With the Championship season less than three weeks away, a number of clubs are competing with each other to improve their squads ahead of the opening weekend.
Wrexham are reportedly facing competition for former Sheffield Wednesday forward Michael Smith from Preston North End. The striker has left the Yorkshire side after cancelling his contract and both Preston and Wrexham are reportedly looking to strike a deal for his signature.
Who is Michael Smith?
Smith started his footballing career in his native Tyneside with Wallsend Boys Club before making his EFL debut with Darlington in 2010. The 33 year old moved to Charlton Athletic in 2011 but failed to make an impact at The Valley and after numerous loan spells made the move to Swindon Town in 2014.
The striker found his goalscoring form with the Robins and netted 26 goals in 72 appearances. After two years in Wiltshire, Smith appeared for a number of clubs before settling at Rotherham United in 2018.
His spell with the Millers was the longest he has spent at a single club, scoring 61 goals in 210 appearances. Most recently, he has appeared for Sheffield Wednesday having made the move to Hillsborough in 2022.
Smith’s contract was terminated by mutual consent last week and after 127 appearances, he is looking for a new club ahead of the 2025-26 season. Reports have suggested that both Wrexham and Preston are exploring the possibility of offering a deal to Smith ahead of the new season.
What could Michael Smith bring to Wrexham?
After promotion from League One last season, Wrexham will be looking to add significant quality to their squad ahead of the new season. There are a number of attributes that the North Wales side could benefit from should they acquire Smith’s signature.
The 33 year old would bring plenty of experience to the STōK Cae Ras. He has made over 550 appearances during his career with 29% of these in the Championship.
In addition to his experience, Smith carries a goal threat and has the ability to find the back of the net. Last season, the striker scored eight goals for Wednesday in the Championship and had an average of 2.95 shots, with 1.28 of these on target per 90 minutes.
Another key attribute of the former Sheffield Wednesday forward is his threat in the air. At 6ft 3in, Smith won 6.28 aerial duels on average per 90 minutes last season and had an aerial win percentage of 63.1%.
According to Fotmob’s player traits graphic, this put Smith amongst the best in the division aerially, winning more aerial duels than 94% of players in a similar position. This key attribute allowed him to create chances for his Wednesday teammates.
During the most recent campaign, the 33 year old registered four assists and created an average of 1.52 chances per 90 minutes for his side. Once again, Fotmob’s player traits graphic suggested that he created more chances than 95% of players in a similar position in the second tier.
Would Smith be a good signing for Wrexham?
It is likely that Wrexham will need to add to their squad ahead of their Championship campaign. The North Wales side have seen Steven Fletcher and Paul Mullin depart so far this summer.
Signing someone like Smith would add significant experience to Wrexham’s attack. Despite this, the Red Dragons had an average squad age of 28.4 years last season so it may be that they would benefit more by looking at a younger forward when adding to their squad.
The 33 year old’s aerial ability would be a good fit to the style of football deployed under Parkinson. Wrexham are known for a fairly direct and attritional style of play as they look to get the ball out wide and get crosses into the box.
In League One last season, the Welsh side ranked third for average long balls per match with 30.7 and ranked first for accurate crosses per match with 5.8. This style of play provides context as to why Smith’s addition to Wrexham’s forward line could benefit them.
With reports suggesting that Parkinson will have £10 million to spend on a striker, it seems likely that Smith would not be signed as the main man up front for Wrexham. With this in mind, securing a deal for the 33 year old could be a smart piece of business by the North Wales side to add depth to their attack.