How much Wrexham have signed Ryan Hardie for - Plymouth Argyle will feel absolutely robbed | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle fans will not be pleased with the amount their star goalscorer has brought in

Wrexham have landed a marquee deal for striker Ryan Hardie, but those associated with Plymouth Argyle will certainly be disappointed with the fee they’ve received.

The Pilgrims were relegated from the Championship last season and are now gearing up for the next campaign with new boss Tom Cleverley.

There had been some hope, particularly from the likes of our Plymouth Fan Pundit, Luke, that the club could hold onto Hardie, but those hopes were dashed when the striker was announced as the Red Dragons’ latest signing.

Now, they have the double blow of not receiving a substantial fee to reinvest.

Wrexham clinched Ryan Hardie in bargain deal from Plymouth Argyle

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, the Welsh club paid Plymouth just £700,000 for Hardie.

That’s not on account of brilliant deal-making by Wrexham, however, as the fee was dictated in Hardie’s contract as part of a relegation release clause.

It is an absolute steal for Phil Parkinson’s side, who have bagged a striker in his prime at 28 years old, who has hit double figures in the Championship for the past two seasons as part of a struggling side.

While they can’t take too much credit for the low fee, they do deserve some plaudits for prizing him away from Home Park despite the striker being offered improved terms.

Plymouth Argyle may hold some regrets this summer over Ryan Hardie clause

Already a sore one to take, the Pilgrims won’t be able to comfort themselves any further with the knowledge that more money was on the table just a matter of months ago.

As reported exclusively by Football League World back in December, Wrexham, along with Huddersfield Town, were interested in signing Hardie.

At that stage, with relegation yet to be confirmed, the forward’s release clause would have been worth £2m to the Devon side, almost double what they’ve ended up receiving this summer.

While selling their star striker amid a relegation battle would have sent all the wrong messages, it will hurt to know that money was up for grabs in the recent past.

Ryan Hardie is the perfect striker for Wrexham's Championship challenge

By now, with three consecutive promotions under their belt, the Red Dragons are used to battling at the top of leagues, regardless of how new they are.

But even the most optimistic of Wrexham fans would likely concede that that is an unlikely proposition in the second tier, where they will be battling Premier League sides in all but name, clubs backed by billionaires and those with the benefit of top-tier parachute payments.

Seeing them shoot up the Championship wouldn’t be the first time they’ve exceeded expectations, but it also wouldn’t be a shock to see the Welsh club face a bit of a tougher challenge this season.

That will be no issue for Hardie.

As he has proven in his last two seasons with Plymouth, where they finished 21st and then 23rd, he can score regardless of how tough the team around him are finding it, netting 12 and 10 league goals respectively in those difficult campaigns.

Wrexham will certainly hope to avoid struggles to that degree and, as such, will hope they can draw even greater output from Hardie.