How good are Wrexham’s best players? I looked up the teams FIFA 23 ratings and it seems like Paul Mullin is the highest-rated guy at 67. Would you guys say that’s about right relative to for example, a Mo Saleh who’s ranked a 90? And if it’s accurate, would that make Mullin more of a role player on a league 1 or champions level team? I ask because I’m curious how much this team will need to change if they advance to those levels (I know Mullin specifically may be too old to be around if/when Wrexham makes that jump, but generally curious how different the level of play is…also a big Mullin fan after finding out he wanted to wear cleats (boots) that had “fuck the Torries” written on them).
I'd say if/when Wrexham makes it two levels up from where they are now to League One (which is still two levels below the Premier League) very few if any current players will be on the roster. Part of it would be due to time, because if they are able to secure promotion this year they will likely need a few years of roster building to move up again, but mostly it's the talent gap.
Besides just buying players, how else does a team acquire talent? Like, how do loans work? Does your club have to be like a minor-league affiliate to get a loan? Or can clubs pay for a loaned player? Don’t clubs have academies where they develop amateur players, or is that just for the largest clubs?
A lot of clubs have academy’s. Loans can be paid by you, or the team that’s loaning the player can pay.
Also, it's an o Anyone can loan a player with agreement all round. Loaned players usually get more playing time so it helps fitness, and there's often a contribution towards wages from the borrowing club. Most clubs have academies, but a lot of the bigger clubs rely on trading players to keep the strongest squads.
Loans can be a win-win for both sides and are a huge part of having a successful lower level team. It allows younger players who are showing promise but can't get the playing time they need to develop to get that in real game situations, and for the receiving team it's a way of upgrading or filling holes in the lineup with players they'd never have a shot at normally. It's not just the largest clubs that have academies, but the quality of facilities and staff will be much higher at the larger clubs. You'll also see players move from the academies of smaller teams to larger ones, sometimes with all parties agreeing, and other times they get poached. Academies are definitely the long game though. Most teams are lucky if one kid a year makes it to the senior team from the academy; just as often they are sold to lower level teams which helps the business case for keeping the academy open.
Really appreciate the knowledge fellas. One last Q- I thought I heard while watching the show that teams at Wrexham’s level aren’t allowed to sign international players. Is that right? Is it allowed at Level 2 and 1?
I've never heard that rule, although it may be true. It's highly unlikely that any of the home nation first team players would be playing at that level anyway Edit: Just realised you mean foreign players, as opposed to players that play for the national teams
No, never heard that rule and it sounds like it would fall foul of discrimination laws tbh. There may be a cap on the amount of foreign players in a team, and it may be difficult to get work visas due to the nature of the contracts.
They said it on the show. In fact they said one reason players are so expensive is because they can only get UK talent, but when they move up the roster may actually cost less because they can draw from International talent.
I don't remember that part so I don't want to say too much, but I would assume its more "can't " because it would be very difficult to draw someone from abroad to play non-league. Here's an article featuring a few international players playing non-league, although these started at a higher level so there is a difference: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/f...n-league-antonio-24835861#amp-readmore-target
Here is a better article… The answer is national league clubs can’t, and only some League 2 clubs can. https://latitudelaw.com/news/wrexham-afc/ As a UK-based sports club, Wrexham AFC would qualify for an International Sportsperson sponsor licence if they can secure an endorsement from the Home Office’s approved governing body. The relevant governing body for football clubs in England is The Football Association (The FA). By endorsing a football club, The FA is confirming that the club is genuine, and that it has a legitimate need to bring overseas nationals to the UK as sportspeople. The FA’s endorsement guidance confirms that only clubs in the Premier League or the EFL are eligible for a sponsor licence. Due to their being in the Vanarama National League, at the minute Wrexham AFC don’t qualify for a sponsor licence, but upon promotion to League Two of the EFL, they could potentially qualify for a licence. Not all clubs in League Two hold a sponsor licence; as of 29 October 2022, of the 24 teams in League Two, just six teams hold a sponsor licence enabling them to sponsor International Sportspeople. These teams include: Bradford City FC, Salford City FC, Tranmere Rovers FC, Sutton United, Crawley Town and Harrogate Town AFC. These teams are not all in the top half of the league, so holding a sponsor licence doesn’t necessarily guarantee success! Interestingly, not all clubs in League One have a sponsor licence either, but most do, and, unsurprisingly, every club in the Premier League holds a sponsor licence.
I've never really been a fan of Soccer but just watched all of Welcome to Wrexham in like two days and I am 100% on board. What a great story of a relationship between the town and their team. Will be tuning in to ESPN2 on Tuesday to watch the boys.
I'd guess we see the big guns come out for the 2nd half right? I know getting out of the national league is what matters most, but getting to the final 16 of the FA cup has to be a big deal as well.