Wrexham are preparing for life in the third tier of English football for the first time since 2005, and fans are hoping for a raft of big-name signings.
Lots of players are being linked with a move to the Red Dragons, one of those being former England striker Jay Rodriguez. However, the Welsh club are going to miss out on the target, as he has penned a new deal with recently relegated Burnley in the Championship.
Wrexham are not the only side linked with a move for the 34-year-old; Huddersfield were also thought to be hoping to take him to League One, while Stoke City had watched proceedings with interest as well. However, despite the Clarets’ recent relegation and manager Vincent Kompany moving on, Rodrugues is staying put.
“It’s a great feeling and a real privilege to represent Burnley, my hometown club,” he said after signing a fresh one-year contract. “Being offered another year was a proud moment and there was no way I could say no.”
The lure of Wrexham, with their Hollywood connections and deep pockets, has been enough to tempt some relatively big names to the Y Cae Ras, including Ollie Palmer, who dropped two divisions, and Paul Mullen, who did the same. Recently, Irish attacker James McClean has also appeared for them a couple of levels below where a man of his talents could perform.
However, Jay Rodriguez has not followed suit. He came through the academy at Burnley, scoring 41 times before a big move to Premier League Southampton. While on the south coast, he earned a call-up for England, appearing against Chile in 2013. Sadly, an ACL injury ruled him out of the 2014/15 season and took him out of World Cup contention, ending his short England career.
After a two-season stay at West Brom, he returned home, and in 2022/23, helped Burnley to bounce back into the Premier League for the first time, although he was unable to prevent relegation for the second time in three years this summer.
Writer’s View
This was always pie-in-the-sky for Wrexham, surely. There’s nothing they could offer Rodriguez that would tempt him there; he’s earned his money during a strong Premier League career, and at this stage, there’s no challenge in dropping two divisions for money. For Palmer or Mullen, who won’t have earned much from being lower-league journeymen, the attraction is obvious, but not Rodriguez.
This is perhaps more of a blow to Stoke City if their interest was solid. However, logistically, that move wouldn’t have been ideal if Rodriguez is settled in Burnley. Again, why give himself a 150-mile round trip to training every day and leave a club he’s revered at? It’s not going to happen.
Wrexham might outspend many of their rivals this season, but it won’t be on a player of Rodriguez’s calibre with nothing left to prove.
