The Wrexham Insider

Wrexham look set to sign a striker before the transfer deadline but one previous target appears to be heading to the Championship.

The January transfer deadline is inching ever closer and Phil Parkinson has just a few more days to get his business done.

Against the backdrop of some concerning form on the pitch, Wrexham have completed just the one January signing so far.

Ryan Longman joined Wrexham last week, completing a move from Hull City worth around £500,000.

Longman should be a fine addition given his versatility to play in different roles, but Wrexham do still need another striker.

Wrexham are now close to signing Sam Smith with the Reading striker expected to complete a club-record move.

Wrexham summer target now wanted by Cardiff City

Parkinson will be delighted if the Smith deals gets over the line but will have backup targets in mind in case anything goes wrong.

One man who may still be on Parkinson’s radar is Tottenham Hotspur talent Will Lankshear.

MORE WREXHAM STORIES

Reports over the summer suggested that Wrexham had made enquiries into signing Lankshear on loan.

Tottenham ended up deciding to keep Lankshear and wanted him to develop around Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

The 19-year-old has played just 10 minutes of Premier League action but has scored in one of his three Europa League outings.

Tottenham have now recalled Dane Scarlett and Football London claim that Lankshear is now set to go out on loan before the deadline.

Wrexham may well still be keen but it’s stated that Tottenham now want him to be playing Championship football.

Lankshear could still end up in Wales though with Cardiff City thought to be interested.

The Bluebirds are looking to pull clear of the Championship relegation zone and seemingly want Lankshear to help them.

Cardiff aren’t alone though with Burnley, Luton Town, Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion also keen.

It’s fairly clear that Lankshear won’t be joining Wrexham now but Parkinson won’t be too fussed if he can secure Smith.

Sam Smith a huge statement of intent

Maybe Wrexham could have snapped up a young Premier League talent like Lankshear or Jayden Danns.

Loan deals can help provide an injection of quality but Wrexham could have been left to target another new striker this summer.

Instead, Wrexham have decided to splash the cash and make a real statement by pinching the star striker of a League One rival.

Smith is a proven League One goalscorer across his spells with Reading and Cambridge United, but may well be ready to step up to the Championship.

The 26-year-old still has some untapped potential and Wrexham will not only see him as a player who can help the promotion push this season, but also make a huge impact for the coming years.

Lankshear is a great talent but Wrexham have decided to splash the cash on a club-record deal for Smith instead – and that statement of intent is certainly exciting from Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

Wrexham are in the market for quality additions in the January transfer window but Phil Parkinson can already count on some top stars.

The January transfer deadline is now just two weeks away and Wrexham fans are still waiting like kids at Christmas.

Phil Parkinson tends to leave his January business late and that may well be the case again this year.

Wrexham do need to strongly push for additions though with promotion to the Championship on the line.

Thursday’s 2-1 defeat at Shrewsbury Town – and the continued away struggles – mean Wrexham need a boost.

Fans will certainly fear that no additions will cost Wrexham a chance at promotion, but Parkinson at least has stars he can rely on.

Callum Burton on Arthur Okonkwo

One of those is goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo.

The stopper spent last season on loan at Wrexham from Arsenal before turning his move permanent in the summer.

Okonkwo broke his wrist in November and has only just returned, but he has been superb once again when called upon.

MORE WREXHAM STORIES

Now back in action, Okonkwo has reclaimed his position as Wrexham’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Okonkwo was not the only goalkeeper to sign over the summer though as Wrexham also struck a deal for Callum Burton.

Burton’s season may be over after an injury of his own but he has been impressed with Okonkwo.

Speaking on Mark Howard’s ‘Yours Mine Away’ podcast, Burton praised Okonkwo as ‘brilliant’ whilst noting that he is so laid back.

Burton noted that Okonkwo may have rubbed people up the wrong way in a bygone era as he is often the last one out for training, but it works for him.

Burton likened Okonkwo to Sheffield United stoper Michael Cooper as well as Tottenham Hotspur’s Fraser Forster, believing that he has a great skillset alongside the ability to rush out and make saves other goalkeepers simply can’t.

“I think Arthur is brilliant,” said Burton.

“I’ve never met a guy so laid back in my life, but it works for him so well. He comes out for warms up, just goes through his normal warm up and just performs.

