Wrexham will look to sign attacking talent this summer and one Leeds United forward may remain on Phil Parkinson’s radar.
Phil Parkinson landed two new strikers in January as Wrexham snapped up Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez.
Wrexham boasted an embarrassment of riches in attack as Smith and Rodriguez joined Steven Fletcher, Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer, Jack Marriott and Modou Faal in North Wales.
The start of the Championship season is just about two months away and Wrexham’s attacking options will surely go through major changes.
Fletcher is leaving Wrexham, Faal may be primed for a loan move and both Mullin and Palmer could leave in search of first-team action.
Wrexham are already eyeing CF Montreal’s Sunusi Ibrahim as a surprise striking target, but one January option appears to be available.
Photo by George Wood/Getty ImagesLeeds United’s price tag on Joe Gelhardt
Wrexham eyed Leeds United’s Joe Gelhardt in January, with the forward struggling for playing time at Elland Road.
Gelhardt ended up joining Hull City, as Wrexham brought in Smith and Rodriguez before the window closed.
The 23-year-old scored five times in 20 games for Hull, helping the Tigers avoid relegation from the Championship.
Reports in May suggested Leeds will listen to offers for Gelhardt, and their asking price has now emerged.
The Yorkshire Evening Post claim that Leeds want around £3million to £4million for Gelhardt, which would be a profit on his 2020 move from Wigan Athletic.
That leaves Wrexham with something to think about with regards to reigniting that January interest this summer.
Anything in the region of £3million or more would be a new club record for Wrexham, blowing the January deal for Smith out of the water.
Joe Gelhardt to Wrexham pros and cons
So let’s talk about the positives with Gelhardt.
There is clearly so much talent in Gelhardt’s locker, and he has previously shown that in the Premier League with Leeds.
Gelhardt may not be an absolute goal machine, but he is impressive technically and has the ability to go past a defender.
Versatility is another big factor with Gelhardt, given that he can play up front, out wide or off the striker.
Parkinson utilised Elliot Lee off the striker at times this past season, and we often see one Wrexham striker drop deep to link between midfield and attack.
Gelhardt could play that role while offering some flexibility if Parkinson decides to switch between formations at the next level.
The other side is that £3million to £4million would be a huge commitment for a player who hasn’t actually featured all that much in recent times.
Before that loan move to Hull, Gelhardt had played just 15 times in the previous season-and-a-half.
There isn’t all that much recent data to study on Gelhardt and few games to watch ahead of making such a significant investment.
We can imagine that Wrexham will sniff around Gelhardt once again this summer, but paying upwards of £3million early in the window would surprise us as Wrexham look to find the right signings.