We Go Again: Wrexham Returns

With preseason starting tomorrow, the Wreader returns with a digest of summer news, a tour and season preview, the latest transfer rumors, and more.

Matt Shea

Jul 10, 2026

It’s good to be back. Wrexham’s preseason begins tomorrow, so what better time to emerge from my new-parent cocoon and release the first non-weekly edition of the Wreader. And friends — I’ve packed this thing. In this edition, you’ll find:

A digest of Wrexham’s summer so far
A preview of the tour ahead
The first part of my season preview (the rest to follow next month!)
An abridged version of last year’s ‘Welcome to the Championship’ profiles
And, of course, the transfer tracker, which is loaded with all the latest rumors of Wrexham comings and goings I could find.
Let’s fly!

The Summer So Far

While the world continues to revel in what has, thus far, proven to be a thrilling World Cup, the Wrexham World certainly hasn’t stopped spinning. Let’s get you caught up on everything that’s happened so far this summer:

TST Fell Flat

Although Wrexham previously planned to participate in all three brackets in The Soccer Tournament in Cary, NC (Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed), in the end, they only fielded a mixed squad, highlighted by former Premier Leaguer Sam Hutchinson and former Dragons Steven Fletcher, Mark Howard, and Rosie Hughes. The result was Wrexham’s worst in the quirky tourny’s short history: a winless group stage that included only two goals scored.

Meh. Oh, well. Let’s move on.

International Dragons

Wrexham had two representatives at the World Cup: Liberato Cacace and Dom Hyam. Hyam never saw the pitch for Scotland, but Libby started all three group stage matches for New Zealand. Sadly, neither team advanced to the knockouts.

Elsewhere, Arthur Okonkwo got the nod for Nigeria in the Unity Cup, a friendly tournament hosted in England, and he made the most of his first call-up: two matches, two clean sheets, and Nigeria went home with their second consecutive Unity Cup title. They defeated Jamaica in the final, where Cadamarteri was subbed on for the last nineteen minutes.

We Had Mullin, Super Paul Mullin

Of course, the biggest Wrexham-related headline since the end of the season is the departure of Super Paul Mullin. It was hardly a shock. Mullin last appeared for Wrexham in last year’s EFL Trophy semi-final against Peterborough on February 26th, 2025. His final action was leading off the penalty shootout, and his attempt was saved. He spent the last year on two different loans: first to Wigan, who terminated his loan ahead of the January transfer window, and then with Bradford City, who faded him to the bench quite quickly. Although he had a year left on his contract, the time was right, and he and the club parted ways by mutual consent.

Of course, Mullin’s contribution to Wrexham’s rise cannot be overstated, and this is hardly the end any supporter would have envisioned two years ago. Welshpool departs the club after 172 appearances and 110 goals, ranking him ninth on Wrexham’s all-time list. As of this writing, he remains a free agent.

Other Departures

Mullin is not the only fan-favorite to depart the men’s squad since the end of the season: Andy Cannon’s time at Wrexham has also ended. Cannon’s is a sad story. Had it not been for his horrific injury last season, Andy might have been able to play a bigger part this year. Instead, his recovery ended with a loan to Burton Albion, where he had 17 appearances. All in all, he made 88 appearances for the Dragons, scoring 12 goals.

Another longtime stalwart, Tom O’Connor, has also left the club by mutual consent to sign for Peterborough. Similar to Mullin, there was no path back to the squad for Tom, and his betting scandal from earlier in the year would have made any reppearance bittersweet at best. He finishes his time at Wrexham with 115 appearances and 8 goals.

Of course, Issa Kaboré returned to Man City following the conclusion of his loan spell, and Wrexham also parted ways with youngsters Reuben Egan, Tom Kelly, Callum Edwards, and Max Purvis. Veteran Jay Rodriguez, who arrived at Wrexham last year with pomp and circumstance only to be a massive disappointment, has also reached the end of his Wrexham story. Jay ultimately scored just two goals across 26 appearances.

The Women’s Squad

The Wrexham Women are about to embark on an epic summer. On the 22nd, they’ll be playing in UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying rounds, facing Armenian club FC Pyunik. What’s more, they’ll be hosting the third group’s mini-tournament at the Racecourse, with the other ‘semifinal’ teams being Glentoran W.F.C. and Riga FC. The winner advances to the next round of qualification in August.

