Signings, Extensions, Academy Controversies, and an FX Spinoff
This week brought us two big contract extensions, a giant midfield boost, and an ongoing drama with the academy program.
It’s been a busy week for Phil Parkinson, with more business on the horizon.
News from the Week:
The Red Coup: George Dobson Joins Wrexham
As the week made the turn into the weekend, Wrexham pulled off a stunning signing: George Dobson, signed to a three-year contract. The 26-year-old midfielder, ranked 12th best in League One last season according to FotMob, was set to leave fellow League One club Charlton Athletic for Hungarian club Fehérvár on a pre-contract agreement in January. But Fehérvár underwent some major financial changes throughout the spring and, shortly after his contract with Charlton ran out, he met with the club in Hungary again early last week where the two parties agreed to annul their arrangement. Once news broke that Dobson was suddenly a free agent, rumors started circulating that one of George’s first phone calls came from his former manager: Phil Parkinson.
Dobson played for Parky while the two were at Sunderland before George went on to play for AFC Wimbledon and eventually captaining Charlton Athletic. Not only that, he’s also played with O’Connell, Lee, and Palmer at other clubs as well. The center and defensive midfielder already has over 200 League One appearances under his belt and finished last season as Charlton’s best player with a 7.37 FotMob rating. He also offers some versatility at the back, having come up through his various youth programs at Arsenal, West Ham, and Sunderland as a center back.
In some ways, this is a curious signing. Dobson is a clear starter…but for different reasons than Lee, Cannon, and Evans. With Evans extended, this makes me wonder if Phil will be changing his formation to include two defensive midfielders. The signing also virtually guarantees that McClean will be staying put at left wingback. As such, I could see Phil experimenting with a more traditional four-man backline, but keeping wingback instead of fullbacks. More than likely, we’ll see a lot of switching between Evans and Dobson. When comparing the two, however…it’s very difficult not to give the starting job to Dobson.
The deal also points towards an impending sale for the Reds as Dobson becomes our 23rd senior player over the age of 21. The EFL restricts squads to 22 senior players (with goalkeepers and U21s exempt), so someone - likely named Billy Waters - should be shown the door before long.
Mullin Undergoes Surgery - Will Miss US Tour (and Likely More)
Hours after I published last week’s Wreader, Wrexham announced Paul Mullin had “undergone minor spinal surgery to correct a long-term lower-back/hamstring issue.” That sure sounds like a herniated disc to me. After all - I’ve got one, and if Paul’s been playing with that for the past three years he’s way better than anyone gives him credit for. A sciatica sufferer myself, I cannot imagine playing through that sort of chronic pain - certainly not with the success Mullin has had.
But I’m speculating: the exact injury hasn’t been disclosed and, more importantly, no timeline has been given. But if I’m right and it is a disc issue, I happen to know that recovery time can vary vastly. He could be up and running before the season begins…but I think it’s more likely he’s out of commission for at least two months.
So let the guessing games begin: who starts opening day? My pick would be Palmer and Fletcher (assuming they’re at full health, of course), but with various strikers being discussed as possible transfer targets, it’s not unlikely that our starting striker isn’t on the roster yet.
Academy Upgrade Proposal Rejected…But a Facility Deal is Reached
This ongoing story may be Wrexham’s summer mini-controversy.
Wrexham’s application for Category 3 status for their academy program was rejected, keeping the club’s academy as a Category 4. The club is appealing the decision, which is thought to have been based on an issue that has been one of Wrexham’s first-team players’ chief complaints for many years: lack of adequate facilities.
The Athletic’s Wrexham reporter Richard Sutcliffe has a thorough explainer on what proper facilities would include, but Wrexham players have been quite vocal about the lack of dedicated training facilities - one of Rob and Ryan’s main goals when purchasing the club. The same is true for the academy and now the club - and many local kids - are paying the price...maybe.
A Category 3 status would allow Wrexham to form academy squads all the way down to under nine years old. As a Category 4, Wrexham can’t go younger than a U17 squad. The controversy in town is that many parents believed Wrexham indicated the change was a done deal, and in the meantime other clubs have already recruited their U9s and older, leaving many families out cold with little time before the new season begins.
The appeal decision is not expected to take long, but this story has been the subject of some controversy on Twitter and elsewhere, with many local Wrexham parents demanding this story be included in season four of the documentary, claiming they were misled by the club.
But the story received a new twist yesterday when Wrexham announced that an agreement had been reached with Darland High School to build Wrexham’s new academy facilities at the school. Discussions with the school have been happening since last fall and the new facility will include:
…five pitches of varying sizes for use by our Academy teams, from ages nine to 18. The facility will also include bespoke changing rooms, toilets, offices, analysis rooms, medical rooms, a gym, kitchen, meeting rooms and a classroom.
CEO Michael Williamson said: “The signing of Heads of Terms for the Darland High School facility is a big step forwards in our ambitions for the Wrexham AFC Academy and an important step on the road to category three.” It’s unclear if this will sway the appeal case in time for this season, but it certainly bodes well for the future of the Wrexham academy program.
