3 weeks ago
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€27.33m spent already
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From Hollywood headlines to Championship reality, Wrexham’s rise through the English football pyramid has been relentless. Backed by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the Welsh club have transformed from a non-league story into one of the most talked-about projects in world football, and now find themselves in the second tier for the first time since 2005. Their rise has come with it's fair amount of criticism from fans of other EFL clubs. Many are unhappy at what they feel is Wrexham buying their way up the leagues, and disappointed at the extra coverage the Red Dragons get due to their Hollywood stardust.
But the fairytale hasn’t come cheap for the Welsh side. Wrexham are actually currently the Championship’s highest spenders this summer, investing heavily to ensure their momentum doesn’t stall against tougher opposition. On the field itself they are winless and in 19th place after the first three games. They will want to avoid heading back to League One and will be hoping their spending can ensure that. As well as being their division's top spenders, Wrexham actually currently rank 28th in the entire world for the highest net spends this summer. New arrivals have added experience, depth, and quality to Phil Parkinson’s squad, signalling that the club’s ambitions may go beyond just survival.
The numbers behind Wrexham's spending
In recent seasons, it's quite unusual for the Championship's highest spending club not to be a team who have just been relegated from the Premier League. It's practically unheard of for it to be a club who have just been promoted from League One. But that's where Wrexham stand at this moment in time, having splashed out €27.3m this summer. It makes for interesting reading when we compare that to the spending of the three clubs relegated from the Premier League last term. Currently, Ipswich have spent €26.6m, Southampton have spent €11.5m, whilst Leicester have not spent a single penny on transfer fees.
It's not just in the Championship that Wrexham's spend stands out. As can be identified on the link above, when we look at all club's net spends across the world this summer, Wrexham actually rank as high as 28th. They haven't sold a single player for a fee this summer, meaning that their net spend currently stands at the same figure as their actual spend (€27.3m). That is higher than the likes of Chelsea (€23.2m), Atalanta (€17.8m) and Porto (€12.8m). Wrexham have not been afraid to flex their financial muscle, but will their transfer strategy pay off?
Championship experience - Wrexham's summer investments analysed
The club smashed their record signing to bring in winger Nathan Broadhead from Ipswich for €8.7m. The signing of the 27-year-old Welsh international is seen as some accomplishment, with the player having featured in the Premier League 18 times for the Tractor Boys last season. He made his Wrexham debut in their 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday and lined up as part of a front two for Parkinson's side. Broadhead is also a player with experience of the division, having amassed 63 Championship games across his career. Another exciting coup for the Red Dragons comes with the acquisition of young centre-back Callum Doyle from Manchester City for what looks a bargain fee of €5.7m. He has been on loan in the English second-flight for the past two seasons with Leicester and Norwich.
As illustrated in the graphic above, Wrexham could realistically line up with as many as eight new signings in their starting XI this season. Kieffer Moore is a another player synonymous with the Championship - he has been brought in from Sheffield United for €2.3m and already found the back of the net twice. Josh Windass is another new signing with Championship pedigree - he slotted the club's first goal of the season from the spot in the opener against Southampton. The experienced Danny Ward has been brought in in between the sticks, as well as centre-half Conor Coady in defence.
Midfielder Lewis O'Brien has also been brought in on a permanent deal, whilst Wrexham have also dipped their toes in the Italian market bringing in left-back Liberato Cacace from Empoli. The vast majority of Wrexham's signings have been for older players with experience of the division, and this has been a key theme in the club's recruitment as they have progressed up the leagues. They might have a sprinkle of stardust and gain more coverage than other EFL teams. They may have more financial backing than many. But this progress can't be made without a structured and well thought out recruitment process, and Wrexham's ability to not get too ahead of themselves and focus on bringing in player's with experience of the divisions they are in has proved crucial.
