Wrexham told to beat Birmingham City & Southampton to record-breaking transfer - he's got "immense quality" | OneFootball

FLW’s Wrexham fan pundit has commented on the Red Dragons being linked with a summer move for midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk‘ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Wrexham will be putting early preparations in place for the 2025-26 campaign as they make an eagerly anticipated return to the Championship.

The Welsh outfit will host second tier football for the first time in 43 years after becoming the first-ever team to register three consecutive promotions from non-league all the way to the Championship.

The Red Dragons will be hopeful of having a successful summer transfer window, which could be a defining period to where the club find itself come the end of the next campaign.

Talk will brew over whether Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney can help deliver a fourth straight promotion to the top-flight with Phil Parkinson at the helm, but the immediate focus has to be steering clear of the dreaded relegation places.

Wrexham’s summer transfer links have already revolved around players with vast amounts of experience at the top levels of English football, with Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien the latest man touted for a move to the Racecourse Ground.

A report by journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that Wrexham are set to rival Hull City for the former Huddersfield Town midfielder and are prepared to smash their club transfer record by bidding £5 million, with Birmingham City and Southampton seemingly backing away due to Forest's valuation of the left-footer.

It’s yet to be outlined whether Forest would accept that sum of money as it does fall short of their previous £8 million valuation.

With this in mind, FLW’s Wrexham fan pundit has issued his thoughts on the club pursuing an agreement for O’Brien’s services.

Wrexham, Lewis O’Brien £5 million agreement would be a “shock”

Speaking to Football League World, Wrexham fan pundit Liam Grice has outlined his "shock" of seeing the club linked with such a big-money move for Lewis O'Brien, but believes the 26-year-old is the type of player the club needs to make the step up to the second tier.

Grice told FLW: “Lewis O’Brien is a brilliant player, he did very well on loan at Swansea City last year.

"Obviously, coming down from the Premier League would demand a high fee, a couple of years left on his contract would demand high wages too, but if we want to make the step up to this level, then these are the kind of players we’re going to need to be buying.

“£5 million is a lot of money. If you had told me five years ago that we’d be spending £5 million on even five players, then I would have laughed at you, so for us to be spending that on one is a shock, but that’s the stage we’re at with how we’ve progressed as a club.

“Lewis O’Brien is definitely a player I’d be looking to sign. He’d bring immense quality to our midfield, even with the price tag, and I can see him being a success at Wrexham.”

Wrexham, Lewis O’Brien capture would be a statement of intent to the Championship

After a rocky period at Nottingham Forest, Lewis O’Brien has showcased from his time at Swansea City that he still has the drive and quality to be a regular first-team asset in the second tier, and that he just needs more consistent game time to blossom back into the player he was at Huddersfield Town.

O’Brien has the experience and know-how of what it takes to fight towards the top end of the Championship and, after an impressive second period of last season, most second tier teams would benefit from his presence in their midfield lines.

A bid of £5 million is certainly a sign of trust and confidence that O’Brien can have a massive impact on Phil Parkinson’s team, and you would think he would be an integral cog given his vast amount of Championship experience.