Wrexham’s most recently linked player suggests that they are willing to sign a player who will offer something different compared to their current ranks.
Wrexham are preparing for the 2025/26 Championship campaign in which they will face their biggest task yet.
Unlike previous seasons in League One and Two, where they have acclimatised to the increase in level brilliantly, the Championship will offer a brand new challenge, one that means that Wrexham must prepare extensively in the transfer window.
Progress has already been made by observing targets with vast Premier League and Championship experience. Recently, Barry Bannan has been linked to Wrexham, whilst Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have also sounded out Danny Ings as a potential option to lead the line.
The common denominator between all of Wrexham’s targets is the ability they have shown at this level, but also the age of the players…until now.
Latest Wrexham target Joe Gelhardt proves Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have learned from one mistake
The most recent name to be linked with Wrexham this summer is Joe Gelhardt from Leeds United.
Following the Whites’ promotion to the Premier League, it is expected that he will play no part, and that a loan to the Championship appears to be his most likely option.
Whilst Gelhardt has a decent slice of experience at this level, having notched a total of 69 appearances in the Championship, one thing that sets him apart from the rest of the pack is the fact that he is just 23 years old and has vast potential that Wrexham could capitalise on.
Any deal would most likely be a loan, but Leeds certainly wouldn’t be opposed to letting the forward go permanently – something that, if Wrexham were to capitalise on, it would show that Reynolds and McElhenney had learned from one thing.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney must divert from short-term recruitment for key reason
When bringing in strikers, Wrexham often look towards stop-gap players in the swan song of their career. Whilst they may still have impeccable quality at the level Wrexham play, their stays at the club are usually short.
Take Steven Fletcher for example, it cannot be fully sustainable to bring in players of his level for just a short fix, whereas bringing in younger players would show Wrexham to be prioritising more in the long term.
Gelhardt is a brilliant blend of both of what should be getting prioritised, and if such a deal materialised into a permanent one, it would be a brilliant move by the club.
Wrexham’s desire to bring in short-term recruits has got them so far, but building for the future must start now, and that is done by bringing in experienced Championship stars, but ones who can also materialise into much more. Such a high turnover cannot be brilliant for the squad – it is time for consistency.