Manager Jenny Sugarman has also been busy on the transfer market, signing keeper Lucy Farrell (previously with Stoke City), winger Mikayla Cook (previously with Cardiff City), and forward Natasha Thomas (previously with Ipswich Town).

ICYMI: Spygate Was Huge

When I last published the Wreader, “Spygate” was just kicking off. Southampton analytics intern William Salt, who took “other duties as assigned” way too far, had been caught spying on Middlesborough’s semi-final preparations. Saints fans openly mocked the situation as they defeated ‘Boro to reach Wembley, which has become an incredible example of hubris. I warned their club could be facing dire consequences, and I was right.

Spygate became one of the biggest sports scandals in recent memory, ultimately culminating with Southampton boss Tonda Eckert publicly admitting (after the investigation proved it) that he had sent staff members to not only spy on ‘Boro ahead of the playoffs, but also Oxford United and Ipswich Town earlier in the season. As a result, the Saints were expelled from the final, replaced with Middlesborough, and given a four-point deduction for the upcoming season.

The fallout from Spygate continues. When announcing the schedule for the season, Wrexham’s graphic included a note to “check the training ground” two days before our first match with them. Similarly, Birmingham’s social media posts about the schedule featured the two club crests in binocular lenses. But the memes are one thing — Southampton’s own players are considering legal action against the club for costing them a chance at promotion to the Premier League through management’s actions. Likewise, their sponsors are also weighing legal options against the club. And yet, remarkably, Southampton are sticking by Tonda Eckert, retaining him for the upcoming season. It’s an astoundingly stupid decision, and I’m very excited to see the chants and taunts thrown at the Saints’ bench this season.

United Takes Off, Firefox Moves In

On Wednesday, Wrexham teased a new black-and-red away kit and announced a new front of shirt sponser: Firefox. Mozilla’s internet browser, which I’m sure someone, somewhere still uses, will replace United Airlines as our primary sponsor on a “multi-year deal.” The away kit will debut tomorrow as our pre-season tour kicks off. Speaking of which:

The Tour Ahead

Rejoice and be glad! There’s a Wrexham match tomorrow!

7/11 vs Wisła Kraków

Poland: Canal+, US/UK: Wrexham
9am EST / 2:00pm BST

The tour begins tomorrow at Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Kraków against Polish side Wisła Kraków. Winners of the Polish second tier last season, they’ll be competing in the top tier, the Ekstraklasa, in ‘26/’27. US and UK fans can view the match through Wrexham’s website. If you’re a member, it’s free. Otherwise it’s £4.99.

Earlier today, Phil announced the traveling squad, which includes seven academy players. It also has some noticeable omissions. Hyam and Cacace haven’t returned to training following the World Cup, so they were left out, as were Windass and Sheaf, but Phil stressed that “it’s nothing serious with them.” He also stated that “Broady’s not going to be involved, as we want him to have another week’s training” and mentioned that Revan is still recovering from injury and Cleworth “hadn’t joined in training yet.”

Those are interesting notes about Cleworth, Broadhead, Sheaf, and Windass. I’m trying to keep concern at bay, but their absences from training are suspicious to say the least.

The full traveling squad:
Harry Ashfield
Ryan Barnett
Lewis Brunt
Callum Burton
Bailey Cadamarteri
Tommy Clayton
Conor Coady
George Cruise
George Dobson
Callum Doyle
Dafydd Edwards
Ryan Hardie
Aaron James
Matty James
Davis Keillor-Dunn
Elliot Lee
Ryan Longman
Ollie Mctweed
Alex Moore
Kieffer Moore
Lewis O’Brien
Arthur Okonkwo
Rio Owen
Ollie Rathbone
Joe Rees
Dan Scarr
Nikolas Slosarczyk
Sam Smith
George Thomason
Zak Vyner
Danny Ward

7/18 vs Manchester United

TV: Wrexham
11am EST / 4:00pm BST

Before they head to the States, Wrexham will head to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium to face Premier League giants Manchester United. As with the previous match, the Man United game will be streaming through Wrexham’s website. I’ll be interested to see who Man United fields for this friendly. After all, this kicks off their European preseason tour, and I’d be a little surprised if none of their stars see the pitch in the first match back, at least in the second half.

