Wrexham’s pre-season preparations continued on Saturday, highlighting the need for one position to be strengthened.
The Red Dragons got their trip to Australia off to a brilliant start, beating Melbourne Victory 3-0.
However, they have since struggled somewhat in their following two matches while away.
Wrexham lost 2-1 to Sydney on Tuesday despite the latter largely fielding a squad of fringe players.
Phil Parkinson’s side were once again in action on Saturday, taking on Wellington Phoenix.
The Welsh outfit went 1-0 down after 49 minutes and were having a hard time getting back on level terms.
Pre-season results don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but their squad on the day did make it clear another signing is needed.
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Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac need to break transfer record again
Less than 24 hours before the Wellington clash, Wrexham signed Liberato Cacace on a three-year deal.
Cacace has set the Red Dragons back £4m, smashing their previous transfer record by nearly £2m (£2.02m for Sam Smith).
However, it’s clear that Wrexham will need to break that record again to add more quality depth to their midfield.
Parkinson fielded a fairly strong eleven on Saturday, but Thomas O’Connor was named alongside Elliot Lee and Matty James in midfield.
In the second half, meanwhile, Wrexham kept Lee on and introduced George Dobson and George Evans, the latter of whom didn’t really play in League One last season.
The lack of Championship-level depth in midfield was made clear now that star man Ollie Rathbone is injured.
Wrexham are in the market for a new central midfielder, but it’s going to mean Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac will have to break their transfer record again.
How much Lewis O’Brien is expected to cost Wrexham
Wrexham have been interested in signing Lewis O’Brien for some time now.
But with the Wellington tie highlighting the lack of second-tier quality in their midfield, they need to get a deal done before their opening game of 2025/26, which comes against Southampton, and is now less than three weeks away.
It’s thought that Nottingham Forest would sell O’Brien for £5m, which would, of course, be another club record deal.
It remains to be seen exactly how long Rathbone is out for, but if Wrexham start the season without him and don’t bring in another midfielder, they’ll struggle in the Championship.