Wrexham AFC have trump card in transfer chase for current Rangers player | OneFootball

Wrexham may have the best odds to signed local striker

Big changes could be coming in the attacking third for Wrexham this summer with a former local striker being linked to the club.

Tom Lawrence has seen limited playing time in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers, having only recently returned from an injury setback.

His experience in England has shown that several clubs are interested in his services, including the Red Dragons.

If Wrexham want to bring him back home though, they’ll likely have to win a bidding war to acquire the Welsh international.

Tom Lawrence's footballing journey

Lawrence began his football career at the age of eight when he joined the Manchester United academy from Everton. At the time, it had to have felt like a dream come true for the man who grew up in Penyfford, Flintshire, a short drive from Wrexham, where he was born.

His former coach with the Everton youth team, Tosh Farrell, posted on X in 2014 that Lawrence was a huge fan of the Red Devils when he debuted for the Man United under-nine team in May of that year.

He remained with the Red Devils until 2013, making his way through different age levels at that time in hopes of eventually becoming a professional full-time. Lawrence made one appearance for them before featuring for several EFL clubs.

Lawrence played primarily in the Championship with stops at Yeovil Town, Rotherham United, Ipswich Town, Cardiff City and a short spell in the English Premier League (EPL) with Leicester City in 2014-15, the season before they shocked everybody by winning the EPL title.

In his pro career, Lawrence has made over 250 appearances in the Championship, where his best goalscoring exploits have come. All that experience eventually took him to Scotland, where he signed with Rangers in July 2022. Lawrence has had quite a footballing journey.

Wrexham are nearing a historic third successive promotion and, according to the Daily Mail, are reportedly interested in signing him this summer.

Numerous clubs interested in Lawrence

Like an auction for a popular item, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will have to brace themselves for a bidding war with other clubs if they want Lawrence. According to the Daily Mail, numerous Championship clubs, including Burnley, Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough, and Blackburn Rovers, are interested in Lawrence.

Lawrence is familiar with Wrexham, having been born there and living nearby, but he doesn’t know the club environment as well as those other clubs mentioned. Frank Lampard, the current Coventry boss, previously managed Lawrence at Derby County, while the Welshman also made over 20 appearances in the Championship for Blackburn in 2015-16.

Tom Lawrence contract

Lawrence is in his third season with the Rangers but will be a free agent this summer and could join a new team on a free transfer.

The Glasgow club could exercise an option on him, but his inability to stay healthy may mean the club would be happy to part company with him.

Wrexham’s trump card

At the moment, those teams interested in Lawrence may have the upper hand, seeing as Wrexham aren’t currently in the Championship. However, Wrexham’s trump card is that he’s a local kid who made it as a professional, and he may want to know what it’s like to play for your hometown team.

That alone would feel like an easy sell for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, especially if they are in the Championship by this summer. Even if they aren’t, though, Wrexham is unquestionably a side with top-flight aspirations and a desire to win now. It has a successful manager in Phil Parkinson, and a winning culture with the financial resources and connections that many lower-level EFL clubs could only dream of.

Lawrence would have more pressure on his shoulders, but he’d have a lot of help on a side littered with top-end talent who have top-flight, European and Championship experience. Wrexham’s owners might not need to sell him on this project as it’s clear as day to everyone that the Red Dragons are a successful club, with talent and experience in abundance.

What is more, he’d get to do what few footballers have to play for your hometown club and not just like short-term contracts at the end of their careers, but actually be an integral part of this team’s quest to get to the Premier League.

Per Salary Sport, Lawrence is making £22,000 weekly at Rangers and just over £1 million annually. According to Salary Sport, that’s higher than anyone on Wrexham’s current payroll on the playing side, so they’ll likely have to push a couple of players out to get him.

Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer, and Steven Fletcher are three that come to mind. The first two have seen diminished playing time this season, and the latter is expected to retire. Together, those three players make over £16,000 weekly, while Jack Marriott makes £6,100 a week. He is out of contract at the end of next season and has experienced his share of injury issues.

Additionally, Lawrence has nearly as many assists as he does goals in EFL league play (53 goals and 43 assists in League One and the Championship). Wrexham need someone to provide better service to Sam Smith, and Lawrence has a proven track record of consistency in numerous capacities as a striker. A lot can happen between now and the summer, but Tom Lawrence in Wrexham colours seems like a win/win for all parties.