Jobe Bellingham has just made headlines by following in his brother’s footsteps, leaving Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a £32million deal. But could Wrexham sign the next Jobe Bellingham?
Sunderland and Wrexham both earned promotion this season. Wrexham were promoted from League One while Sunderland were promoted from the Championship, with both teams having enjoyed great success over the last few years.
And both look set for a busy summer transfer window. It’s reported that Wrexham have a £25million transfer budget ready to go, whilst subsequent reports have detailed how Wrexham will pay huge wages for new signings, potentially rising to £30,000-a-week.
It’s a truly exciting time for Wrexham under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Likewise for Sunderland whose transfer model has certainly become the envy of many in the last few years.
They signed Jobe Bellingham from Birmingham City for £3million in 2023, selling him in 2025 for £32million to Borussia Dortmund.
Wrexham transfer target Tommy Doyle is viewed as the next Jobe Bellingham
Sunderland and their sporting director Kristjaan Speakman have a real habit of finding young talent, signing them on the cheap, and making them into really valuable assets: Bellingham and Jack Clarke are a couple of examples who’ve been sold for huge profits.
Earlier in the year, it was reported that Speakman had identified Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as the club’s Bellingham heir. As it goes, Wrexham are now interested in signing Doyle this summer, and the Dragons might now have the upper hand with Sunderland no doubt set to aim higher than the £3million-rated Doyle following promotion to the Premier League.
Phil Parkinson’s side are eyeing up several midfielders this summer. Recent reports have claimed that Wrexham want to sign Christian Eriksen on a free transfer, after his release by Man United, along with names like Tom Lawrence, Tom Cairney, and Lewis O’Brien too.
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Wrexham need to take a leaf out of Sunderland’s transfer book
In Doyle, Wrexham could be about to sign a player identified by the Sunderland hierarchy as a player, like Bellingham, with huge potential and huge profitability for the future. And that’s something that Wrexham need to start thinking about more so, as their rise up the Football League continues.
This summer, Parkinson wants to sign experienced players at Wrexham. It’s a transfer model tried and tested at the Racecourse. But there’ll soon come a time where Wrexham need more long-term planning with regards to players; buying and selling, and that’s where the Dragons can learn a lot from Sunderland.
The list of Wrexham transfer targets for the summer so far includes a lot of older names, as expected, and very few younger ones. More of a mix could see Wrexham bring in that all-important experience, whilst planting the seeds with a few younger players who could become assets.
Signings like Arthur Okonkwo are a start, though more are needed to keep things ticking along both on and off the pitch.