Premier League club willing to accept Wrexham bid for ‘intelligent’ midfielder, but there is a problem

Wrexham continue to chase a deal for Nottingham Forest’s Lewis O’Brien after missing out on some other midfield targets.

Wrexham are just over a month away from starting the Championship season.

Phil Parkinson is busy preparing for second-tier action, with Wrexham travelling to face Southampton on the opening weekend.

New signings are needed, with a new midfielder wanted after Wrexham wrapped up the addition of goalkeeper Danny Ward on Tuesday.

A host of names have been linked, but some are slipping away with Tom Cairney expected to stay at Fulham this summer.

Birmingham City have snapped up Tommy Doyle, so Parkinson must focus his midfield search elsewhere.

• READ MORE: Nottingham Forest expert shares clear Lewis O’Brien verdict as Wrexham chase club-record deal

Latest on Wrexham bid for Lewis O’Brien

Nottingham Forest’s Lewis O’Brien appears to have become the top target for Wrexham.

Reports last week suggested Wrexham were offering £5million for O’Brien, who has no future at the City Ground.

The Sun now claim that Forest are ready to accept Wrexham’s offer for O’Brien, which is worth up to £5million.

However, wages are thought to be holding up a move, with Wrexham allegedly offering less than O’Brien’s current deal at Forest.

That perhaps shouldn’t be a huge surprise as O’Brien is currently on Premier League wages at Forest, and Wrexham are just entering the Championship.

O’Brien is a lofty target, but Wrexham are now left to wonder whether to break the wage structure for the former Huddersfield Town man or move on to other targets.

• READ MORE: Championship club hit with transfer embargo amid £5m transfer battle for top Wrexham target

What Lewis O’Brien would bring to Wrexham

We would love to see O’Brien in a Wrexham shirt, but not at any cost and his wages will leave Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds with plenty to think about.

Purely looking at O’Brien’s potential impact on the pitch, the 26-year-old would be a great fit on the left side of Parkinson’s midfield.

O’Brien is a natural left-footer and has brilliant box-to-box energy, showing the ability to get stuck in as well as attack the box from deep.

Ollie Rathbone’s energy in midfield has made him a Wrexham fan favourite, and O’Brien can certainly offer similar qualities.

O’Brien’s former Bradford City teammate Adam Chicksen previously told The Athletic that the midfielder is ‘intelligent’ and ‘always on the move’.

Chicksen added that O’Brien was just so impressive on the ball and offered ‘a bit of everything’ in midfield, which certainly sounds like something Parkinson would love.

“His attitude had a really good impact on the team. He was never arrogant, he was humble and he never stopped listening, even when he had established himself as an important figure,” said Chicksen.

“He was so good at being in the right position; he would break lines and get into dangerous areas. He was always on the move. He could strike a ball really, really well. He was a smart, intelligent player.

“His passing was so clean, so smooth. There was never any bobble. You never worried about getting a ball from him. He had a bit of everything,” he added.

Wrexham will now look to smooth over any issues in the O’Brien deal, but may need the Forest man to accept a pay cut in order to join the McElhenney and Reynolds project.

Despite previous Wrexham ‘circus’ comment, Ryan Reynolds must learn from what Nathan Jones has said

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney could take a leaf out of Charlton Athletic’s book this pre-season.

As the 2025/26 Championship season looms, Wrexham will be hoping to continue their momentum from previous campaigns under Phil Parkinson.

Wrexham have notched three successive promotions, a phenomenal achievement by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s club, but the tallest hurdle still awaits Parkinson’s side.

This season, Wrexham will have to put up with the biggest jump in quality between the divisions that they are yet to face, which adds extra emphasis to one thing that they should have prioritised more this summer so far.

• READ MORE: Wrexham set to confirm billionaire’s investment this month, official paperwork is first step in £450m plan

Wrexham should copy Charlton Athletic approach this summer

In the 2024/25 League One campaign, promoted alongside Wrexham was Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic, the latter of which came up through the play-offs.

There was plenty of tension between Wrexham and Charlton boss Nathan Jones last season, with the Welshman saying in a pre-match press conference: “It’s a bumper game, we have to go to the circus and see what we can get.”

This sparked a rivalry between the two clubs going into the match, and Phil Parkinson even used the ‘circus’ line to motivate the players, whilst he also said that Jones showed a ‘lack of respect’.

Whilst Wrexham had no reason to take notice of Jones’ reactionary comment, one thing they could learn from is what he said about pre-season planning and the necessity of bringing players through the doors early on.