A player Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds were linked with during the January transfer window has just joined Wrexham’s League One rivals.
Wrexham are poised to make major improvements to their squad in this window to prepare themselves for League One.
Ryan Reynolds has already said he’ll do whatever it takes to take his side into the Championship and that will require ambition this summer, something they’ve shown regularly in Wales.
A key area that Phil Parkinson is looking to improve is at striker, as while he currently has seven options at his disposal, a maximum of four – including Paul Mullin, Jack Marriott, Ollie Palmer and Steven Fletcher will play their part in League One.
Parkinson requires a long-term replacement for Palmer and Fletcher to partner Mullin and they’ve been linked with Wigan’s Josh Magennis, Notts County’s Macaulay Langstaff and Loughall talent Benji Magee.
Investing in a new centre forward has been a long-term goal for the club, and one player they were linked with in the January window has just joined a divisional rival.
Jonson Clarke-Harris joins Wrexham’s League One rivals Rotherham United
With his contract expiring at Peterborough, Wrexham showed an interest in goal machine Jonson Clarke-Harris during the January transfer window and saw a bid rejected last summer.
The 29-year-old – who has scored 107 goals in 279 League One replacements – could have been the perfect partner for Mullin.
Unfortunately, a move never materialised and Clarke-Harris has now returned to his former club Rotherham.
A transfer for the powerful forward was confirmed on social media, with manager Steve Evans grabbing a serious coup.
Rotherham will likely challenge near the top end of League One next season and signings like Clarke-Harris only reinforce that claim.
A missed opportunity for Wrexham
Although Wrexham have a huge volume of strikers, there are questions over whether they can score goals at this level.
Mullin struggled the last time he was in League One, scoring three in 20 for Tranmere Rovers, while the likes of Mullin, Fletcher and Palmer were hardly prolific in the fourth tier.
Meanwhile, Jake Bickerstaff, Billy Waters and Sam Dalby simply aren’t good enough and will either be sold this summer or loaned out.
Therefore, it looks like a missed opportunity not to sign Clarke-Harris, as acquiring a striker with his goal record and promotion experience on a free transfer looks like a steal.
Rotherham look like they’ve got an incredible deal and have placed a marker on their ambitions.
However, it only reinforces the need for Wrexham to sign a new striker this summer, perhaps someone of Clarke-Harris’ ilk.