Wrexham are being pushed at the top for League One promotion this season. As the Hollywood dream is looking to continue, there is need for a goal-getter for the Red Dragons. So, did they use January for recruitment to help guide them over the line this season?
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00:00Rich, looking at Wrexham and the January transfer window, and obviously an interesting month
00:08for Wrexham. I mean, the thing that stands out for me as a non-Wrexham supporter is how
00:13many sort of players they're linked with from higher levels and players are actually now
00:17snubbing Championship moves for the likes of League One clubs this year, you know, it's
00:22Birmingham City, Wrexham, and it's sort of a case of those League One clubs who have
00:27invested highly, you know, those two especially. It seems like players are really understanding
00:31there's a huge project going on and there's a lot of building blocks in terms of what
00:36they're doing for the future. What would you sort of make of the January business? I know
00:40obviously they had a big summer and they might be sort of planning for a summer ahead, you
00:44know, it's obviously quite difficult when you don't know, you know, out and out what
00:48division you're going to be in if you are planning for a summer window.
00:51Yeah, it's a difficult one because you don't want to sign just for the sake of it. You
00:56don't want to buy a player now just to tide you over when realistically there's a chance
01:01Wrexham could be in the Championship next season. So if you're buying a player they
01:04have to be someone who could do a job in the Championship if it's best-case scenario or,
01:08you know, realistically they might not be in the Championship next season. So they've
01:11got to be a player who is also realistic about that as a prospect that they could be in League
01:16One for at least another campaign as well. So it's a really difficult situation to be
01:20in. In terms of attracting players, I think what Wrexham do have now is it isn't just
01:24false hope. It isn't just these buzzwords. There is now three years of a proven track
01:31record of development, of success, of a clear plan, of owners who aren't just going to disappear
01:37into the sunset. You know, those were the questions initially asked of Wrexham. How
01:40legit are these guys? Why are they doing it? And now everyone knows that Wrexham are the
01:45real deal in that regard. And there's still going to be questions about the long-term
01:50maybe success of the club. But certainly now I think they've answered a lot of those those
01:54questions. In terms of January, Phil Parkinson made it clear he wanted firepower in attack
02:00really. And that's what that's what happened by the end of it. Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez
02:05both signing absolutely brilliant signings for what Wrexham need right now. They need
02:10more firepower in attack. Sam Smith, fourth highest goal scorer in League One from Reading.
02:15And there's an argument to say he's a bit more experienced to a degree of Stephen Fletcher.
02:20I think Stephen Fletcher has had higher highs, but Jay Rodriguez has probably had a longer
02:24career at Premier League level and particularly with Burnley. So I think they're two real
02:29good acquisitions again, and two signings that prove Phil Parkinson still wants those
02:37good characters around the team. He always says, you know, that he doesn't want to sign
02:41a bad personality, even if they're an exceptional football player, because that undermines the
02:45work they're doing. So I think it's another step in the right direction for Wrexham. Maybe
02:50are still lacking a little bit compared with the other promotion contenders, but they've
02:55certainly improved their squad in January. And that's all the fans wanted to happen.