7/24 vs Leeds United

TV: TBA
7:30 pm EST / 12:30am BST (7/25)

The Reds’ Premier League sampler continues in Tampa, where we’ll meet up with Leeds United. Leeds finished last year’s campaign in 14th, eight points clear of the relegation zone. Of the three clubs we’re set to face, they would be the most realistic chance we have at a win if all the first-teamers are out on the pitch.

All US tour matches will be “streamed exclusively in the UK” through Wrexham’s website. As of this writing, I’m not 100% sure if they’ll be televised in the US; however, it appears that each of the Premier League teams’ streaming services will be hosting the matches.

7/29 vs Liverpool

TV: US - TBD, UK - Streaming
7:30 pm EST / 12:30am BST (7/30)

Following Leeds Wrexham move north to Yankee Stadium to face the mighty Liverpool. They finished in fifth last season, the final Champions League slot, although they’ll be undergoing big changes this summer. Star winger Mo Salah is moving on, and they parted ways with Arne Slot at the end of the season, just one year removed from winning the title. Now, Andoni Iraola, who was previously managing Bournemouth until the offer from Liverpool came around, will take the reins. Conincidentally, Iraola finished his playing career at NYCFC, who call Yankee Stadium home (for a little while longer).

8/3 vs Sunderland

TV: US - TBD, UK - Streaming
12:00 pm EST / 5:00pm BST

The tour wraps up in Philadelphia when Wrexham play Sunderland at Subaru Park. After earning promotion through the playoffs to the Premier League in ‘24/’25, Sunderland went on to have an incredible season, tying their highest-ever Premier League finish at seventh place, qualifying for the Europa League. They shouldn’t be underestimated.

The Wreader’s Season Preview - Part One

Wrexham haven’t made any major deals yet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to dig into ahead of the new season. Let’s start with the schedule:

Opening Matches

Before league action starts, Wrexham will begin the ‘26/’27 campaign with the EFL Cup. We’ll be facing Middlesborough away on August 7th, before the season opens with a bang on August 17th. The Reds will be starting the season with the highly anticipated Welsh derby away at Cardiff City. We fell to the Bluebirds in last year’s EFL Cup, but we haven’t encountered them in a league match since 2002. After that, it’s Watford and Birmingham at home, followed by away dates with Millwall and the other Welsh derby, Swansea City.

It’s certainly not the easiest opening set of matches we could have drawn. Cardiff will be a tough way to start things off, and we had mixed results against Millwall and Watford last year. The so-called “Hollywood derby” with Birmingham will be exciting, but this fixture has proven to be a battle in every incarnation. Swansea brings with it the pride and prejudice of Welsh rivalries, but we did best them 2-0 in our final encounter this past Spring.

Key Dates

Perhaps one fixture everyone was curious about before the schedule was released was our visit to the highest-profile squad entering the Championship this season: West Ham United. Our first battle with the Hammers will be at their place (that place being the 62,500-seat London Stadium, the seventh-largest ground in the UK), on 9/11. They won’t visit the Racecourse until February 13th. As for the other two squads relegated from the Premier League, we meet up with Burnley immediately after the opening set of matches on 9/8, and will host Wolves on 11/7.

It’ll be another busy holiday period as well. Our Boxing Day match will be away at Stoke City on 12/26, and three days later we’ll host Blackburn, before welcoming Bolton Wanderers on New Year’s Day.

The Run In

Our final five matches are, in many ways, bookends to our first five. We’ve got Swansea at home on 4/10, followed by the reverse fixture with Birmingham City on 4/17, before Millwall visit the Racecourse on 4/20. Our final away match will be to Charlton Athletic on 4/24 before we cap things off with a home finale against Bristol City. As a result, my thoughts are pretty similar to our opening draw: could be better, could be worse. Swansea and Birmingham will be hard-fought contests, but Millwall is more of a toss-up. We won both matchups against Charlton last season, so unless they really revolutionize their lineup this summer, I wouldn’t sweat that one too much. After all, we last lost to them back in 1982 (we’ve only played them three times since then, but still). We scored two goals against Bristol in each of our fixtures last year: the first two were the only goals of our home match, and the other two led to a draw away. I’m thinking this will be a welcome sight when we reach the final day of the campaign. Plus, we’re finishing at home, and that’s always nice.

