Luton Town could provide Wrexham AFC with ideal summer signing: View | OneFootball

After an impressive campaign for Wrexham AFC in which they secured promotion from League Two at the first time of asking, Phil Parkinson will be looking to bolster his squad this summer to challenge at the next level.

The Red Dragons will be playing in League One for the first time since 2005 next season and the manager told the Leader newspaper this week that he has already spoken to several targets.

The Hollywood-owned club will face tough competition if they are to challenge at the top of the table, with the likes of Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town all expected to be up there.

One area where Parkinson may look to bring in an extra body is up front to add to the goals provided by Paul Mullin.

If he wants even more firepower, then the former Sunderland boss should definitely look to secure the signature of Luton Town striker Joe Taylor.

Parkinson should look to lure Joe Taylor to Wrexham

The 21-year-old joined the Hatters from Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee in January 2023.

In his first season at the club, he assisted them in gaining promotion to the Premier League after converting a penalty in their Championship play-off final shootout against Coventry City.

While it was decided his services were not required in the top flight, Taylor was highly impressive over two separate loan spells during the 2023/24 campaign.

He started off the season with Colchester United in League Two, where he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances.

The Wales U21 international was then recalled by his parent club in January and sent out to Lincoln City in League One.

Taylor made the step-up look easy and netted on ten occasions for the Imps, with his hot run of form seeing him named as both the League One and EFL Young Player of the Month for March.

He's a player who Parkinson will be aware of from his time in League Two and his pace and physical aggression would add an extra string to Wrexham's bow in attack.

Loan deal could be possible despite stiff competition for Wrexham

If the Red Dragons do try to acquire Taylor's services, then a loan deal looks the most likely option following Luton's relegation from the Premier League.

The striker's clinical performances mean he will be viewed by the Hatters as a decent prospect for the future, and they will be unlikely to want him to leave permanently.

But with Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris ahead of him in the pecking order, another loan move could be on the cards.

Wrexham would not be short of competition for his signature, with League One rivals Bolton Wanderers and Wycombe Wanderers previously reported to be keen on the young striker.

Parkinson has rarely delved into the loan market during his time in North Wales, but the introduction of Arsenal loanee Arthur Okonkwo in goal made a huge difference to his side last season.

It's a success which he should look to repeat in the forward department by bringing in a youngster like Taylor from higher up the leagues.

Improvements needed to Wrexham's frontline to challenge again

The club's options up front might appear stacked numbers wise, with Mullin, Ollie Palmer, Jack Marriott, Sam Dalby, Billy Waters and Jake Bickerstaff all on their books.

Meanwhile, Parkinson is waiting to find out if veteran striker Steven Fletcher will accept the offer of a new one-year deal.

However, they should ideally be looking to permanently offload the likes of Waters, Dalby and possibly Bickerstaff on loan to make room to improve the quality of their frontline.

If they do make space, then Taylor would be the perfect option to add even more goals for Wrexham and relieve some of the pressure on Mullin.