Wrexham will need to be astute in the transfer window this summer.
Despite Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s lofty ambitions of reaching the Premier League, manager Phil Parkinson is under no illusion as to how tough the Championship challenge will be.
Wrexham’s owners have vowed to be ‘aggressive’ in the transfer market however, it may not be the big-spending summer that everyone expects with Shaun Harvey hinting free agent signings will be the route.
Parkinson wants Premier League experience and although the club are interested in a number of top-flight players, they need to build and learn upon their experience with Arthur Okonkwo.
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Wrexham need to utilise the loan market
Okonkwo is currently the only loan player to have featured for Parkinson during the Reynolds and McElhenney era.
The goalkeeper was initially signed on loan from Arsenal back in 2023 before eventually making a permanent move last summer – Okonkwo turned down bigger clubs to sign for Wrexham.
However, upon making the step up to the second tier, Wrexham need to change their transfer strategy and start scouring the loan market for some top young talents.
Despite a reported £25m budget, the Red Dragons could miss out on players that would elevate their chances of progression next season given that Premier League clubs often look to loan out their best young players to the Championship.
The top 6 Championship clubs last season used the loan system
Wrexham need to learn quickly from clubs that have had success in the Championship and the top six this season all made use of the loan market.
Coventry City were the only club that failed to make use of the loan market and some key players in the clubs’ respective promotion pushes.
| Team | Number of players signed on loan | Notable players |
| Leeds | 2 | Joe Rothwell, Manor Solomon |
| Burnley | 4 | Jeremy Sarmiento, Jaidon Anthony, Bashir Humphreys |
| Sheffield United | 7 | Ben Brererton Diaz, Harry Souttar, Hamza Choudhury, Rob Holding |
| Sunderland | 4 | Enzo Le Fee, Chris Mepham |
| Coventry | 0 | n/a |
| Bristol City | 2 | George Earthy, Yu Hirakawa |
Parkinson will continue to add experience and the right players to his squad but there are also a host of young players that could join Wrexham on loan.
This strategy needs to be explored by the club or risk falling behind their rivals next season.