So What Are Wrexham’s Needs?

It’s the question on the minds of all supporters, and unfortunately, I think the top priority is an obvious, but unpleasant one: keepers. It’s unpleasant because I love Okonkwo, and I think Danny Ward has a great story. But combined, the duo conceded 65 goals last year: more than 17 other Championship clubs. It would be easy to say the defensive line had something to do with those numbers, and obviously that is true here and there…but our defense was our strongest component last season.

Which isn’t to say Okonkwo didn’t have his moments — he had plenty of showstoppers and an incredible run in November. But his blunders were memorable and often preventable, and ultimately led to Phil reverting back to Ward to wrap up the season…and the 33-year-old didn’t exactly dazzle the way he did at the start of the year. Taken altogether, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Phil sign a higher-quality keeper (and several are already on the rumor mill below) to challenge Okonkwo, a battle I’d love to see him win.

Again, I think our defenders are fairly set, at least as far as centerbacks are concerned. Doyle and Hyam are locks, and while Cleworth had some stumbles at the end of the year, that seemed to be fatigue. He and Hyam played more minutes than anyone else, after all. It should still be his spot to lose to start the season. Lewis Brunt, Vyner, Scarr, and Coady add some depth, but I think it’s likely we’ll see Coady transferred or loaned again, along with Scarr. Vyner was used in midfield most often last season, and I think he’s better suited to the defensive midfielder role. That leaves Brunt as Cleworth’s competition, so I wouldn’t be too surprised by one or two center-backs brought into the mix as reserve options.

Wingbacks are a different story. Cacace was meant to be a fixture of the lineup, but wasn’t able to stay healthy for much of the campaign. Of course, George Thomason converted admirably to fill the void, but he’s more suited to the midfield. Still, if Cacace can remain healthy, he could have an enormous impact on the left side, with Thomason, Longman, and possibly Seb Revan in reserve (if Revan is healthy and isn’t loaned out again). Libby looked good during the Kiwis World Cup matches, so I’m hopeful he’s turned the corner.

The real issue is on the right. Issa Kaboré was incredible this past season, and I can only assume that Phil will be prioritizing a permanent signing of the Burkina Faso international. Longman is stronger on the right, so he and Barnett are the natural backups, but Kaboré or no Kaboré, I think we’ll see a right wingback as Phil’s major signing this summer.

I’m not too concerned about midfield, however. Phil has a ton of great options. Sheaf, Matty James, Thomason, and Dobson look like the first tier of the group, with O’Brien and Rathbone having forced their way back into the equation in the second half of the season. As for attack, Windass and Moore should be the fixtures, but Broadhead needs to step up his game. If he can rise to his potential, I think Wrexham possesses a potent attack. Bailey Cadamarteri shows a lot of promise and could create some competition up front, but I’d expect Ryan Hardie, Davis Keillor-Dunn, and (regrettably) Elliot Lee to depart sooner rather than later. But a forward is always the sexiest kind of transfer, and Broadhead wasn’t exactly the reliable record signing we expected him to be, so I could picture Phil hooking another big fish to provide some competition up front.

Welcome to The Championship

For the past three summers, we’ve been entering a new league. To help the casual fan, I introduced the “Get to know the [league]” section of the Wreader. This year, we don’t need to review the majority of the teams on the table, but there are always new arrivals, so I’m giving them the “get to know” treatment over the next two months.

First, the teams promoted from League One:

Lincoln City

Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England
Founded: 1884
Nickname(s): The Imps
Ownership: Ron Fowler
Last Season: Champions (31-10-5, 103 pts)
Most-Recent Season in 2nd Tier: 1960/61

The Imps return to Wrexham’s radar after we bested them in both league contests in the ‘24/’25 season (with two clean sheets, too). After winning the third-tier crown, they advance to the Championship having lost only five matches and conceded 41 goals. Their excellent keeper, George Wickens, and his 19 clean sheets are largely to thank for that, but respect must also be paid to fullback Adam Reach, who ranked fourth in overall FotMob rating in last year’s League One campaign. Defensive midfielder Conor McGrandles was also a top-ten player.

