Wrexham always pose a threat from crosses and set pieces, with Phil Parkinson now eyeing up a potentially perfect signing for that approach.
Wrexham are gearing up for life in the Championship and will surely burst into life in the transfer market very soon.
Phil Parkinson has yet to bring in a new face after clinching a third straight promotion, but the transfer window hasn’t really kicked off yet.
Big decisions are still being made at the STōK Cae Ras; Steven Fletcher is leaving Wrexham with his contract coming to an end.
Wrexham are prepared to be ruthless in the quest for Championship success, but Fletcher’s exit does not mean Parkinson will move on from signing veteran players.
Tom Cairney has been linked with Wrexham and another experienced, out-of-contract Premier League ace has been mentioned.
- READ MORE: Wrexham now favourites to sign ‘fast and powerful’ attacker in six-figure deal this summer
Aaron Cresswell fits right into Wrexham’s approach
Reports suggest Wrexham want to sign Aaron Cresswell after West Ham United decided not to hand him a new contract.
The 35-year-old will be looking for a new club this summer and Wrexham appear to be keen on the former Tranmere Rovers man.
Parkinson will really value Cresswell’s experience, but also his quality in terms of getting the ball into the box.
Wrexham are so dangerous from crosses and dead-ball situations, always seeking to challenge defenders in the air.
Wrexham scored 20 set-piece goals this past season, tied for sixth in League One, and recorded the third-highest total of accurate long balls in League One.
Parkinson’s side also sat top of League One for accurate crosses with 266, with Cresswell potentially viewed as a player who can make that strength even stronger.
Cresswell has racked up 30 assists in the Premier League having provided consistent quality into the box with his left foot.
David Moyes hailed Cresswell as a ‘really good deliverer of the ball’, as quoted by TEAMtalk, and he racked up eight assists – more than any other defender – in the 2020-21 season.
Cresswell is four years older now, but whilst he may have declined in some areas, we would still back him to deliver pinpoint quality into the box from dead balls and open play.
“I’ve always fancied myself from a dead-ball situation,” Cresswell told West Ham’s official website in 2019.
“Even back at Tranmere, 12 or so years ago, and then Ipswich, I scored a few, and I’ve scored a couple for West Ham. I have practised the skill since a young age and I always fancy myself to hit the target,” he added, with that ability surely still in his locker.
Where Aaron Cresswell would fit in for Wrexham
Cresswell is best known as a left-back, but Wrexham play with a back three rather than a back four.
That presents two options; deploying Cresswell as a left wing-back or as a left-sided centre-back.
We just can’t see Cresswell playing in a left-wing back role at this stage in his career, especially with Parkinson calling for more pace and power at Wrexham.
Cresswell is surely a better fit as a left-sided centre-back in a back three now, a role he has played in the Premier League this season.
Lewis Brunt featured in the left-sided role in League One, but he is a natural right-footer.
Cresswell may be seen as a natural option on the left side of Parkinson’s back three, but he would still have some level of freedom to get forward and deliver the ball into the box.