“15 years ago, you’d probably have everyone like ‘I’m not having him because he’s last out’ but I’ve not seen him have a bad session yet, or a bad game.

“When you see someone at 6ft 6in and is good with their feet, a good shot stopper… you’re just saying ‘well, it’s a matter of time’, like it was with Coops – it’s the exact same – he’s been brilliant, and the best bit is he’s such a nice guy. You can’t not like him, he smiles all the time and he just enjoys life.

“I had a moment in my career, when I was at Cambridge, Mark Bunn was my goalie coach and I was still half thinking ‘come out and try and make a difference’ and he said ‘just stay deep and save everything, just try staying deep for a game’ and I did it and had a really good game. From there, with shots, I just stay deep because I think it gives you so much more time.

“Arthur is the complete opposite. Arthur sprints down the line of the ball and things just hit him – it’s like watching Fraser Forster, it’s the exact same. I watched him in the first shooting session and I was like ‘how is he saving all these?’ – I could never do that,” he added.

Wrexham need to find more players like Arthur Okonkwo

Wrexham’s rise to League One has mostly been off the back of signing proven, experienced players.

Eoghan O’Connell, Elliot Lee, James McClean, Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer and Steven Fletcher all spring to mind.

Wrexham do also need to add some younger players though and we saw that last summer.

Modou Faal, Sebastian Revan, Lewis Brunt and Josh Adam fit the bill with Wrexham looking to add more talent for the future.

More of those talents are needed at Wrexham and there are no doubt players like Okonkwo in Premier League development squad waiting for a big chance.

Wrexham have a free weekend and Phil Parkinson will be watching FA Cup action from afar having fallen in the first round.

Wrexham fans will have certainly hoped for a strong FA Cup run this season.

Phil Parkinson masterminded a win over Shrewsbury Town last season and beat Coventry City a year earlier.

There was to be no cup magic for Wrexham this season though having crashed out in the first round of the FA Cup.

Defeat at Harrogate Town was not in the plans for Wrexham but a poor performance in Yorkshire resulted in elimination.

The third round of the FA Cup is taking place this weekend and Wrexham’s clash with Reading was postponed due to the Royals being in cup action.

Former Wrexham ace set to take on Premier League giants

Wrexham players have been through a hectic schedule of late and Parkinson is pleased with a break for his squad.

Parkinson will no doubt keep tabs on other FA Cup games this weekend though and one tie looks particularly interesting on Sunday.

MORE WREXHAM STORIES

Tottenham Hotspur travel to take on non-league side Tamworth with Andy Peaks looking to embarrass Ange Postecoglou.

Wrexham may not be in the National League anymore but fans may still fancy cheering on a lower league side for a cup giant killing.

There is even a familiar face in the Tamworth ranks as striker Jordan Ponticelli will be in contention to play.

Ponticelli only joined Tamworth in December but is now set for a huge clash just a month into his career with the club.

Former Wrexham striker Ponticelli has been coming off the bench for Tamworth of late but would no doubt love to start against Tottenham.

Ponticelli joined Halesowen Town in September but only after their FA Cup exit, so the forward is clear to face Tottenham on Sunday.

Jordan Ponticelli record for Wrexham

Ponticelli joined Wrexham on loan from Coventry City in 2020 but the COVID outbreak halted his impact after two goals in five games.

Wrexham had still seen enough to strike a permanent deal for Ponticelli, and he responded with four goals in 28 games during his first season.

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds purchased Wrexham in 2021 and Ponticelli lasted just one more full season at the club before being released.

Ponticelli actually scored in Phil Parkinson’s first win as Wrexham boss, ironically finding the net against Tamworth in a 5-0 pre-season win.

Ponticelli scored five times in 33 games in that 2021-22 season, bringing his total record to 11 goals in 66 appearances.

“I am not a guy for excuses,” said Ponticelli to The Leader after being released by Wrexham.

“I was fine before Covid but the next season I got injuries which weren’t great and didn’t help my game-time.

“Again, there are no excuses; it was just unfortunate, that’s the way things go and I just had to get on with it. We had the takeover which increased money at the club, and that led to limiting my game-time but it is what it is,” he added.

The 26-year-old moved on to King’s Lynn Town, Halesowen Town and now Tamworth, with the striker looking to make himself a cup hero against Premier League opposition.

Wrexham fans would surely love to see Ponticelli take that role against Tottenham and he is certainly a player to keep an eye on in Sunday’s third-round ties.

