Wrexham are going to need goals to keep them in the Championship next season, and plenty of them.
Despite Wrexham earning a third-straight promotion last season, the Dragons only found the back of the net 67 times in their 46 League One fixtures: the joint-lowest number of any team in the top nine of the league.
Wrexham’s club record-signing Sam Smith ended the season with 18 goals in the league but only seven of them were for Phil Parkinson’s side, whilst Elliot Lee, Ollie Rathbone and Steven Fletcher all netted eight league goals apiece.
So far this summer, Wrexham have been linked with a number of players and a number of strikers, too, with the likes of Callum Robinson and even Danny Ings linked with Wrexham. Another name mentioned is Ryan Hardie at Plymouth Argyle.
The 28-year-old scored 10 in 37 Championship matches for the Green Army last season. He shone for the club despite their overall disastrous season and now it looks like he could be handed a Championship lifeline by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s side.
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Wrexham handed major boost in pursuit of Ryan Hardie this summer
Wrexham are interested in signing Hardie this summer. Unsurprisingly, though, he’s been linked with other Championship clubs, with one of them being Preston North End. The Lilywhites have already signed four new players this summer and they’re now on the lookout for a new striker after Emil Riis left as a free agent.
But a recent report from Lancashire Evening Post revealed how Hardie is not a name on Paul Heckingbottom’s summer transfer list at the moment. Journalist George Hodgson writes: “North End are believed to be holding conversations with three strikers but nothing is done and dusted at this stage… Ryan Hardie of Plymouth Argyle is a name to do the rounds in recent days, but the Scot is not believed to be on Preston’s list.”
For Parkinson, it could come as a huge boost to know that Preston aren’t actually plotting a move for the Championship-proven Hardie, and now could be the perfect time to plot a move to bring Hardie to the Racecourse, bolstering the Dragons’ attacking ranks with a quality striker in the process.
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Ryan Hardie’s Championship record proves he’d be a great signing for Wrexham
In their two seasons back in the Championship, Plymouth finished in 21st and 23rd place respectively. And despite two poor seasons, Hardie managed to hit double figures for goals in both campaigns whilst playing under various managers too.
Hardie even netted 12 in his first campaign followed by 10 in the 2024/25 season. Not only that, but the Englishman recorded seven assists across the two seasons too.
| Stat (Champ) | Hardie in 23/24 | Hardie in 24/25 |
| Games | 40 | 37 |
| Goals | 12 | 10 |
| Assists | 4 | 3 |
| Mins-per-goal | 237.25 | 227.6 |
| Goal conversion | 12% | 16% |
| Big chances missed | 13 | 16 |
Playing 77 times across the two campaigns, Hardie proved many things: he’s a clinical striker who can cut it in the Championship, in a poor Championship team, and he can also hack the physical demands of the Championship too.
With just a year left on his contract, Hardie surely won’t break the bank for Wrexham either. But Parkinson needs to act now if he wants to ensure Wrexham don’t get tangled in a bidding war for Hardie this summer.