The Athletic’s Richard Sutcliffe is attempting to guide Wrexham all the way to the Premier League. He’s reached the Championship in two years but the second tier has proved a tougher nut to crack…
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7| Part 8
“A mistake is only a mistake if made twice.”
Who said these profound words? I’m not quite sure, and a cursory glance at Google credits all manner of potential sages.
But, whoever it was, they were spot on. Which is why, 10 months after turning down a huge transfer bid for Arthur Okonkwo, I’m gladly accepting an even bigger offer for Wrexham’s first-choice goalkeeper.
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Reading, newly promoted to the Premier League, have their man for £18.5million ($23.5m by today’s real-life rates). And I, finally, have a decent recruitment budget for the Championship.
Last season’s first taste of life for the club at this level for 43 years was something of a struggle. We finished 18th, seven points clear of the relegation zone. The squad gave everything but our lack of spending power led to a lack of quality, meaning the best we could do was just about keep our heads above water.
I should have sold Okonkwo to Fulham for £10.5m when I had the chance. His sale would have provided much-needed funds to overhaul the squad. But Fulham made their move just a few hours before last summer’s window was about to close, so I rejected the offer.
It was an error and one I won’t be repeating. So, Okonkwo is on his way and my playing budget for the upcoming 2026-27 season is £16m. Considering the board initially set budgets of £449,000 for transfers and £300,000 to spend on wages, this should make a huge difference.
Our summer recruitment is already underway when Okonkwo departs in mid-June. The final few months of last season were spent scouring the likely free-agent market.
Deals were agreed in March to sign Rangers midfielder Kieran Dowell and Aberdeen defender Slobodan Rubezic once their contracts had expired in the summer. Both had solid seasons in the Scottish Premiership so should be good additions.
I’ve got my eye on plenty of prospective signings south of the border, too. Charlie Whitaker at Everton is one, along with Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb and Liverpool defender Rhys Williams. All are out of contract this summer but I can’t offer them deals until their clubs decide they can leave.
In the meantime, I ask Steve Parkin, my assistant, to draw up a squad plan for the upcoming campaign to help highlight where we need to strengthen.
Admittedly, with Dowell and Rubezic not yet officially on board, it makes for grim reading. There are gaping holes all over my preferred 4-2-3-1 setup.
“Looking at your plan, Parky, I’d suggest only Ateef Konate on the left and Todd Kane and Brooklyn Lyons-Foster as wing-backs would be first choices in a team with genuine promotion aspirations.”
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“Agreed, gaffer,” replies Steve. “And don’t forget Konate wants to leave. He’ll soon be into the final 12 months of his contract, so if we’re going to cash in, it’ll have to be this summer.”
I still hope Konate can be talked around, similarly to how we seem on the verge of agreeing fresh terms with Ian Poveda. He was adamant last season would be his last at the SToK Cae Ras before leaving on a free transfer but things have changed, thanks to a £21,000-per-week contract offer and a promise he’ll remain our top earner.
It’s not ideal, especially as Todd Kane and Elliot Embleton already possess the same clause, but Poveda is just the sort of player who can make a difference at this level. When he signs, Kane and Embleton get a bonus to their pay packets. It won’t be the last time this summer.
As the squad return for pre-season, the wheeling and dealing continues. I’ll admit this is one of my favourite parts of the job, providing the funds are there to have a real go in the market.
I’m finally able to submit contract offers to Whitaker and Bobb. Their agents both seem happy so it’s fingers crossed on those two deals. Likewise, Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Gustavo Scarpa is another free agent I’m determined to land.
On the downside, Charlie Patino, released by Rangers, is proving a harder nut to crack. As is the soon-to-be-ex-Liverpool defender Williams. Neither agent will even consider sitting down for talks, insisting there are better options out there. We’ll see.
July means Portugal, with the squad set to jet out for a week’s warm weather training. Before that, though, I take a call from Ryan Reynolds. He wants to talk financial fair play (FFP).
There’s no big problem, our co-owner assures me. But he feels I should be aware that the board is only allowed to invest £24million over three years under FFP, whereas they’ve already put in £28.8million. I’m assured this will be sorted out before it becomes a problem.
Newcastle United defender Kerr Smith joins on loan for the season in time to fly with the main party to Portugal. He’s joined on the plane by fellow new faces Bobb, Whitaker, Scarpa and Dowell.
Later, we’ll sign Joe Gelhardt from Leeds United for £450,000 to further bolster our attacking midfield options and add Stoke City’s 20-year-old forward Nathan Lowe on loan.
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Williams and Patino also realise the grass is not necessarily greener elsewhere, both agreeing to terms of £25,000 per week just a fortnight after rebuffing my initial approach. A nice little earner, too, for Embleton, Kane and Poveda, who all receive another wage rise.
With Nathan Trott arriving from West Bromwich Albion for £875,000 to end the search for Okonkwo’s replacement, we seem to be in a good place.
A 3-1 win over Turkish giants Galatasaray to round off pre-season further lifts the mood, even if it’s not enough to convince the bookmakers who have both Fulham (8-13 favourites) and Leicester City (8-11) as odds-on to lift the title. Southampton (11-3) are also strongly fancied.
Wrexham are among the also-rans, joining seven other teams on 50-1. The board think the same, judging by their expectations for the coming campaign.
Despite this, I’m confident. We’ve recruited well, particularly in the final third of the pitch. Patino should also excel in the holding role, while Williams and Smith are already forming a decent partnership at centre-half. We can surprise a few people.
But even I’m surprised by just how well the opening day goes against Southampton. Smith opens the scoring on his debut inside three minutes and the third favourites for the title have no response, as two goals from Konate either side of half-time and a stoppage-time strike from Patino completes the rout.
Four days later, Jimmy-Jay Morgan becomes our 13th signing of the summer, joining on loan from Chelsea. Even allowing for how we already have Paul Mullin and Lowe, this lad is exactly what I’ve been looking for in a striker.
He’s not quite 6ft (183cm), but he’s fast and capable of holding up the ball, according to our scouting team. He’s also hungry to succeed after managing two goals in 42 appearances on loan at Coventry City last season.
Morgan, 20, is also within our wage budget, which, thanks to a bit of tweaking after the Okonkwo windfall allowed us to raise the weekly bill to £500,000, is still only the 13th highest in the division but around £200,000 more than 2025-26.
We agree to pay 70 per cent of Morgan’s £18,000-per-week salary, with Chelsea making up the rest. This gives us the leeway to add Derry City goalkeeper Brian Maher just before the deadline in a £450,000 deal. Matt Macey and Archie Mair have left for Oxford United and Partick Thistle, the latter on loan.
The Morgan money proves well spent, with our new loanee netting on his debut as we beat Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup first round. His first hat-trick follows in the next stage, as we edge past Stoke City 4-3 before bowing out at Premier League Bournemouth in round three.
By then, Morgan already has his first league goal — in a 2-1 win over Luton Town — as we bounce back from defeat at Leicester City in our second outing of the season.
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We then beat Middlesbrough and Ipswich either side of a 1-1 draw at Preston North End, which is followed by Dowell’s winner at home to Luton after Morgan had opened the scoring.
A week later and we go top of the Championship for the first time, with Konate’s second-half strike at Queens Park Rangers the only goal of a hard-fought game that saw Trott deny Lyndon Dykes from the penalty spot at the death.
It’s still early days, of course. We’ve not yet reached the 10-game point when the table truly starts to take shape. Nevertheless, the dream of Premier League football coming to north Wales for the first time is alive.
(Top photo: Richard Sutcliffe)