"No disrespect to Wrexham" - Exclusive: Sky pundit reacts to Tom Cairney, Fulham transfer exit news | OneFootball

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Tom Cairney can aim higher than Wrexham

Tom Cairney is set to end his decade-long stay with Fulham this summer and has been linked with Wrexham AFC over a potential transfer.

As reported by Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, the Red Dragons have targeted the 34-year-old upon their return to the Championship, and negotiations are underway over a potential deal.

Coupled with that, talkSPORT revealed Wrexham have offered the experienced midfielder a huge £50,000 a week contract to move to the club, which is more than what he's earning at Craven Cottage and three times more than top earner Jay Rodriguez.

The ambition from Wrexham’s owners is well in line with what we have seen in the past, and the formula that has seen them achieve a record-breaking treble of consecutive promotions, shooting up from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons.

Former Aston Villa midfielder and Sky Sports pundit, Lee Hendrie, exclusively revealed to Football League World that he believes the deal would be an exceptional one for Wrexham to pull off, but holds reservations over Cairney’s desire to drop to the Championship.

“No disrespect to Wrexham” Lee Hendrie casts doubts over Wrexham’s Cairney offer

“I think Tom Cairney still offers an awful lot,” stated Hendrie. “I’ve always thought he's a fantastic player and still is a fantastic player. He probably hasn't had as much game time as he would have liked this season.

“I know Wrexham are certainly on the up and things are going well for them and there's a big platform for him to go and play at, but I still think that he can offer Premier League football, I really do, even if it's one of the teams that are coming up.

“Whether that sort of fee entices him, that’s probably down to Tom himself. But I still think that personally, Tom's better than Wrexham, and that's no disrespect to Wrexham.

“I think that they'll be trying to entice players like that. But I still think Tom Cairney can still deliver, I still think he offers an awful lot.”

Ambition ahead of adhesion isn’t a wise tactic, but Wrexham have money to play with

Teams who are targeting Championship promotion in the past have spent heavily on Premier League stars reaching the twilight of their careers and have often paid the price.

Plain and simple, there are no doubts over Cairney’s ability. He would slot right into the Wrexham midfield and instantly increase the level inside the engine room.

On paper, it makes sense, as the Red Dragons would be improving the quality of their squad to one that can fight for promotion to the top-flight.

However, if Cairney’s physical attributes begin to slow down dramatically, which isn’t an insane possibility at 34 years of age, then Wrexham would have a rapidly decreasing asset on a king’s ransom.

Therefore, the Red Dragons’ recruitment team must think twice about whether signing the Fulham midfielder is the best use of resources this summer.

If they believe that the value and expertise he would bring to the side fit the hefty wage bill, it could very quickly become a reality, an ominous statement of intent from Wrexham.

However, the club must make sure they aren’t flexing their muscles just for the sake of doing so, and in turn risking all the hard work that has gotten them into this privileged position.