Wrexham placed a keen focus on recruiting Welsh talent this summer, but one player appears to have missed out.
Wrexham made 13 summer signings as Phil Parkinson attacked the transfer market after promotion from League One.
Wrexham outspent Barcelona in the transfer market and were able to bring in a number of Welsh internationals.
Danny Ward and Nathan Broadhead returned to Wrexham, while Kieffer Moore has seriously impressed up front.
- READ MORE: Official Wrexham statement confirms multiple players axed from Phil Parkinson’s Championship squad
Tom Lawrence to Wrexham surely dead in the water now
Other Welsh players were eyed but went elsewhere, with Owen Beck, Jordan James and Lewis Koumas all springing to mind.
One man who didn’t join Wrexham and hasn’t actually found a club yet is Tom Lawrence.
Reports over the summer suggested that Wrexham eyed Lawrence on a free transfer after leaving Rangers.
Lawrence was born in Wrexham, but joined the Manchester United youth ranks as a kid rather than begin his career with the Red Dragons.
Wrexham’s Championship squad announcement featured 24 registered players out of a possible 25, leaving some to wonder whether a free agent could arrive.
Lawrence’s availability will not have gone unnoticed at Wrexham, and he would provide proven Championship quality in the final third.
However, Ollie Rathbone looks set to take the final spot in Wrexham’s squad as he ramps up his return from injury.
That would effectively close the door on Lawrence and finally end any lingering suggestion of an emotional homecoming.
Deals for Broadhead and Josh Windass, two players who operate off the striker, made a deal for Lawrence look a little unlikely.
Wrexham appear to have moved on from Lawrence now, and that stance will leave the Welshman to find a new club elsewhere.
- READ MORE: Official Wrexham statement confirms multiple players axed from Phil Parkinson’s Championship squad
Surprise over Tom Lawrence’s availability
Remarkably, Lawrence remains a free agent despite attracting major interest over the summer.
Lawrence is about as proven as they come in the Championship, racking up 50 goals and 40 assists in 269 appearances in the second tier.
Coventry City have also looked at Lawrence, as have a number of Championship clubs – but there have been no takers.
Free agents now have the problem of not being ready for league action, and many clubs just don’t have the patience to bring those players along.
The longer Lawrence is out of the game, the more difficult it becomes to find another club and get back to showing his best form.
Lawrence’s return to action seemingly will not come with Wrexham, but a player of his quality should have plenty of suitors at home and abroad.