Cleworth Signs Three-Year Extension
Max Cleworth, the 21-year-old center-back who went from bench player to fixture of Wrexham’s defensive line last season, has signed a three-year extension with the club. On the signing, the two-time Wrexham Young Player of the Season said:
I’m delighted and I wanted to get the contract signed as soon as possible because the Club is going in one direction, and I want to be part of the plan going forwards…I’ve developed and matured as a player, I’m mentally stronger and I’m looking forward to developing that further with the Club.
Max is a homegrown talent for Wrexham and he’s blossomed into a superb defender. Longtime readers of this newsletter know how strongly I feel about his skill and promise for the future, so this update was a huge balm after the Mullin injury news. It’s possible Max might not start every game next season with the addition of Brunt to the back line, but we should see him in most matches either in the starting XI or off the bench. The term “integral part” gets thrown around for many different players, but when it comes to Cleworth, I truly don’t think we would have been promoted without him. Not only that, but he’s a clear example of why the club needs to invest in the academy program.
O’Connor Signs Three-Year Extension
Tom O’Connor, who moved from midfield option to cornerstone of the backline last season, has also signed a three-year extension. His FotMob rating ranked him 7th best on the squad last year, right behind Cleworth and he trailed only O’Connell in Accurate Passes per 90 last year. He, too, was a key component of Wrexham’s defensive improvements throughout the season last year and he looks to be another regular name in the starting lineup next season.
Welcome to Necaxa
FX and Disney+ Latin America have ordered a docuseries following Mexican club Necaxa. You’ll remember that Rob and Ryan joined Eva Longoria and others as investors in the storied Mexican club in the spring, and all three will serve as executive producers on the show. Filming reportedly began yesterday.
Necaxa are officially linked to Wrexham as the owners of the club also own 5% of Wrexham in a reciprocal deal when Rob and Ryan came on board.
24/25 iFollow Subscriptions Now Onsale
Subscription packages for iFollow, the EFL’s streaming service, are now on sale for the upcoming season. For US supporters, iFollow is the one and only way to watch all of Wrexham’s matches over the upcoming season.
Final Summer Friendly Announced: Fleetwood Town
Wrexham have announced that the final pre-season friendly will be against League Two’s Fleetwood Town, at the Racecourse, on August 3rd. Fleetwood Town were relegated from League One at the end of the last year, so this will be the club’s first trip to Wrexham since 2011. The season begins one week later. That sets in stone Wrexham’s summer schedule, which begins this Saturday against Hanley Town. Here is the full summer friendly schedule for the men’s squad:
7/13: Hanley Town FC
7/20: AFC Bournemouth
7/24: Chelsea
7/27: Vancouver Whitecaps
8/3: Fleetwood Town FC
The Week Ahead
7/13 vs Hanley Town FC
And with that, it’s officially time to bring back the weekly previews. Granted, there isn’t much to preview with this one. Wrexham kick-off their pre-season friendlies with a trip to Hanley Town - the first meeting between the clubs. Hanley Town resides in the eighth tier of English football, so Wrexham enter as the clear favorites.
When the friendly was announced it was reported that Wrexham promised to bring the full squad to the encounter, not just field reserves and U18 players. I expect that to be mostly true, with a lot of shuffling for the second half to spread the minutes around. Personally, this seems like a great friendly to insert Harry Ashfield and Callum Edwards into, rather than the likes of Chelsea and Bournemouth, but only time will tell how Phil really views the match.
But just for fun, here’s my predicted starting XI, assuming Phil will, indeed, bring most of the regulars to the match:
GK: Okonkwo
Defense: O’Connor, O’Connell, Brunt
Wingbacks: McClean, Barnett
Midfield: Ashfield, Dobson, Cannon
Forwards: Palmer, Fletcher
Predicted Subs: Okonkwo > McNicholas, Fletcher > Edwards, Barnett > Forde, Palmer > Marriott, Brunt > Cleworth
The match is an early one for US supporters: 1:00 pm BST or 8:00 am EST on Saturday. There’s been no word on if the match will be streamed on iFollow or anywhere else.
Get to Know League One
With a new league comes new competition. Throughout the summer editions of the Wreader I’m going to provide a little profile of each club, two per week, for those subscribers new to the English Football Pyramid.
Leyton Orient FC
Location: Leyton, East London, England
Founded: 1881
Nickname(s): The Os
Ownership: Nigel Travis
Last Season: 11th in League One
Leyton Orient FC are enjoying one of the sharpest rises in their 143-year history. With just a one-season cameo in England’s top tier in the 1961-62, they plummeted to the third tier, rose back up to the second tier for the majority of the 70s and early 80s, only to drop to League Two for most of the 90s and early 2000s. From 2006-2015 they resided in League One before suffering the worst decline in their history, falling out of the EFL and into the National League in 2017. They won it in 2019 and have been steadily on the rise ever since, finishing last season - their first in League One in nine years - in eleventh.
