Wrexham will once again need to be intelligent in the transfer market this summer.
Phil Parkinson’s brilliant recruitment last summer ensured that Wrexham gained promotion from League One with a game to spare in an extraordinary achievement.
Wrexham fans hailed ‘bargain’ Ollie Rathbone for his performances this season, having cost just £500k from Rotherham United.
Parkinson has a strict recruitment policy and will not allow any signings to disrupt the harmony of his Wrexham squad. One Wrexham star has opened up on why clubs didn’t want to sign him before Parkinson made his move.
READ MORE: Rob McElhenney shares the exact moment he knew Wrexham would be promoted to the Championship
Matty James reveals struggles before Wrexham move
Speaking to the Leader, midfielder Matty James has opened up on his struggles to find a club before moving to the Racecourse Ground on a free transfer.
The 33-year-old was released from Bristol City last summer before eventually signing for the Red Dragons in October, a couple of months after the transfer window closed.
A player of James’s calibre would have expected to find a new club sooner but Parkinson’s ‘elite’ star has revealed why clubs were not willing to take the gamble on him.
James stated: “It’s been a strange season personally because I didn’t have a club at the start, I was disappointed with Bristol City, probably for the amount of games I played and how I played.
“I gave everything for the football club and it wasn’t rewarded but that’s football, that’s the way it is. I am a big boy and I can deal with it but I wasn’t quite expecting the summer that I had.
“I thought there would have been more for me to make a decision on but the kind of models with these new sporting directors and the way that they want to run clubs is sometimes not with players of age or experience.
“They want their models to be a little bit younger but we’ve proved it here at Wrexham, getting promotion with an average age of a squad that’s probably not considered to be that young really.”
Matty James thankful to Wrexham
James proved more than just a worthwhile signing as his experience and leadership in front of the back four was a huge factor in Wrexham’s promotion.
The veteran midfielder is a Premier League winner from his time at Leicester City but is thankful to Wrexham for giving him the opportunity to show that he can still add value to a football club.
James explained: “For me to be given the opportunity by Wrexham, I’m absolutely over the moon with and so thankful. Hopefully I’ve repaid that on the pitch and I’m looking forward to the future now.
| Matty James’s Wrexham record this season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| James | 33 | 2 | 3 |
“It’s been an amazing season but I wasn’t expecting it. There were times where I was low because I didn’t have a club, I was travelling up and down to Leicester and they were amazing allowing me to train.
“But I’ve come here and played 30-odd games, and got promoted back to the Championship, and I’m very thankful to the club, players, staff and fans. Long may it continue.”
In a summer of change, James is expected to remain as part of Parkinson’s plans for next season as his knowledge of the Championship will become invaluable to the cause.