Wrexham AFC can secure cash-savvy Jack Robinson transfer - it stinks of Liverpool nostalgia | OneFootball

Wrexham AFC would be wise to go after Conor Coady's former Liverpool academy teammate

Even in the early stages of the Championship campaign, Wrexham AFC are lacking poise in the back end and one area has looked particularly vulnerable.

No one is doubting Conor Coady’s impact since arriving in the summer transfer window, while Max Cleworth has also played his part, looking calm in possession and defending well against some big attacking threats.

On the other hand, this team have conceded the second-most goals in the Championship thus far (five), and the overall continuity of the back three still needs improvement, on the left side in particular.

Lewis Brunt’s inexperience at this level is beginning to show

As good as Cleworth and Coady have been, the backline has been hampered by a liability on the left side, an area that both Southampton and West Bromwich Albion exposed.

It would be unfair to pin all of the defensive issues on Lewis Brunt, just as it may be hasty to say after just two matches that he’s incapable of ever performing his defensive duties at this level.

Few would disagree that Brunt earned his place in the starting lineup in 2024-25, though it’s hard to ignore the fact that he’s been the weakest link of the back three early into this season.

Unfortunately, his defending against the Baggies last weekend stood out like a sore thumb, losing Isaac Price on the opening goal, while Tom Fellows did a number on him out wide as well. Coming into this season, the Aston Villa academy product had never played a Championship game before and that inexperience is starting to show.

Brunt looked nervous defensively, struggling with his positioning and duels. He’s making costly errors in judgement at this level, and that’s an area Phil Parkinson probably needs to address soon.

Signing Jack Robinson would reek of Liverpool nostalgia

The summer transfer deadline is fast approaching, and time is running out for Parkinson to find a solution to his defensive problem. Wrexham need a player who can fit right in and won’t need long to familiarize himself with the other defenders too much.

Fortunately, there’s a player who fits that description to a tee who may be more than happy to come to North Wales. Jack Robinson knows the Championship well, with over 250 caps in the second tier, and he knows the anchor to Wrexham’s backline even better.

Robinson and Coady previously played alongside one another in the Liverpool academy. However, neither could get regular minutes with the first-team as the former featured in just three Premier League games for the Reds and the latter only one. Robinson became the youngest player to debut for the Reds senior side, though at 16 in 2010.

The two men grew up together in the Liverpool system, playing alongside one another on Merseyside. They also left the club around the same time. Coady was loaned to Sheffield United in July 2013, and Robinson was sent out on loan to Blackpool a couple of weeks later, after being loaned to Wolves in February of that year.

Coady and Robinson may have started at Liverpool, but their chemistry is not limited entirely to that club. These two played for England internationally on many occasions at the Under-17 and Under-19 levels.

They were reunited at club level during the 2014-15 campaign, teaming up for 29 appearances together at Huddersfield Town in the Championship. The Liverpool academy graduates played alongside each other 60 times across their footballing careers.

Wrexham should secure cash-savvy Jack Robinson transfer

It isn’t just his familiarity with Coady which makes a move for Robinson a sensible one for Wrexham. The 31-year-old, born in Warrington, is a natural centre-back who’s left-footed, the exact position that the club are struggling with right now. Like Coady, Robinson is a good passer out from the back, who is strong in the air, and won 69.2% of his tackles in the previous Championship season.

He’s strong in his recoveries, and although he doesn’t find the back of the net a lot, the Sheffield United defender is confident and capable when in possession.

His contract with the Blades expires next June, while his manager, Ruben Selles, didn’t exactly suggest he’d be getting a lot of minutes with the club this season.

“I think Jack’s experiences in the club, the competition and also in the dressing room is invaluable if we can use it in the proper way,” Selles told The Star.

Those words read more like a mentor who will watch a great deal of matches on the sidelines, barring injuries, when more transfers are completed.

Phil Parkinson, meanwhile, had some interesting things to say to the Mirror last week about the club's transfer rumors: “There’s a number of deals we’re looking into at the moment so I think it’s a bit unfair going into the season to comment on other teams’ players who are under contract.

“But there’s several opportunities we’re looking at and hopefully can make the right calls to continue improving what we’ve got.”

Another enticing reason Wrexham should go after Robinson is his price tag, as he’s currently earning £25,000 weekly and annually £1.3 million per Capology estimates. That’s less than Callum Doyle’s current salary at Manchester City (according to Capology of over £1.5 million yearly) with The Athletic reporting that the City asking price for him would be £10m. Regardless, Wrexham are reportedly on the cusp of signing him for a reported fee of £8 million, according to the BBC, following FLW's exclusive news on the deal.

That obviously gives Wrexham some more depth on the left of their back-three, yet in this window Wrexham have proved they aren't afraid to go that extra mile. They've padded out their pool of strikers, and they might want more in the way of experience beyond Doyle in defence.

No matter how you look at it, Robinson is the perfect choice to step into the Wrexham backline, and it’s up to the club to get a deal of some sort done before the September 1st transfer deadline.