Scott Parker may have already told Wrexham why they should sign ‘complete’ Premier League player

Add as preferred source on Google

Wrexham achieved the unthinkable by recording three successive promotions in a row, and their owners don’t plan on stopping in the Championship for too long.

Wrexham won promotion to the Championship in April, reaching the second tier of English football for the first time since 1982.

Under the ownership of Hollywood superstars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, the Red Dragons have huge ambitions of getting to the Premier League, and are now only one promotion away.

Ahead of their return to the second tier, Phil Parkinson will need to improve multiple areas of his squad, with Wrexham already being linked to Harry Darling from Swansea City, and Manchester United’s Jack Kingdon is on Wrexham’s radar.

Kingdon is a promising defender from the top flight, who is also wanted by Leicester City, and the 19-year-old isn’t the only Premier League player on their radar.

• READ MORE: EFL receiving backlash ahead of Sheffield United vs Sunderland play-off final, it’s ‘absolutely staggering’

Scott Parker’s comments on Tom Cairney explain why Wrexham should sign him

According to The Telegraph, Wrexham have made a stunning ‘approach’ to sign Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney. The same report states that ‘talks are at an early stage’ for the 34-year-old, who is by all accounts out of contract this summer.

Weirdly, though, it is suggested that Wrexham’s move for the Scotsman would see them break the £2 million record paid for striker Sam Smith in the January transfer window.

Cairney is a deep-lying playmaker who featured prominently for Fulham during their years in the Championship, most notably winning promotion to the Premier League under Scott Parker in 2022.

The former Hull City academy graduate featured 26 times during that campaign and has since been used sporadically from the bench in the top-flight, with Marco Silva preferring the likes of Sander Berge and Andreas Pereira over him this term

Speaking about Cairney after he scored against Bristol City in March 2020, Parker lauded him the ‘complete’ midfielder and claimed he was ‘head and shoulders above’ everyone else.

“Tom Cairney took his goal superbly and was outstanding throughout the game. I thought he was head and shoulder above every other player,” Parker said.

“We all know his quality on the ball, but in the last three games he has showed much more than that and today it was a complete performance.”

• READ MORE: Watford pushing to beat Championship rivals to free agent goalkeeper after League One departure

How Cairney would fit in at Wrexham

Although Cairney is five years older since Parker made those comments, he’s still an incredibly versatile and quality midfielder who can play box-to-box, in a deep-lying role, or as a number 10.

He’s also vastly experienced in the Championship and Premier League, possessing the top-level experience that Parkinson needs in his squad.

Wrexham’s stand-out midfielder in 2024/25 was Ollie Rathbone, who amassed eight goals and three assists in League One.

Rathbone was joined by the likes of Matty James and George Dobson as the Reds typical midfield three, with Cairney no doubt a huge upgrade in that department.

Certainly, Wrexham landing the former Scotland international would be a statement, as he’s currently available on a free transfer despite what the above suggests.