Wrexham have made a surprise bid to sign ex-Manchester United star Christian Eriksen this summer, but a former player has suggested they should pursue two alternatives instead
Wrexham have been advised to prioritise the pursuit of two former England stars over Christian Eriksen.
It emerged last week that the Welsh club had made a stunning approach for the Danish midfielder following his exit from Manchester United. The 33-year-old remains without a club after departing the Premier League giants in May.
Eriksen’s representative, Martin Schoots, told the Daily Mail that Wrexham – under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – represented a “hugely impressive project”. However, the former Tottenham and Ajax star turned down the newly-promoted Championship side’s overtures.
It followed Eriksen reportedly expressing his desire to continue competing at the highest level for as long as he can. Ex-Blackburn striker Matt Jansen has now urged the Red Dragons to target either Leicester legend Jamie Vardy or former Newcastle forward Callum Wilson as alternatives.
Both players are currently without clubs and have represented England’s national side on multiple occasions in the past, with Vardy winning 26 caps and Wilson playing nine times for his country.
Jansen, who also enjoyed a brief stint at Wrexham during the twilight of his playing days, believes the pair would represent better choices for his former club as boss Phil Parkinson seeks to strengthen his squad.
Speaking to OLBG, he said: “I think all the way through the spine of the team, they need to strengthen. Then it’s a case of having a good run. If they have that, with confidence and belief, it would push them to the top of the table.
“I would say they have a good four or five players to get, top class players, proven goalscorers, to get to the top level of the Championship.
“Most importantly for them is a goalscorer and you’d be looking at the likes of a Jamie Vardy or a Callum Wilson, free agents at the moment. I think they would both be a better signing than Eriksen.”
Parkinson has acknowledged this week that Wrexham did attempt to secure Eriksen’s signature earlier in the summer transfer window. However, he revealed the discussions didn’t progress beyond preliminary conversations.
“There was a call, a bit of dialogue over the summer, but it’s not gone any further than that,” Parkinson told BBC Sport Wales on Monday. “But obviously, he’s a majorly talented player and very well respected throughout football.”
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Wrexham have completed six new signings so far this summer, including striker Ryan Hardie, goalkeeper Danny Ward, defender Liberato Cacace, midfielders George Thomason and Lewis O’Brien and forward Josh Windass.
The club is gearing up for its first campaign in the second tier in 43 years and Parkinson confirmed he was targeting additional reinforcements before their curtain-raiser against Southampton on August 9.
He added: “We’ve been linked with so many players and if we’d been speaking to every player we’ve been linked with, I don’t think we’d have had an hour to sleep over the last month. Some are true, some aren’t.
“But we’re just going about our business and trying to get a squad which can represent the club in this division this season.”