Wrexham are once again on the hunt for a new striker in the January transfer window.

Paul Mullin’s goal return has fallen off a cliff in 2024/25, while Ollie Palmer’s only found the back of the net three times in League One.

This sees Wrexham lagging behind their promotion rivals when it comes to goals scored this season.

Phil Parkinson and co. look set to address that issue in the January transfer window, with attacking reinforcements expected to arrive.

Joe Gelhardt and Patrick Bamford were linked to Wrexham in December but there’s been little movement on that front over the last week or so.

More recently, reports claim Plymouth Argyle forward Ryan Hardie is of interest to the Welsh outfit.

Now, Wrexham’s chances of signing a player they wanted over the summer have been rated by an expert.

Wrexham chances of signing Will Lankshear from Tottenham in January

Wrexham wanted to sign Will Lankshear from Tottenham Hotspur over the summer but Spurs decided to keep him in North London.

MORE WREXHAM STORIES

However, the teenage forward has seen his game time very limited in the first half of 2024/25.

With Wrexham eyeing a centre-forward once more, returning for Lankshear does make sense.

But football.london’s Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold has reported that an exit in the winter may be difficult because of Spurs’ injury problems.

He wrote: “football.london understands there has been a lot of interest in Lankshear, with some clubs looking to sign him permanently and many on loan, but Tottenham’s injury problems make it difficult right now to let him go.

“Verdict: Sticking around unless Spurs sign a striker late in the window which might open the door ever so slightly for him,” he added.

Will Lankshear Tottenham stats vs Wrexham strikers

So, while a deal is unlikely to happen soon, there remains a chance Wrexham could be allowed to go back in for Lankshear at the back end of January.

His experience at senior level is limited but the Englishman’s goal return for Spurs at both youth and senior level is superb.

Lankshear is not the only young Premier League talent to have been looked at by Wrexham either, with Manchester United’s Ethan Wheatley of interest as well.

Wheatley has scored 24 goals and provided three assists in 45 appearances across various levels for Man Utd.

Wrexham are continuing to move forward under Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds with new architects now signed up for the future of the STōK Cae Ras.

Wrexham have been enjoying quite the journey on the pitch.

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’s arrival in 2021 has allowed Wrexham to progress rapidly and win back-to-back promotions into League One.

Wrexham even sit second in League One and are chasing promotion to the Championship as the club’s rise shows no sign of slowing down.

Off the pitch, Wrexham have found real success with the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ series and have seen the popularity of the club reach incredible levels in the United States.

The infrastructure of the club remains a work in progress though and efforts will be made to bring everything up to a higher standard in the coming years.

Wrexham appoint high-profile architects

Wrexham’s STōK Cae Ras home holds a special place in the hearts of many fans, but there is work to be done.

The old Kop has gone with plans to redevelop that end of the ground in due time.

MORE WREXHAM STORIES

For now, Wrexham have a temporary stand until a full stand can be built, noting that talks were continuing with Wrexham Council over the summer.

McElhenney and Reynolds have, rather ambitiously, suggested that they want a 45,000 to 55,000-seater stadium in the future.

That seems a little unlikely but the progress of the club means that the STōK Cae Ras will be modernised in the coming years.

With that in mind, Wrexham have now moved towards a redevelopment of the STōK Cae Ras having appointed a high-profile architecture firm to work with the club.

Wrexham.com note that Wrexham have teamed up with Populous to establish a vision for a revamped STōK Cae Ras.

The initial focus is on redesigning the Kop, but there are ambitions for a stadium holding up to 38,000.

Populous react to Wrexham deal

That is a huge undertaking but Populous have worked on some impressive stadiums in the past.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is arguably their finest work yet but they have also worked on Wembley Stadium, the Lusail Stadium for the Qatar World Cup and Fiserv Forum, the home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Wrexham working with Populous is a major step towards a revamped STōK Cae Ras and they have offered their reaction.

Declan Sharkey from Populous has taken to social media to note that their team is ‘extremely proud’ to have been appointed by Wrexham.

Sharkey noted that Populous want to ‘explore the potential for a wider vision and masterplan’ for Wrexham’s future at the STōK Cae Ras.

The full development of Wrexham’s beloved home will take a while to materialise, but this development is certainly an exciting one for Wrexham.