Wrexham AFC: £2m deal sends statement to Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers | OneFootball

Wrexham have sent a statement in the League One promotion race by signing Sam Smith from Reading in a club-record deal.

Wrexham made a massive statement of intent on Friday, as they announced the signing of Reading striker Sam Smith.

The Royals star has been in fine form since he rejoined the club from Cambridge United in the summer of 2023. Tried and tested at League One level, Smith has hit double figures in goals in every one of his last four seasons in the third tier.

The 26-year-old has now opted to leave the Madjeski Stadium and start a new chapter in North Wales. Wrexham have been left in the dust this transfer window by their promotion rivals, who have spent big as the race for the top two spots heats up. That was the case until Friday afternoon though, as the multi-million pound deal has certainly sent a statement to the likes of Birmingham City, Wycombe Wanderers, and Huddersfield Town.

Football League World revealed exclusively earlier in the week that Wrexham were in pursuit of the striker, and hopeful they could land a deal before the February 3rd deadline. That was the case, and Smith linked up with his new club on Friday in a club-record deal.

Sam Smith is a hugely important signing for Wrexham

Phil Parkinson's side have very evidently lacked a consistent goalscorer this season, following an injury sustained to Jack Marriott, who started the season on fire. Both Steven Fletcher and Paul Mullin have chipped in with the odd goal, but with the likes of Richard Kone and Jay Stansfield to compete with, the Red Dragons needed someone who could match the numbers those two are providing for their teams.

Step forward Smith, who is currently just a single goal behind Stansfield in the League One scoring charts. The 26-year-old has netted 11 goals in 25 outings for Reading this season, as the Berkshire outfit defied the odds to be knocking on the door of the play-offs. Sadly, their form has hit a roadblock recently, and things have just been made even worse by the Hollywood club.

The perspective inside the Wrexham camp will be that this deal is one of vast importance. Adding a proven League One goalscorer to their ranks could prove to be a crucial move in the promotion race. The gap between the Reds and second place was extended to six points on Tuesday, following a disappointing home defeat to Stevenage.

Now, with a well-recognised name at this level leading the line, Wrexham will see this as a huge boost to their promotion chances. The message to their promotion rivals is clear - don't forget about us.

Latest transfer a statement of intent from Wrexham

This is a hugely exciting deal for both the player and the club, as this partnership has the potential to be a huge boost to the Dragons' automatic promotion chances. Not only could it be helpful on the pitch, but it also sends a statement to the rest of the division.

Five years ago, there were three divisions separating Reading and Wrexham. Had you told a fan from either club that in five years' time, Wrexham would sign one of Reading's most important players, they'd probably have scoffed at the thought.

Of course, circumstances at both clubs have changed drastically since then. Reading are sadly still being mistreated by Dai Yongge, whilst Wrexham's new ownership have overseen back-to-back promotions, and the potential to make history and get a third this season.

Football is a funny old game, as many things can change over the course of a few years. This signing is a massive statement for Wrexham, as it not only shows the progress they've made, but should solve their goalscoring blunders.

Birmingham and Wycombe will have their eyes on Wrexham after record deal

Despite the setback against Stevenage in midweek, Friday's addition of Smith (and Burnley striker, Jay Rodriguez) will certainly have raised both Birmingham and Wycombe's eyebrows as the promotion race enters the final 20 matches of the season.

Wycombe sit six points ahead of Wrexham, with Birmingham two points further ahead, but with two games in hand on both of their rivals. Now with some serious firepower up top, both clubs must bring their A-game to ensure they maintain the gap to Parkinson's men.

Any notion that the Blues and the Chairboys had taken their eye off the ball with Wrexham will now be firmly squashed, as the Welsh side have left it late to do their business. With 18 huge games to go, there is still plenty of time for the Red Dragons to haul themselves back into the title fight.

City will be thankful they've played Wrexham twice already, as the squad at Parkinson's disposal is much stronger now than it was when they faced off earlier in the month. However, the deal for Smith will certainly give the Midlands club something to monitor in the second half of the campaign as they look to get themselves over the line. Any slip-ups and it looks like Wrexham are arming themselves with the firepower to win plenty of points and pile the pressure on.