Wrexham are hoping to make Callum Doyle their tenth summer signing as they look to strike a deal with Manchester City.
Wrexham are ‘closing in’ on Doyle for a reported deal worth up to £8m as Phil Parkinson bolsters his defensive options.
Wrexham have looked vulnerable at the back in the early exchanges of the new season and the Red Dragons boss knows the importance of building solid foundations.
Doyle has been tipped to play in the Premier League after several successful loan spells in the Championship.
One of those spells was at The Stadium of Light and Sunderland expert Ethan Todd has spoken to Wrexham Insider to tell Wrexham fans exactly what they can expect from the 21-year-old defender.
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Sunderland expert Ethan Todd tells Wrexham fans what they can expect from Callum Doyle
Doyle spent the 2021-22 season on loan at Sunderland as the Black Cats tried to gain promotion from League One back into the Championship.
The defender played 44 times for the club, scoring once and producing three assists in a season where he really broke through into senior football.
Todd witnessed that season at The Stadium of Light and believes that Wrexham fans should be getting excited over their potential new recruit.
What are Callum Doyle’s strengths as a player?
Callum Doyle’s main strengths as a player is undoubtedly his ability in possession. As expected from a Manchester City academy graduate, his quality on the ball is exceptional for a defender, and as a natural left-footer, it makes progressing possession so much more fluent.
Combining that with his reading of the game, composure in defence and physical profile, he is the epitome of a modern-day centre-back.
What are Callum Doyle’s weaknesses as a player?
For Doyle, his main weakness would be that he is not the quickest off the mark pace-wise. He’s by no means a slouch or a liability, but he does not have the pure acceleration that some Championship defenders do.
However, with Wrexham not being a high-pressing orientated team, his lack of speed should not be too great of a concern.
Wrexham play a 3-5-2 formation, where would you see Doyle fitting in?
Wrexham could not have acquired a more perfect candidate for the left-sided centre-back role of Parkinson’s 3-5-2 formation.
As mentioned, his quality in possession as a left-footer will make the Dragons so much smoother on the ball, offer line splitting passes into the forward areas, and connect brilliantly with James McClean on the left-flank.
With Lewis Brunt’s struggles against the Baggies, Doyle will be a monumental upgrade in that role.
Wrexham have leaked goals at the start of the season, how do you think Doyle will help solve that problem?
Doyle will be a major benefit to Parkinson solidifying the Dragons’ leaky defence. Standing at 6’2, Doyle has the physical attributes with height and strength to win the physical battles, but his innate reading of the game is stellar for only someone 21-years-of-age.
Could you rate Doyle as a signing out of 10?
As a Sunderland fan, even with our promotion back to the Premier League, I’d have loved for our former loanee from our League One play-off victory in 2021/22 to return this summer, he is that good with an even greater ceiling.
It is no coincidence that in three of his four consecutive loan seasons away from the Etihad, Doyle has been at clubs either earning promotion (Sunderland), losing in a play-off final (Coventry City) or winning the Championship title outright (Leicester City).
Although the price tag is a significant outlay, the glossy Manchester City academy product will prove to be worth every penny – 9.5 /10.
Callum Doyle would be another statement of intent from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
Wrexham’s owners vowed to be ‘aggressive’ in the summer transfer window and having already broken their transfer record three times, they have lived up to that promise.
Doyle would become Wrexham’s second most expensive transfer of all time behind Nathan Broadhead and the Red Dragons have reportedly fought off some stiff competition.
Rangers and Sheffield United were interested in the 21-year-old, however, it appears that Parkinson has persuaded the defender that North Wales is the right move.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have shifted their focus to long-term sustainability in their transfer targets this summer and look set to compete at minimum Championship level for years to come.