But as dominant as their 103-point run was last season, this will be the Imps’ first return to the second tier since 1961. How much of their top talent can they retain, and how much can their estimated €9.4M budget bring in? My guess is they won’t be able to fare quite as well as Wrexham, Birmingham, and Charlton did last year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them fighting relegation come next Spring.

Cardiff City

Location: Cardiff, Wales
Founded: 1899
Nickname(s): The Bluebirds
Ownership: Mehmet Dalman
Last Season: Runners-up (27-10-9, 91pts)
Most-Recent Season in 2nd Tier: 2024/25

It’s fair to say our Welsh rivals fell into the ‘temporarily embarrassed’ category last season, dropping out of the top two tiers of the pyramid for the first time in 21 years. While they finished second, they still blew away the rest of the league by 14 points. They also scored the most goals, 90 of them, beating Lincoln by one. As a squad, they ranked first in FotMob rating, while right back Perry Ng was ranked the second-best player in the league, with midfielders Rubin Colwill and Ryan Wintle joining him in the top ten…and left back Joel Bagan and winger Ollie Tanner were not far behind.

It’s somewhat of a shock that Cardiff didn’t manage to take the top spot last season, and while Wintle has left the club, loanee keeper Nathan Trott and his 16 clean sheets were signed to a permanent deal. I don’t think it’s out of the realm for Cardiff to struggle, but I think it’s more likely that we’ll see them return to the mid-table positions they occupied for the five seasons before their relegation.

Bolton Wanderers

Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Founded: 1874
Nickname(s): The Wanderers, The Trotters, The Whites
Ownership: - Football Ventures (Whites) Ltd (Majority)
- British Business Bank (Minority)
Last Season: 5th, playoff winners (19-18-9, 75pts)
Most-Recent Season in 2nd Tier: 2018/19

Since 2012, Bolton Wanderers have made a steady decline from the Premier League all the way down to a brief one-season stint in League Two. As a top-flight team for the better part of the previous two decades, they’re very much on the comeback trail and will be determined to prove it. But with 19 wins and 75 points, they come to the Championship via the playoffs after finishing in fifth, so the question is: can they?

Well, for starters, their final placement is somewhat deceiving. It was their 18 draws that dropped them there, having scored 12 more goals than fourth-place Bradford, and one less than third-place Stockport County. Their team FotMob rating ties them for third on the season, while their lineup featured three top-twenty players: centerbacks Chris Forino-Joseph and George Johnston, and winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, who was on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion. This season, they will be without their top scorer, Mason Burstow, who was a loanee from Hull City, but the runner-up for their top scorer was our old pal Sam Dalby, who scored 11 goals and 5 assists, and he’ll remain as a strong option up front as their #10.

Bolton have already been busy this summer. They’ve signed veteran centerbacks Ben Davis (who we dealt with at Oxford United last season and Birmingham the year before, both loans from Rangers) and Akin Famewo from Hull City, loaned winger Kyliane Dong from Augsburg in the Bundesliga, midfielder David Watson from the Scottish Premiership’s Kilmarnock FC, and Liverpool U21 right back Luca Stephenson.

And I’m sure they’re far from finished. I think Bolton will push their transfer budget to the limit this summer, and should pose a decent threat as they re-enter the Championship. I’m predicting a mid-table finish for the Trotters.

The transfer tracker is back! Throughout the summer, I’ll keep a rolling summary of Wrexham’s comings and goings at the end of each newsletter.

Arrivals

None

Departures

Mo Faal »»» loaned to Port Vale for ‘26/’27 season
Paul Mullin »»» Left club by mutual consent
Thomas O’Connor »»» Left club by mutual consent
Andy Cannon »»» Left club by mutual consent
Issa Kaboré »»» Returned to Manchester City following the end of his loan
Reuben Egan »»» Released
Tom Kelly »»» Released
Callum Edwards »»» Released
Max Purvis »»» Released
Jay Rodriguez »»» Released

Confirmed Offers