Wrexham want to go further says transfer advisor Les Reed
The Reds made Plymouth Argyle striker Ryan Hardie their first new signing of the summer this week and they have been linked with a whole host of names as they return to the Championship for the first time in 43 years.
'If they are athletically strong and fit and can compete for their place, then Phil has been public about this, there's an opportunity,'' transfer advisor Reed told The i paper.
'In the Championship, they will need to be athletic.
'We're also trying to build a club and a team that can go further, so there are difficult decisions to make.
'We are definitely aiming high; we mustn't lose that aspiration and momentum.
'We're not by any means predicting that we're going to go to the Premier League, but we don't just want to go 'okay, the journey is over, we're in the Championship, let's stabilise and consolidate'.
'We need to get through this window with some good recruitment and establish ourselves, not as a survivor, but as a challenger, i.e. in a good season, could we get into the play-offs?'
Wrexham have brought in ex-Premier League players James McClean, Jay Rodriguez and Steven Fletcher over the years to provide the experience to gain promotion.
But that policy may change with Reed adding: 'It's not swansong land for players who are having one more go before they retire.
'Our ambition will be to drive the average age down, but at the same time remain competitive.
"We can't just go 'that's it, we're only going for younger players'. A couple of clubs recently – and I won't mention their names – have done that, and it hasn't worked. It will be a mix.
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'James McClean is still running around like a 25-year-old.
"Let's take an equivalent of Jamie Vardy. Everyone thinks he's out of contract, there's no transfer fee, Wrexham could do that. You're talking about players who are on £140,000 a week. We are a million miles away from that because we don't get Premier League revenues or broadcasting money.
'I think we were linked with Kevin De Bruyne at one stage!
'There is a certain level of Premier League player who, if they are on £100k to 150k-a-week, are still going to get close to that if they move to the MLS or Saudi Arabia than if they go to Wrexham.'
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