da roleta： Despite being back in the EFL, the club have been surprisingly quiet in terms of incomings thus far, failing to sign a single player

da fezbet： Ever since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham in 2021, they have disrupted the lower-league transfer market. The wages and potential silverware on offer in north Wales has convinced a spate of players to drop down a division or two to join the Hollywood pair's exciting project.

Paul Mullin infamously turned down a shot at League One football with Cambridge United to become Wrexham's talisman in 2021. His example has been followed by a host of others since, with Elliot Lee, Ben Tozer and Ollie Palmer among those who have turned down offers from higher divisions before rocking up at the SToK Racecourse.

After Wrexham secured their return to the Football League in May, many were expecting business as usual in the summer transfer window. Former Championship, and even Premier League players, have been continually linked with the Dragons in recent weeks, but as of yet the club has not got a single deal over the line.

It's a surprising turn of events, considering how active they have been in their recruitment under Phil Parkinson. But is there any reason to be concerned? GOAL takes a closer look at what is keeping the transfer floodgates bolted in Wrexham this summer…

Getty/Wrexham AFC/SToK Cold BrewFinancial Fair Play?

One of the biggest differences between League Two and the National League is the existence of financial rules. Last season, Wrexham were permitted to 'live in the red' as they thrived for promotion, offering contracts as large as they wanted without the fear of being penalised.

Things will be different this campaign, due to the EFL's Financial Fair Play regulations, which limit League Two clubs to spending 55 percent of its turnover on player wages. In theory, this has the potential of curtailing Wrexham's spending – but the reality is rather different.

While the Dragons do now have a 'salary cap', they will still comfortably boast the most fearsome spending power in League Two. Not only are Wrexham set to have the highest attendances in the division – aside from Bradford City – their commercial power dwarfs their rivals' by a considerable margin.

Nothing demonstrated this more aptly than Reynolds and McElhenney agreeing a big-money sponsorship deal with United Airlines this summer – a name that would look more at home on the front of the shirts of a Champions League team. The club's historic Racecourse Ground similarly bears the name of a high-profile company, SToK Cold Brew.

While the exact value of these agreements has not been disclosed publicly, it's safe to assume that they are the most lucrative in League Two history. When you're bringing in this much money, 55% of your revenue is still more than enough to bring in pretty much any lower-league player. So, Financial Fair Play likely hasn't got much to do with Wrexham's quiet summer.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesKey targets missed

A more plausible explanation for the lack of business is that Wrexham have simply been outmaneuvered in the market. The club has tightly guarded against leaks this summer, but a few rumoured targets have managed to slip through the cracks.

Alfie May was one such name linked. May is understood to have been on Wrexham's radar for some time after impressing for Cheltenham Town over the past few years. In the end though, he ended up at League One Charlton Athletic, supposedly due to a desire to be closer to his family in Kent.

Another player who has seemingly fallen through the net is Max Power. After a turbulent season at Wigan Athletic, amid all of their off-field issues, Power was on the free agency market. If Wrexham were genuinely interested, the feeling was not mutual, with the midfielder becoming the latest player to head to Saudi Arabia recently – albeit in the second division.

Ex-Premier League midfielders Jonny Williams and Nick Powell won't be playing for Wrexham this season either, sealing moves to Gillingham and Stockport Country, respectively. Reynolds and McElhenney are used to getting their own way in the transfer market, but this summer has been a different story.

Getty ImagesFoster feels like a new signing!

It's not all been doom and gloom at the SToK Racecourse this summer, however. In June, Ben Foster announced he would be sticking around for another year. Foster played a key role in promotion last season, famously making a decisive penalty save in the de-facto title showdown against Notts County in April.

"At the end of last season it was obvious that I enjoyed being at the club, I loved being part of the team and everything that Wrexham stands for," he said. "The fans took to me so warmly, Phil Parkinson is brilliant, Steve Parkin is top class, I love Aidan Davison to bits, and the co-chairmen are out of this world. I’d decided before the end of last season I wanted to do it, because it feels like home. I’ve never joined a football club and felt at ease so quickly.”

Foster's continued commitment to the cause was far from a sure thing. Not only is he 40, he has also taken to post-career life better than most footballers, setting up a hugely-successful YouTube channel. But with the veteran stopper opting to stick around, Wrexham now possess one of the strongest goalkeeping departments in League Two.

Getty ImagesThis isn't a National League side…

Convincing Foster to stay put speaks to one of Parkinson's wider aims for the summer: keeping his title-winning squad settled. Much was made of the Dragons' decision to release 11 players in May, but none of those out of contract featured significantly last season.

As a result, most of those who helped the club end their non-league exile look set to be given a chance in League Two. This isn't as much as a risk as it may appear either. In recent transfer windows, the club have clearly been recruiting for life in the Football League anyway, as evidence by the arrivals of Mullin, Lee, Tozer and Co.

In this way, none of the current squad will be daunted by the step up in quality. Registering a record-breaking 111 points last season proved just how far ahead of the competition they were in the fifth tier, and suggests that the squad does not even need much tinkering to remain competitive next campaign.

Perhaps this is why Wrexham have been so reserved this summer? They already got all of their League Two-standard players through the door over the previous four transfer windows. Midfielder Tom O'Connor has even been attracting admiring glances from Championship sides – and he is far from the only member of Parkinson's squad who would walk into a higher-division team if they left Wrexham.