Phil Parkinson should place another ‘quality’ Championship talent on his radar at Wrexham after suffering a blow to their chances of landing Ryan Longman.
A wave of optimism has engulfed Wrexham in recent times and the 2024 summer transfer window has supplemented that positivity.
On Monday, Phil Parkinson took his summer arrivals to five after landing goalkeeper Callum Burton and versatile defender Sebastian Revan.
The pair will join up with the first team for Wrexham’s pre-season tour of the United States and Canada as they prepare to face Premier League sides Bournemouth and Chelsea.
While supporters can be happy with the squad Parkinson is assembling, it hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows for the Reds as they’ve missed out on multiple targets.
Wrexham dealt blow in pursuit of Hull City wideman Ryan Longman
At the start of July, it was reported that Wrexham were keen on signing Hull City wideman Ryan Longman, presumably to play left wing-back for Parkinson.
Hull were willing to offload the 23-year-old – who sees his contract expire in 2025 – as they wanted to recoup as much of the £1.5 million paid for him in January 2022.
That gave the Welsh side hope of landing Longman ahead of League One rivals Birmingham City and Championship side Millwall.
However, those hopes have since been dashed as Hull vice chairman Tan Kesler believes the fleet-footed winger will play a part in Tim Walter’s plans in 2024/25.
With Wrexham needing an attacking wing-back to challenge Jacob Mendy and new arrival Revan, they should ditch their pursuit of Longman and instead go for another Championship talent.
The key reasons why Wrexham should sign Preston’s Robbie Brady
With Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds at the helm, Wrexham have proven they can attract players who have previously played in the Premier League, including Steven Fletcher and James McClean.
Robbie Brady – who has played 160 times in England’s top flight for Hull, Norwich City and Burnley – should be the latest talent placed on their radar.
Currently at Preston North End, where he played 32 times in the Championship last term, Brady is a talented winger/wing-back, who thrives from driving down the flank with his pace and whipping crosses into the box.
The 64-cap Republic of Ireland international has become famed for his wicked delivery from set-pieces, utilising his wand of a left foot to devastating effect.
Following the departure of captain Luke Young, who often took set-pieces for Wrexham, Parkinson could do with another option to stand over a deal ball and Brady would be a great to have.
Dubbed as ‘quality’ for his dangerous set pieces by Steve Bruce during his time at Hull, the 32-year-old could be tempted by a move to Wales as he’s entering the final year of his contract, meaning he could leave on a free transfer next summer.
Of course, attracting a talent like Brady to the Racecourse Ground could be difficult, but Wrexham’s power of persuasion should never be ruled out in negotiations as the Republic of Ireland wizard is perfect for Parkinson’s 3-5-2 system.