Phil Parkinson must hope history isn’t repeating itself as Birmingham City eye Wrexham transfer targets

Wrexham have made two signings so far this summer but Phil Parkinson may wish that he had more new faces on the trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Wrexham were expected to splash the cash this summer, but that has yet to materialise.

Ryan Hardie joined Wrexham in a £700,000 move before Danny Ward completed a free transfer return to the club.

Phil Parkinson has named his Wrexham squad for the trip to Australia and New Zealand, but may be frustrated to only have two new signings on board.

More spending is bound to come later in July, with Wrexham keen to sign Lewis O’Brien from Nottingham Forest in a £5million move.

Wages could be an issue there, but O’Brien certainly appears to have become the top target for Wrexham with Tommy Doyle off the market.

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Phil Parkinson will hope history isn’t repeating itself as Birmingham City strike deals

Wrexham were looking to sign Doyle from Wolverhampton Wanderers, but have now missed out on the former Manchester City man.

Birmingham City confirmed the signing of Doyle on Thursday, securing his signature on a season-long loan deal.

Doyle would be an impressive capture for any Championship club, and we would have loved to see him join Wrexham.

It just wasn’t meant to be, and Parkinson will hope that history isn’t repeating itself.

Last season, Parkinson spoke about Birmingham snatching Wrexham targets over the course of the summer transfer window.

The thoughts immediately turned to Marc Leonard, but Parkinson talked about signings as a plural, rather than just one.

“Every player we were going for, they were outbidding us or offering more wages,” said Parkinson in September 2024.

“It was almost ‘let them sign who they want and everyone else will look for what else is out there’. No-one can compete in this division in terms of their spending and it would have been madness for us. If I was in their position, you’d get the best possible players you can and that’s what they’ve done,” he added.

Doyle may only be one signing Birmingham have secured amid rival interest from Wrexham, but Parkinson will hope that it isn’t a common theme this summer.

Birmingham City eyeing other Wrexham targets

The reason we thought about Parkinson’s comments is that Birmingham have been linked with some other Wrexham targets.

The Blues are interested in Lewis O’Brien, who is available from Nottingham Forest this summer.

Perhaps Doyle’s arrival makes a deal for O’Brien less likely, but the Blues will be lurking as Wrexham chase the midfielder.

The same goes for Charlie Savage, with Birmingham interested in the Reading midfielder alongside Wrexham, according to reports earlier this summer.

Recent reports even added that Birmingham are rivalling Wrexham for Craig Dawson, with the defender available on a free transfer after leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Birmingham’s spending is impressive, and they will be a threat to the transfer plans of any Championship club if they happen to fancy similar players.

Wrexham will hope to avoid that situation over the course of the summer, with Parkinson looking for a little more luck in the transfer market after missing out on Doyle.

Wrexham should swoop for 88-goal Premier League forward, his ‘incredible’ talents are unmatched

One Premier League star has just become available for free, and he could prove to be a top option for Wrexham this summer.

Wrexham are gearing up for the 2025/26 Championship season, with owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney showing clear intent to back Phil Parkinson financially this summer.

After three successive promotions, Wrexham have risen to the Championship; however, Parkinson is not keen to let loyalties get in the way of his decision-making. The Wrexham boss has already decided that Paul Mullin isn’t part of his plans, whilst fellow striker Steven Fletcher was let go following the conclusion of his contract.

Although Wrexham have brought in Ryan Hardie from Plymouth Argyle, there is still a hole in the forward line that Parkinson will be keen to fill.

Free agents are likely to be the path that Wrexham will go down this summer to bring in players, and they could very well spot one recently released Premier League star who would transform the team.

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