One Nathan Broadhead factor should convince Wrexham AFC to pay Ipswich Town big bucks | OneFootball

Former Wrexham AFC academy product has one critical element that the club should strongly consider

Even with so many big names already through the door, Wrexham AFC could still be on the hunt for more Championship level talent.

The new faces on the team should have fans feeling optimistic about their aspirations to move up to the Premier League, a competition that newcomers Conor Coady, Lewis O’Brien and Kieffer Moore know well. That said, there’s another player the club have been pursuing who could make a massive difference for the Red Dragons this season in Nathan Broadhead.

Wrexham have an abundance of attacking players

Heading into the 2024-25 League One campaign, the concern among the Wrexham faithful and pundits was that the team lacked depth in the attacking third. While there wasn’t an abundance of goals from the likes of Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer and Elliot Lee, they got over the line and will be in the Championship for the first time in 43 years.

A year later the opposite may be true as Phil Parkinson has a handful of attacking players to choose from, arguably too many. Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez were the preferred choice last season, though both suffered knocks in pre-season, and they will be among the many whose place in the starting 11 won’t be as secure heading into the Championship.

In addition to those two, Josh Windass, Moore and Ryan Hardie boast a lot of experience and success at this level. What may be lost in all the new signings could be the fact that there are other strikers on the roster as well, including Jack Marriott, Ollie Palmer and Mo Faal, while Liberato Cacace may be employed high up the field more often than not.

Having that many attacking players should give Phil Parkinson more than enough options to choose from, yet there’s one forward that would add a major quality to this squad in the second tier.

Wrexham showing interest in Nathan Broadhead

It’s no surprise to hear Wrexham were interested in Nathan Broadhead, who was briefly a part of the club’s academy before going to Everton. Last week, his Ipswich Town manager, Kieran McKenna, confirmed the reports, telling East Anglian Daily Times: "I think it's well-publicised that there's interest there from Wrexham, which is a club that he has an affinity to.

"We'll see how the situation plays out, but he's an important player for us and someone we think very highly of. What's important - as a club, as staff and as a group, a squad, players, supporters - is that we stick together."

A move for Broadhead to come back to North Wales seemed imminent heading into last weekend. However, the Welsh international travelled with the Tractor Boys to France and made an appearance last weekend in their 3-0 friendly victory over Ligue 1 side AJ Auxerre.

That has some believing that the proposed £7.5 million move to Wrexham reported by the East Anglian Times may be off the table. Nothing on that front, though, is officially set in stone. His contract at Ipswich is due to expire on June 30, 2026 and the general feeling is that, once Ipswich have strengthened, a move will be very much on.

Nathan Broadhead boasts plenty of attractive qualities

The addition of Nathan Broadhead would be another massive coup for the Wrexham owners, who would be getting yet another strong all-around player.

Last season was a forgettable one in the Premier League for Ipswich, but Broadhead still found the back of the net twice in 19 appearances and was particularly strong on the ball, with a 53.1% dribble success per FotMob.

At the lower EFL levels though, his numbers are strong, scoring 18 goals to go along with four assists in the Championship. He was an integral part of Ipswich’s back-to-back promotions, finishing tied with Conor Chaplin with 13 goals in their previous Championship campaign.

Broadhead had the highest goals per 90 on the team in their previous second tier season per FotMob (0.51), while he also had three assists, and had his share of chances created (43). He was strong in his take-ons, but also an asset coming back, winning 75% of his tackles according to FotMob.

He was a tough customer that rarely got pushed around, and had a tremendous amount of poise in the attacking third in spite of all the congestion we usually see in that area of the pitch.

The biggest factor Wrexham should pay up for Nathan Broadhead

There’s a lot to like about potentially seeing Nathan Broadhead in a Wrexham shirt and there’s one big reason why the club should splash the cash that Ipswich may want for his services.

He’s more than just a quality attacking player, with great vision; Broadhead is an x-factor. That was evident throughout his time in Suffolk, as the 27-year-old’s skill and energy were a complete game-changer for McKenna’s team.

Not only did he score some spectacular goals for them, but his goals and on-field performances were the kind that bring the fans to their feet and lift everybody in the team to another level. That alone would make his transfer fee seem like money well spent.

He can find a player in space, score from close and on free kicks, plus he’s familiar with the Racecourse Ground, netting a very nice goal for Wales on Wrexham’s home field against Gibraltar in 2024 Euro qualifying back in October 2023.

There are bound to be plenty of tough times for the Red Dragons in the Championship, but a player like Broadhead can ensure those rough stretches aren’t too costly. Along with that, his experience and ability to perform in clutch situations could turn a single point into three and that is massive.