Wrexham have made former England star Conor Coady their seventh summer signing after paying Leicester a reported £2m for his services as they gear up for the new season
Wrexham have pulled off a big coup after securing the services of former Premier League star Conor Coady.
The Red Dragons announced the arrival of the ex-England defender from Leicester City on a two-year-deal reportedly worth around £2million on Friday. The 32-year-old centre-back has notched nearly 200 top flight appearances in his career, having turned out for Wolves, Everton, and the Foxes.
The North Wales team, owned by Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have now made seven signings since gaining promotion from League One in April. Wrexham fought off interest from Scottish giants Rangers to bring Coady to the Racecourse Ground as manager Phil Parkinson looks to build a squad capable of competing in the Championship.
Speaking after penning the deal, Coady said: “I’m over the moon. It’s a special day, I’ll be honest. We’ve all seen what the club has done over the past few years and for me to join is really special. I can’t wait to meet the boys and get started.”
Parkinson said: “We’re delighted to welcome Conor to the club. He’s a player who has experience in the Premier League and Championship and will be a great addition to the squad.”
Wrexham’s scoop for Coady comes after their owners are claimed to have set an ambitious deadline for their dream of reaching the Premier League. Reynolds and McElhenney are said to have pencilled in a target date of 2027 to make the final leap after three successive promotions.
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Coady’s leadership at Wolves saw them secure two seventh-place league finishes and a memorable run to the Europa League quarter-finals. He has also won ten England caps and had a spot in Gareth Southgate’s squads for the Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup tournaments.
Wrexham will play in the second tier for the first time in 43 years next season. The club has already broken its transfer record twice this summer, firstly with a deal for Empoli left-back Liberato Cacace.
That was soon surpassed following the arrival of Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien in a move potentially worth up to £5m.
Wrexham are reportedly on the verge of shattering the record for a third time after making a £7.5m offer for Ipswich Town and Wales forward Nathan Broadhead.
Meanwhile, Sheffield United and Wales striker Kieffer Moore is also understood to be on their radar. Parkinson has spoken of his eagerness to finalise his squad early, ahead of their season opener against Southampton.
Speaking to BBC Sport Wales, he said: “Ideally, we’d like to make a couple more additions. Is that going to happen before the start of the season? It’s difficult to say. But the most important thing is by the end of August we’ve got a squad in here which we feel can compete.”