Wrexham AFC should rival Millwall for Middlesbrough transfer after League One promotion | OneFootball

Adding Millwall loanee Josh Coburn would be a massive coup for Wrexham AFC in the Championship

The summer transfer window will expectedly be another big one for Wrexham AFC, who prepare for Championship football next season.

When you move up a level from League One, adding new players to your squad is a necessity, and for the Red Dragons, finding a proper attacker to complement Sam Smith should be at the top of their minds.

Adding Smith in the winter proved to make a massive difference down the season’s stretch, with the Manchester native scoring seven League One goals for the Red Dragons, including three match-winners. He was another fantastic addition to this team in a great season overall for him at Reading and Wrexham, as he scored many spectacular goals en route to the latter's historic third successive promotion.

As amazing as he was down the stretch of 2024-25, though, he’ll need more help in the Championship, and there’s a recent Millwall loanee that may be the answer to his prayers in the form of Josh Coburn.

Sam Smith was a one-man show in Wrexham’s attack

In just a few months, Sam Smith made a massive impact for the Red Dragons even when he didn’t find the back of the net.

Per FotMob, he had 67 recoveries, winning 18 possessions in the final third, while also winning 271 duels and 18 possessions in the final third for both Reading and Wrexham in League One. That shows just how valuable he worked to earn his goals as he rarely had proper service, particularly for his current side, needing to be a one-man wrecking crew at times to get this team over the line.

What he’s done at Wrexham so far also makes his goalscoring exploits that much more impressive for Phil Parkinson’s side, as he often had to play the role of defender, creator and number nine to score his hard-earned goals. His overall play at Wrexham alone made his club-record transfer of over £1 million per ESPN worth it.

His partner in crime, who arrived at Wrexham at the same time as Smith, Jay Rodriguez, who had plenty of Championship experience with Burnley, simply didn’t live up to expectations.

He struggled to be the provider Smith needed and did little to shoulder the goalscoring load placed on his and Smith’s shoulders, with just two goals in League One.

Josh Coburn’s current contract

Josh Coburn, at 22, boasts a decent amount of Championship experience and could be available during the summer window.

The forward from Bedale spent last season on loan at Millwall, scoring five goals in 22 Championship matches. In July 2023, the club who currently have him under contract, Middlesbrough, confirmed that Coburn’s deal was extended with Boro until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

That said, he never really seemed to earn the respect of manager Michael Carrick, who sent him to Millwall despite his side needing some attacking depth.

Wrexham could compete with Millwall for Josh Coburn

Boro’s loss was Coburn’s gain. He was strong in the air, winning nearly 50% of his aerial duels (47.9%) last season and 80% of his tackles, according to FotMob. His versatility helped Millwall fight for a play-off spot last season, finishing just two points below the top six and ahead of Boro.

Alex Neil wants him back at Millwall next season, even despite his miss on the final day of the domestic campaign that had a say in the aforementioned play-off race.

In April, The Northern Echo reported that the Den would make an offer for Coburn in the summer, with Neil saying: “I’d absolutely love to keep him here.

“I don’t think that’s any secret with Josh. I think he really enjoys it here, and I’ve changed things because of him.

“I very rarely play with two players up front, it’s never really been my shape as a coach, but when you’ve got someone like Josh, it’s worth playing him as part of a two because your goal threat goes up by doing that.”

He linked up quite well with Mihailo Ivanovic, and it’s no surprise that Neil wants them to work together again next season.

A Wrexham offer, given the direction the club is going, would be mighty attractive. Players covet familiarity, but money and success can be just as powerful negotiating tools, and Wrexham have had those last two things in abundance over the past few seasons. Sky Sports recently reported that the Red Dragons and Birmingham City are expected to be amongst the summer's biggest spenders outside the Premier League.

Coburn is an ideal partner for Sam Smith

Coburn’s profile would fit the Red Dragons well as he’s a big presence at 1.91m (6 ft 3), while he’d also garner plenty of attention from centre-backs, leaving space for Smith in front of goal. Coburn’s strength would allow Smith to be an even more prolific goalscorer than we saw throughout the League One campaign.

The Red Dragons may find themselves in another bidding war to get this deal done, but they’ve shown in the past that they don’t mind spending extravagantly on the right player - case in point being Sam Smith’s record signing.

Wrexham need some young blood in the attacking third with Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer struggling to keep up in League One. At the same time, Elliot Lee had his share of goals but wasn’t a quality finisher in the Championship, scoring just two goals combined in that competition.

With a player like Coburn, Wrexham would get someone who can help them now and has plenty of years left in him, a model which has served this club well since the takeover.