Wrexham are now less than a month away from starting the Championship season as Phil Parkinson prepares to face Southampton.
Pre-season preparations are taking full focus for Wrexham, with a busy period ahead in Australia and New Zealand.
Wrexham’s pre-season tour gets underway on Friday morning with a clash against Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium.
Phil Parkinson’s squad have been working in Melbourne this week and will look for a strong start to the summer before facing Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.
Wrexham’s attention will then turn to the Championship season and a potentially difficult opening game.
Wrexham travel to Southampton on the opening weekend of the season, facing the relegated Saints at St Mary’s Stadium.
Southampton sign USMNT striker Damion Downs ahead of Wrexham clash
Southampton will be one of the favourites to clinch promotion from the Championship this season and will certainly look for a strong start against Wrexham.
New boss Will Still has so far kept most of his squad together and will be gearing up for a big campaign.
Southampton have now secured a new signing in attack, and it’s a name some of Wrexham’s American fans may recognise.
The Saints have announced the signing of striker Damion Downs from German side Koln, handing him a four-year contract.
The Daily Echo report that Southampton are paying £6.8million to sign Downs – a fee which comes in at more than three times Wrexham’s record.
Downs is a huge presence at 6ft 4in tall, and while he was born in Germany, the striker was born to an American father and was raised in the United States from the ages of one to nine.
Downs has five United States caps to his name and will now be in line to make his Championship debut against Wrexham in August.
Wrexham may shop for players from Australia and New Zealand over USMNT stars
Many have expected Wrexham to sign an American player to maximise commercial income and really lean into the American interest in Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
That has not happened to date, and while Southampton have landed Downs, Wrexham may look elsewhere.
Wrexham are touring Australia and New Zealand this summer, and Parkinson has told Code Sports that signing a player from either country would be ‘great’ for Wrexham.
Wrexham are now interested in Liberato Cacace, with the New Zealand international expected to leave Empoli this summer.
The focus may now be placed on signing players from Australia or New Zealand rather than the United States, which few would have predicted with McElhenney and Reynolds at the helm.