Wrexham are closing in on the signing of experienced defender Conor Coady from Leicester City.
Phil Parkinson has been keen on adding a leader at the back this summer and appears to have got his wish with the £2m acquisition of Coady.
Coady has passed a medical at Wrexham and is expected to sign a two-year contract at the club after making nearly 200 Premier League appearances during his career.
The England international is likely to play at the heart of a back three at Wrexham and Wolves expert Tom Griffin has given Wrexham Insider the lowdown on what fans can expect from their new centre half.
READ MORE: Winners and losers from a Conor Coady transfer to Wrexham, including Phil Parkinson and Max Cleworth
Wolves expert Tom Griffin provides insight into Conor Coady’s abilities
Coady will benefit Max Cleworth and Lewis Brunt by bringing an air of authority to Wrexham’s back line next season.
The former Liverpool and Wolves defender has played at the very highest level and is a wonderful student of the game – something that Parkinson will be keen for his new signing to bring into the dressing room.
Wolves expert Griffin has looked back at Coady’s spell at Molineux, where he really made his name and enjoyed perhaps the best spell of his career.
What are Conor Coady’s strengths?
Conor Coady is incredible at marshalling a defence, utilising his leadership expertise and defensive nous to get the best out of those around him. Coady isn’t just vocal, too, as he’s also excellent at playing the ball out from the back and splitting defensive lines with his passing range.
What are Conor Coady’s weaknesses?
A main weakness of Coady’s is his lack of pace, and if Wrexham ever play a high line, he could get caught out in behind.
Meanwhile, his age also points to the fact that his best years are behind him and he’s now on the decline. Coady isn’t the defender he once was at Wolves, but hopefully, he can recapture some of his best form at Wrexham.
Wrexham play a 3-5-2 formation, where would you see Coady best suited?
Coady slots perfectly into the middle of Phil Parkinson’s back three. As he isn’t blessed with pace, it suits him down to the ground, and he can also flex his passing range from a central position.
Not only that, but his presence in the defence can help Max Cleworth develop even further, knowing he’s got someone of Coady’s class and experience to learn from.
A lot has been made about Coady’s dip in form at Leicester, were there any signs of that at Wolves?
During his time at Wolves, Coady played the best football of his career, captaining the club to successive seventh-place finishes and two stints in Europe.
He almost set the record for most consecutive appearances for the club, but was denied by COVID-19 and was ever-present under Nuno Santo. Coady left Molineux in 2022 on loan to Everton after playing all 38 games in the Premier League, so there was no sign of a dip in form; he just wanted a fresh challenge.
Could you rate this signing out of ten for Wrexham?
I’d say it’s an 8/10, purely based on his experience at the top level of English football and the invaluable traits he will bring to the dressing room.
Coady can still perform to a high level in the Championship, and for Wrexham to sign him for £2 million is a great piece of business. However, he doesn’t get higher than an 8 because he’s not played much football recently, and of course, he’s on a decline given his age.
What other positions might Phil Parkinson want to strengthen his Wrexham squad?
The Red Dragons are also edging closer to the double swoop of Nathan Broadhead and Kieffer Moore as they add more firepower to their attack.
It would take the number of Wrexham signings this summer to nine and surely spell the end for the likes of Ollie Palmer and Modou Faal at the club.
With a 25-man squad needing to be named by Parkinson, there are likely to now be a host of departures from the club before any more signings may occur.
Should Wrexham want to squeeze another transfer in, another central defender is possible or a creative midfielder to help lighten the burden placed on Josh Windass.