Phil Parkinson must land an upgrade on Wrexham left-back Jacob Mendy by signing a ‘dangerous’ free agent.
Wrexham are currently plotting their route in the transfer market to build a squad capable of winning promotion to the Championship.
With several League One-ready players at the club, including Paul Mullin, Andy Cannon, Elliot Lee and Eoghan O’Connell, Phil Parkinson just needs to build on his strong core.
Wrexham are targeting improvements in several positions with many targets emerging, namely Wigan Athletic’s Jason Kerr, Brighton’s Marc Leonard and Notts County striker Macaulay Langstaff.
Parkinson is also seeking a new left-back to rival or displace Jacob Mendy and he should land target Tom Pearce for that position.
Wrexham want to sign Tom Pearce
It was reported earlier this month that Wrexham were in for a Wigan trio and one of those players linked with a move was Pearce.
The 26-year-old was released from the Latics alongside strikers Josh Magennis and Stephen Humphrys, who Parkinson has also placed on his shortlist.
Pearce played 28 times in all competitions for Shaun Maloney’s side, finding the net twice and supplying four assists from left-back.
Dubbed as “dangerous” for his physical attributes down the left flank, namely his pace, the Englishman is a prolific creator of chances.
As per Transfermarkt, Pearce has produced 13 assists in 72 League One appearances, evincing his quality as a creative force.
Utilising his wand of a left foot to add an extra dimension to Wigan’s attack, the former Leeds United man could achieve similar at Wrexham and displace Mendy in the process.
Why Tom Pearce is an upgrade on Jacob Mendy
Parkinson has revealed how he’s scouring the market for free agents and players with one year left on their contracts.
Pearce ticks the first box as someone who would be a low-risk signing with potentially great rewards.
In a 3-5-2 system, Pearce’s attributes could flourish in a more advanced position and given Mendy is untested at this level, signing him would be a marker for their aims next term.
He could operate as a wing-back under Parkinson and his underlying metrics show he’d be an upgrade on the Gambian, who was previously described as “not good enough” for League One.
| 23/24 statistics | Tom Pearce | Jacob Mendy |
| Matches played | 24 | 31 |
| Assists | 4 | 5 |
| Big chances created | 7 | 3 |
| Key passes | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| Pass completion | 81% | 73% |
| Total duels won | 2.6 (62%) | 3.2 (51%) |
| All stats via Sofascore |
As delineated by the above table, Pearce has created more big chances per game, key passes and boasts a better pass completion.
He has produced one less assist than Mendy but he did play seven fewer games and was plying his trade in a league above.
In terms of experiencing third-tier football and his high creative output, there aren’t many better players than Pearce at this level and on a free transfer, Parkinson must snap him up.