Wrexham brought Nathan Broadhead back to the club this summer, some 17 years after he departed the club’s youth ranks.
Wrexham’s transfer record was shattered this summer as Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds splashed the cash.
Nathan Broadhead joined Wrexham in a deal worth around £7.5million, potentially rising to £10million with add-ons.
Ipswich Town wanted to keep Broadhead, but he made it clear that he wanted to join Wrexham – especially with an ‘incredible’ contract offer on the table.
Wrexham finished the transfer window with 13 new signings, Broadhead being the most expensive of the crop.
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Nathan Broadhead back to Wrexham looked impossible for years
This move is an emotional one, and something Wrexham fans may have never really expected to see.
Broadhead spent time in the Wrexham youth ranks as a kid, but admitted being ‘forced’ to leave the club for Everton.
Broadhead’s family sensed the chance to play in a Premier League academy and urged the forward to quit Wrexham for the Toffees.
Aged just 10, Broadhead left Wrexham and made his Everton debut in 2017, some nine years after making the switch.
Broadhead would only make two first-team appearances for Everton, but the idea of a return to Wrexham still seemed almost impossible for years.
Broadhead impressed in League One with Burton Albion and Sunderland, before showing his quality in the Championship with Wigan Athletic.
By the time Wrexham had clinched a first promotion under Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds, Broadhead had won promotion to the Championship at Ipswich Town.
Broadhead then helped fire Ipswich to the Premier League with 13 goals in the 2023-24 season, while Wrexham sealed promotion to League One.
Wrexham lost Broadhead during difficult times for the club, and few would really blame his family for believing that Everton offered a brighter future.
For most of Broadhead’s career, a return to Wrexham just didn’t seem realistic, especially in his prime years, but that has all changed with Mac and Reynolds able to cough up big money.
Broadhead himself probably didn’t even think an emotional return to Wrexham was in the pipeline for the majority of his career, but the Hollywood takeover has changed the landscape in the last four years.
The only semi-realistic idea before the takeover would have been for Broadhead to return to Wrexham towards the end of his career.
Some players have reservations over such emotional moves late in their careers, fearing that they will be well past their best and won’t do themselves justice.
Instead, Broadhead is now back at Wrexham in his prime and ready to help the club’s push towards the Premier League after a huge move.
Spending that much money on a single signing is the stuff of dreams for Wrexham fans, but seeing it spent on a former Wrexham youth talent who slipped through the net is on another level.
Broadhead is waiting for his Wrexham career to take off, but we have no doubt that he will make a huge impact this season and beyond as he finally dons the famous red shirt at senior level.
How Wrexham’s Nathan Broadhead deal would reach £10million
Mac and Reynolds funded big spending this summer, and Broadhead has been the headline capture.
The number being thrown around is £10million, but it’s really £7.5million with add-ons potentially taking the move to £10million.
Phil Parkinson told BBC Sport in August the add-ons would only be met in full if Wrexham reach the Premier League and then win the Champions League.
Those are some lofty requirements, and Parkinson is comfortable with the deal Wrexham have paid for ‘real Championship quality’.
“The fee has been out there at £10m but I think we have to get to the Premier League and win the Champions League to get to that,” said Parkinson.
“But it’s a price for a player of real Championship quality. The fee with Ipswich had been agreed for a long time; obviously, they wanted to sign a player, so we had to be patient.
“But they’ve been fair and both parties are happy with the deal,” he added.
Some may suggest that Broadhead’s return to Wrexham is no great fairytale, given the money involved.
However, this is a deal few really saw coming in years gone by, and Broadhead is now finally ready to shine in a Wrexham shirt – something he may have never really seen happening for him in his career.