrexham have been very busy in the summer transfer window, but they still have a long way to go before they can be competitive in the Championship.
After earning a third-successive promotion to make it back to the second tier ahead of all projections, it was obvious Wrexham would need to make some drastic changes to their squad.
Phil Parkinson has been given the full backing of the Wrexham board, spending over £21m already this summer and bringing in nine new faces.
However, despite all this, Wrexham have now lost their opening two league games, and those early predictions of a relegation scrap could well have some credence once more.
Wrexham told they need to stop signing strikers
So, how do Wrexham solve this as we head into the final weeks of the transfer window?
According to Jeff Stelling in a recent appearance on TalkSPORT, one thing is obvious when it comes to Wrexham’s recruitment process: There’s too much focus on signing attacking players while the defence is being neglected.
Stelling said: “Wrexham have lost two out of two despite the fact that they had their £10m man Nathan Broadhead available at the weekend. I think Josh Windass has picked up an injury too.
“Whenever I look at the Wrexham signings it strikes me that they’re always strikers. Maybe they need a bit of work putting in at the other end of the field.”
Obviously, any football squad needs balance within its ranks to be successful, and it’s hard to deny that Wrexham’s roster is a little top-heavy.
In attack, Parkinson has Sam Smith, Nathan Broadhead, Ryan Hardie, Ollie Palmer, Jay Rodriguez, Josh Windass, and Kieffer Moore to choose from.
Scoring goals has never been an issue for the Red Dragons, but shipping them at the other end will cost them dearly this season.
- READ MORE: Liverpool talent has a personal connection to Wrexham as Phil Parkinson battles Championship rivals
Defensive depth is poor at Wrexham
When you look at Wrexham’s defensive options, there is only really Max Cleworth and new signing Conor Coady who are up to the task of playing at this level. The jury is still out on Arthur Okonkwo, but the young ‘keeper should be able to rise to the challenge, too.
The likes of Dan Scarr may be moved on, while Eoghan O’Connell and Tom O’Connor are average back-up options at best. Even Lewis Brunt, who was so dependable last season, came in for some stick at the weekend in the defeat to West Brom.
There’s talk of Jack Robinson and Chris Mepham being targeted of late. Either one would add real strength in depth and great experience to this Wrexham side.
If Parkinson wants to steer clear of the relegation dogfight, he simply must bring at least one of those players in as soon as possible.