Reynolds and McElhenney could be sat on millions when it comes to Wrexham AFC individual | OneFootball

Max Cleworth's versatility will make him a hot commodity

Not many would’ve thought when Wrexham signed Max Cleworth to his first professional contract in 2020 that they’d be sitting on a gold mine a few years later.

One of the last players remaining from before the takeover in 2021, Cleworth came up from the Red Dragons academy ranks and has flourished quickly to become one of Phil Parkinson’s most valuable assets this season.

The club didn’t have to pay a cent to get him to North Wales but his performances in League One so far speak for themselves.

Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who are known to spend extravagantly, may soon have Premier League and Championship clubs calling them about Cleworth, which makes a change as they're usually the ones spending.

The good news for the Red Dragons’ faithful, along with Reynolds and McElhenney, is that Cleworth extended his Wrexham contract until 2027 last July. He’s won the club’s Young Player of the Year Award twice and is living proof that a little patience can sometimes be more valuable than splashing a lot of cash on high-end talent.

During the January window, Wrexham’s owners broke the club’s record transfer fee by signing Sam Smith to a deal estimated to be above £1 million. If Cleworth continues his brilliant play, the club could sell him for a lot more than that.

Max Cleworth impressive defensive stats

Past seasons have hinted that Cleworth had the makings of being an elite defender one day.

That’s been evident throughout this season yet again as he has posted some impressive defensive numbers.

The defender did a fantastic job against the league’s joint top goalscorer Jay Stansfield of Birmingham City in January, just as he’s done on many of the best players in the League all season.

Cleworth has been strong in duels and tackles all season, and on the odd occasion when he may be caught out, his recovery speed has usually got him off the hook.

The Red Dragons have posted 14 clean sheets in the league this season, 12 of which occurred when Cleworth started at the back. The 22-year-old, born in Frodsham, has usually played the full 90 minutes in those instances.

Goals have been Max Cleworth’s hidden talent in 2024/25

With just one goal in his previous two domestic campaigns, many assumed Cleworth was a strong defender who couldn’t offer much going forward.

In League One, he’s showing us a whole other side to his game, scoring the joint-most goals domestically for the Red Dragons alongside Elliott Lee – as the below table shows. We’re not including Sam Smith, who has netted 12 times in the league but has only had one since joining Wrexham.

Those goals have been vital as Parkinson's side has lacked a reliable goalscorer up top this term – with the likes of Paul Mullin not at their usual levels.

In addition to his goals, Cleworth’s pass accuracy is over 70% (73.1), and he’s been strong going forward, with 28 touches in the opposition’s box.

Three of his seven league goals this season have been winners, none bigger than his pinpoint strike against Mansfield Town, which put them within three points of Wycombe Wanderers for second place and an automatic berth in the Championship.

His offensive output has come out of nowhere, with the defender scoring just once in his previous two domestic campaigns.

As per Wrexham Lowdown, his goal output this season is the highest of all defenders from the Premier League all the way down to League Two.

Wrexham should be able to demand a big fee for Max Cleworth

Cleworth's goals this term will only add to his value but it's his continued development as a defender that will really turn heads in the divisions above.

Promotion to the Championship would be a major boost to the Red Dragons' hopes of keeping the centre-back but should there be serious interest from clubs above them in the pyramid, you'd expect the club to hold out for a sizable fee in the millions.

Under Reynolds and McElhenney, Wrexham have made some eye-catching signings. They may well soon face a different sort of test in the transfer market.