James McClean has been a superb signing for Wrexham and another former Premier League man should now follow in his footsteps.
Wrexham won promotion from the National League at the end of the 2022/23 season, ending their 15-year-stint outside of the EFL.
Following their move up to League Two, the Red Dragons were eager to strengthen their squad in the 2023 summer transfer window.
One of their marquee signings of that window saw James McClean make a £250,000 move from then-Championship outfit, Wigan Athletic.
The 35-year-old made made 35 League Two appearances, in which he scored a very solid three goals and provided 10 assists en-route to promotion.
The left-wing-back now has two goals and two assists so far in the current campaign and has been named Wrexham’s new captain.
It’s not just on the pitch where the Irishman is proving key though, with Phil Parkinson praising McClean for his attitude last month.
Wrexham could follow James McClean blueprint to sign former Premier League star
McClean was Wrexham’s MOTM vs Lincoln City just a few weeks ago as well, continuing to take up a starring role despite his advanced age.
Now, the Red Dragons should look to repeat the transfer trick they pulled off with the defender and sign another former Premier League man.
After his signing, club chief Humphrey Ker expressed disbelief that McClean would want to join Wrexham
Speaking on the Welcome to Wrexham documentary, Ker said: “James McClean is an iconic figure.
“When his name was first mentioned to me, my eyebrows shot up that a player like that would be interested in coming to us.”
The Welsh outfit obviously have a lot more pulling power than Ker assumed and they should now use that to sign Jay Rodriguez from Burnley in 2025.
Like McClean, Rodriguez is an ex-Premier League star, featuring over 250 times in the competition.
But he is now 35 and playing in the Championship with Burnley – a very similar position to the one McClean was in when he joined.
Rodriguez only has six months left on his contract at Turf Moor as well, meaning he could be signed for a reduced sum in January or for free in the summer.
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What Wrexham fans need to know about Jay Rodriguez
Rodriguez began his senior playing career with Burnley all the way back in 2007.
He then left the Clarets in 2012, joining Southampton for whom he played 126 games, scored 35 goals, and provided 11 assists.
The one-time capped England international moved to West Bromwich Albion in 2017, where he averaged just over one goal every three games.
He re-joined Burnely in 2019 and played a key role in them securing the Championship title in 2022/23.
During his second spell at the club, as per the Independent, Sean Dyche dubbed the forward ‘sharp’.
And while he is coming toward the end of his playing career, the centre-forward is still proving himself as a useful rotation option in the second tier, suggesting he could thrive in League One for Wrexham.