Wrexham's 24/25 Schedule Released
Analysis of our newly-revealed schedule, Okonkwo's signing, and the latest transfer rumors from the week.
Happy Fixture Release Day! The Wreader is positively packed this week, so let’s not waste any time or space!
News from the Week:
League One Fixture List Released
This morning the EFL released the fixture lists for the 2024/2025 season. Of course, all dates are subject to change as the various cup competitions kick off, but generally speaking, we now know what Wrexham’s first season in tier three since 2005 will look like.
Now then, let’s get into it:
First Five
We will start off at home against Wycombe Wanderers (which just so happen to be featured in this week’s ‘Get to Know League One’ section below), followed by an away day at Bolton Wanderers, home versus Reading, and then away at Peterborough. The fifth game of the season will be the first derby day: home against Shrewsbury Town. It’s not the easiest opening set, but it’s also far from the hardest. Wycombe could end up being a pretty even matchup, but I think it’s a relatively favorable first fixture. Bolton and Peterborough could be tough, but the odds should be in our favor against Reading and Shrewsbury. That said…anything can happen on derby day.
The Run-In
I think we drew a pretty favorable final five matches: Wigan, Bristol, Blackpool, Charlton, and Lincoln City. Not one of them made the playoffs last season, so from a pre-season perspective, this looks good to me. Blackpool and Lincoln both finished just outside the playoffs, so they will likely be the toughest of this set. That perspective will change throughout the season, obviously, but I’m glad our final set of fixtures doesn’t include names like Birmingham City, Huddersfield, or Stockport County.
Notable Dates
Speaking of our friends from League Two, we meet up with Stockport on 11/16 and 3/22. While our end-of-year battle with County will be fun to resume, one shouldn’t forget about Mansfield and Crawley Town, our other promoted pals from League Two. We’ll meet Mansfield right before Stockport on 11/9 and then again on 2/22, and face Crawley on 9/21 and 2/1. This year’s festive fixtures include the Bristol Rovers on 12/21, Blackpool on 12/26, Wigan on 12/29, and Barnsley on New Year’s Day.
That second Mansfield match will kick off what will likely be a hard stretch for the Reds in February and March: Mansfield, Bolton, Huddersfield, Rotherham, Wycombe, and Stockport. Woof: both Mansfield and Stockport, two of the three relegated Championship sides, and two top-ten teams from last season. At least it comes after the January transfer window, should we need a boost after the first half of the season.
There was never any question that this would be a tougher season than what Wrexham have been used to these last few years, but seeing it on paper certainly makes it real. All 23 opponents will be tougher, but I believe the Reds will be up to the challenge. Especially considering our new, permanent, keeper…
Arthur Okonkwo Signs 3-Year Contract
Who says you shouldn’t fall in love with a loanee?
Arthur Okonkwo, one of the key players who propelled Wrexham to their second straight promotion, has now signed a permanent contract with the club following his departure from Arsenal. In the Premier League titan’s ranks since the age of 10, Okonkwo was first loaned to Crewe Alexandra, then Sturm Gratz, and finally to Wrexham for his longest trip, making 40 appearances for the club last season. Come the end of the campaign, Okonkwo led the league in Save Percentage (78.1%), was second in Goals Prevented (9.5), and was 21st - dead last on FotMob - in Goals Conceded/90 (0.8). Not only that but for League Two keepers who played at least 25 matches…no one conceded fewer goals (30).
If you’re only watching Welcome to Wrexham, this signing might seem natural and expected considering the conclusion of the third season. But if you watched Okonkwo in action, however, you know that this signing was far from a given. Okonkwo is a Premier League academy product and could easily have netted a starting job in the Championship, if not a secondary or even starting job for one of the lower Premier League clubs. Getting him to drop to League One for potentially the next three years no doubt cost Wrexham a pretty penny. The financials haven’t been released yet, but one thing is certain: this is the new record signing for Wrexham AFC.
Okonkwo will easily retake his role as everyday keeper, bumping Mark Howard back to the bench. I would assume we’ll see Howard and McNicholas receive some Carabao Cup matches, while Liam Hall will probably have to settle for reserve matches…unless he is loaned out before the start of the season, which seems like a prudent move to me, given the Okonkwo signing.
New Pre-season Friendly: Hanley Town FC
Wrexham will now kick off their summer friendlies a little earlier. Before heading to the states for the Wrex Coast Tour, Wrexham will face Northern Premier League Division One (eighth tier) squad Hanley Town FC on Saturday, July 13th. It’s unclear if this match will be streamed or broadcast in any way, but kickoff is set for 1:00 pm BST or 8:00 am EST.
For once this puts Wrexham in the fun position of being the big name coming to town for a friendly, as opposed to when we face Chelsea and Bournemouth later in the month. Despite facing a club five promotions away from us, the Rob Ryan Red podcast reports that Wrexham have ‘assured’ Hanley Town that they’ll be bringing the full first team to the friendly. I assume that means most of the regular starting XI for the first half, with significant turnover in the second half to give as many players as possible some warm-up time before the tour.
Aaron James Returns
As was widely expected, Aaron James has signed a one-year contract with Wrexham for the upcoming season. James is primarily a right-wingback but can be used in central defense as well. He’s made five senior appearances since 2022, but was a key part of Wrexham’s U18 squad in their push for the EFL Youth Alliance North-West Division title last season. After an impressive display at TST this month, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Phil give him some proper time in the pre-season tour.
