Callum Doyle has finally arrived at Wrexham, becoming the Dragons’ 10th signing of the summer transfer window so far.
On Thursday evening, Wrexham confirmed the signing of Callum Doyle. The young defender arrives in an £8 million deal from Premier League giants Manchester City, taking the Dragons’ summer spending total beyond the £30 million mark.
Owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac certainly aren’t afraid to spend the cash this summer, with Wrexham signing Nathan Broadhead for £10 million last week, with the Welshman becoming the club’s most expensive signing ever.
Doyle becomes the club’s second most expensive signing, but he may well be the most exciting signing of the summer at 21 years old and with good experience in the Championship, Doyle looks like a great investment for the future and he’ll no doubt become a regular starter for Phil Parkinson’s side.
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Callum Doyle set to replace Lewis Brunt at Wrexham
Capable of playing at left-back and also at centre-back, where Doyle might fit in this Wrexham XI remains to be seen. Likewise, Parkinson has signed a lot of players who wouldn’t necessarily fit into his usual 3-5-2 formation, and so across the season we might see the Dragons boss switching between formations depending on the opponent.
But an emerging report from The Athletic has revealed that Doyle is expected to slot in on the left of the back-three this season, shunting Lewis Brunt out of the XI. Richard Sutcliffe writes that Conor Coady will man the middle of the three-man defence, with Doyle ‘expected to slot in on the left-hand side’.
That would make for a back three of Doyle, Coady, and Max Cleworth, with Coady providing the experience and likely proving to be a mentor for both Cleworth and Doyle going forward.
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Wrexham signing Callum Doyle has already revealed his favourite position
Doyle will no doubt be a regular starter for Wrexham throughout the season, and probably for many years to come. It’s a big investment for Wrexham and for Doyle it’s a good move, with the former Man City man saying that he’s been looking for a move away from the club in his first interview as a Wrexham player.
But Doyle’s arrival could be a worry for Brunt. The Wrexham regular has done nothing wrong, but has simply been upgraded by Doyle, and he now faces a real battle to get back in the starting XI.
And for Doyle, playing at centre-back will come as good news to him. Speaking back in 2024, Doyle said that he prefers playing at centre-back over left-back, saying: “I’ve been playing that position, that left-back position that comes inside but also I do like playing centre-back.”
Parkinson and Doyle no doubt spoke about this before his arrival, though it may be the case that Brunt keeps his spot for the game against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon, allowing Doyle more time to get up to speed and to get to know his new teammates.
Wrexham’s game against Sheffield Wednesday kicks off at 3pm at the Racecourse on Saturday.