Last season, Leyton’s top player was Idris El Mizouni, a loanee from Ipswich who has returned to the newly promoted Premier League club. Next up would be Theo Archibald, who is out of contract. Top scorer? That would be Ruel Sotiriou, who Leyton just transferred to Bristol Rovers. Their next top scorer is Shaqai Forde, who only netted nine goals and was another loanee who has left the club. They have, however, brought in two new loanees from the Championship: Sonny Perkins of Leeds and Charlie Kelman from Queens Park Rangers. They’ve also signed winger Diallang Jaiyesimi from Charlton, so while some key parts of the squad remain in flux, they seem poised to challenge for at least a playoff position this season.
Northampton Town FC
Location: Northampton, England
Founded: 1897
Nickname(s): The Cobblers, Shoe Army
Ownership: Kelvin Thomas
Last Season: 14th in League One
A mainstay of the third tier until 1960, Northampton Town shot to the first tier in 1966 but would also only last one season. Their fall was a hard one. By the end of the decade, they were in the fourth tier where they stayed (with a few brief blips into the third tier) until the early 2000s. Since then they have been back and forth between the bottom two tiers of the EFL, with their most recent return to League One being last season, where they finished 14th.
The squad was led last year by the fifth-best player in the league: Marc Leonard…perhaps you’ve heard of him? Wrexham’s biggest transfer rumor of the summer was on loan from Brighton and helped the team immensely, but it was Sam Hoskins who netted the most goals for the club(15). The club has lost a number of players so far this transfer window but have already added five players from League Two and the National League. Their mid-table finish was certainly respectable last season, and I wouldn’t rule out a similar finish next year. But without a few big signings, I could just as easily see their pendulum swinging back down to League Two.
Rumor Round-up
Millwall Wins the Macaulay Langstaff Race
Rumored transfer target and pain in Wrexham’s side for the last few years, Macaulay Langstaff, has signed for Championship side Millwall for an undisclosed fee. The prolific Notts County scorer won the Golden Boot for League Two last year and the National League the year before, so it’s no surprise he’s making a big jump up the English pyramid. The fee may be undisclosed, but I’d be shocked if the deal isn’t Notts County’s new record sale.
This week in Marc Leonard news
It appears the Marc Leonard sweepstakes may be over. Rumors began circulating widely yesterday that Leonard has agreed to terms with Birmingham City, who are expected to announce the deal soon. The reported fee paid to Brighton is said to be at least £450k.
Rumor Tracker
Reported Interest:
Jason Kerr - Signed extension with Wigan
Tom Pearce
Stephen HumphrysJosh Magennis - Joined Exeter City on a 1-year deal
Marc Leonard - is likely to join Birmingham CityMarvin Ekpiteta - Joined Hibernian FC in the Scottish Premiership on a 3-year deal
Jamie LindsayGareth Bale - Happily retiredNeil Etheridge - Joined Buriram United of Thailand
Joe Morrell - Rumors of Morrell to Wrexham seem to be increasing
Cyrus Christie
Ryan Longman
Tom Bradshaw - Millwall manager Neil Harris has indicated he intends to make sure Bradshaw stays put
Wes Harding
Contract Officially Offered to:
No confirmed offers at this time.
Squad Depth
Below is the squad as it stands. I’ll keep this depth chart updated as time and transfers go by. My depth rankings are based on the assumption Phil keeps the same 5-3-2 formation and everyone is healthy.
Changes from last week:
Dobson added, O’Connor removed from CDM depth
Arrivals
James McClean »»» Contract extended for a second year
Harry Dean »»» Signed to a professional contract from the youth squad
Steven Fletcher »»» Signed to a one-year contract
Mark Howard »»» Signed to a one-year contract
Arthur Okonkwo »»» Signed to a three-year contract
George Evans »»» Signed a two-year extension
Lewis Brunt »»» Signed to a three-year contract
George Dobson »»» Signed to a three-year contract
Max Cleworth »»» Signed a three-year extension
Tom O’Connor »»» Signed a three-year extension
Departures
Aaron Hayden »»» Released »»» signed a 2-year deal with Carlisle United
Rob Lainton »»» Released, currently a free agent
Callum McFadzean »»» Released, currently a free agent
Jordan Tunnicliffe »»» Released, currently a free agent
Owen Cushion »»» Released, currently a free agent
Dan Davies. »»» Released, signed with Flint Town United FC
Ben Tozer »»» Released »»» signed with Forest Green Rovers
Luke Young »»» Released »»» signed with Cheltenham Town FC
Max Hayes »»» Released, currently a free agent
Michael Hayman »»» Released, currently a free agent
Jack Pilkington »»» Released, currently a free agent
Jake Roberts »»» Released, currently a free agent
Dan Wright »»» Released, currently a free agent
Scott Butler »»» Released »»» signed with Marine FC