Harry Dean Signs Professional Contract
18-year-old defender Harry Dean has officially signed his first professional contract for the club. The offer was made when the released/retained list was published at the start of the summer, but now it’s official. Dean has been in the Wrexham Academy since the ripe young age of eight and has been rightly rewarded. Last season he made 19 appearances for the U18 squad, chipping in with three goals as well. With Wrexham’s current lack of depth for three central defensive positions, Dean will almost certainly see some decent minutes this season, barring more than two central defensive signings this summer.
Carabao Cup Draw Tomorrow
The draw for the first round of the Carabao Cup (EFL Cup) will be held tomorrow at 11:30 am BST, 6:30 AM EST. The draw consists of the 38 teams in the Northern UK from the Championship, League One, and League Two and Wrexham have been assigned ball #38. A full list of potential opponents can be found here.
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.
Wycombe Wanderers FC
Location: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England
Founded: 1887
Nickname(s): The Chairboys, The Blues
Ownership: Feliciana EFL Ltd, Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Group Ltd
Last Season: 10th in League One
After finishing third in League One in the 21/22 season, Wycombe Wanderers reached the second tier for the first time in their 137-year history. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. The Wanderers finished 22nd and were immediately relegated back the next year, but have kept to the top ten ever since. They have, however, lifted the FA Trophy (as opposed to the FA Cup) twice in ‘91 and ‘93, and were the runners-up in last year’s Bristol Street Motors Trophy (EFL Trophy) chase, falling to fellow League One club Peterborough United in the final.
Last year the club’s squad was led by left-back veteran Luke Leahy, who ranked fourth in the league in FotMob rating, with midfielder Freddie Potts behind him at 17th in the league. Neither are among the five out-of-contract players the squad is set to lose this summer but concerningly, Leahy was also the squad’s top-scorer with eleven. That doesn’t speak so highly of strikers Richard Kone, Brandon Hanlan, Sam Hokes, and Beryly Lubala, who only managed sixteen league goals between the four of them last year. I expect this club to seek an attacking boost for next year during the summer transfer window, but as it stands another top-ten finish for Wycombe would strike me as lucky.
But Wrexham’s matchups with Wycombe could feature an interesting reunion. It was announced yesterday that goalkeeper Nathan Bishop would be joining the Wanderers on a season-long loan from Sunderland. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Bishop is the former Man United academy keeper who collided with Mullin in our friendly last summer, puncturing his lung and breaking four ribs. Since the incident, Bishop has stood between the posts only three times across all competitions, so it’s unclear how often Wycombe plans to use him. That said…can’t you almost see the segment of Welcome to Wrexham on this reunion now…
Cambridge United FC
Location: Cambridge, England
Founded: 1912 (as Abbey United)
Nickname(s): The U’s
Ownership: Shaun Grady
Last Season: 18th in League One
Formed in 1912, Cambridge United didn’t hit the EFL until the 1970/71 season. By the second half of the decade, they had made it to the second tier and stayed up for nearly ten years before plummeting through the ranks, nearly falling back into the fifth tier. They battled their way back up and once again blasted to the second tier, finishing 5th in 1992 - the highest rank the club has held to date. They couldn’t repeat their success, however, and began a long, hard fall once again. This time they did sink into the fifth tier, exiting the EFL in 2005. It would take until 2014, when they bested Gateshead in the National League playoff final, for Cambridge to return to the EFL (If you’re curious, Wrexham finished 17th in the league that year and the two clubs drew in both of their matches). They also won the FA Trophy that season.
After spending most of the next decade in League Two, they reached League One in 21/22 but haven’t finished higher than 14th during their latest stint in the third tier. Last season they finished just four points clear of relegation in 18th. As for the current squad, they don’t have much to brag about. Their top-ranked player, Danny Andrew, boasts a rather tame FotMob rating of 6.95, making him the 132nd-best player in the league…not exactly a talisman to rally behind. Their top scorer, Gassan Ahadme, netted 11 balls…but was also a loanee from newly promoted Premier League club Ipswich. With a total of 12 players out of contract, they seem set for a facelift this summer but it would take some big signings and a huge shift in their overall quality to make them a playoff threat.
Rumor Round-up
Cyrus Christie
According to EFL Hub, Wrexham have joined several clubs in eyeing 31-year-old right-back Cyrus Christie, who is set to depart Championship side Hull City. The defender has spent some time in the Premier League, but has mostly been a Championship player for the majority of his career. Last season he finished with a less-than-jaw-dropping FotMob rating of 6.8, but that’s a bit lower than what he normally puts up. He also found himself mostly benched for the tail end of last season.
With Phil’s preference for wingbacks in a 5-3-2, he doesn’t strike me as an ideal target for the Reds.
This week in Marc Leonard news
LAFC have reportedly entered the Marc Leonard sweepstakes, although I doubt they’d be the final destination of the sought-after Brighton midfielder. The Wrexham rumor mill continues to put Leonard as Phil’s number-one target following the Okonkwo signing.
Rumor Tracker
Reported Interest:
Jason Kerr - Signed extension with Wigan
Tom Pearce
Stephen Humphrys
Josh Magennis - Exeter City have offered a contract and word is Magennis will take it.
Marc Leonard
Marvin Ekpiteta
Jamie LindsayGareth Bale - Happily retired
Neil Etheridge - This is unlikely given Okonkwo’s signing.
Joe Morrell - Rumors of Morrell to Wrexham seem to be increasing
Cyrus Christie
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.
Arthur Okonkwo tops the GK pecking order once again.
Aaron James confirmed for next season
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
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