Elliot Lee set for Wrexham AFC exit: Bradford City, Luton Town and Barnsley should be on red alert | OneFootball

The League One trio should ensure they’re in the mix for the attacker following Phil Parkinson’s comments

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has revealed that Elliot Lee will be allowed to leave on loan this January, following his return from injury.

Lee, triple-promotion winner with the Red Dragons, has not made a Championship appearance so far this season, partially due to just being on his way back from knee surgery.

“There’s several clubs that want to take Elliot on loan,” Parkinson said, as quoted by The Leader, “so he’s just getting himself ready for that but he’s not far off it because he’s back in training.

“He trained really well (on Monday) and he wants to go and play somewhere, so we’ll respect that and give him the opportunity.”

With the Wrexham boss sounding the klaxon of availability, Football League World takes a look at who should be throwing their hat in the ring…

Bradford City

Bradford City have taken League One by storm following their promotion from the fourth tier, and what at one stage looked like early-season momentum is now clearly a concerted challenge for back-to-back step-ups.

Lee knows a thing or two about such quick progression from his time at Wrexham, and also has a strong record in League One, scoring eight goals and providing three assists on the way to the Red Dragons’ triumph last term.

His ability to play out wide, as a striker and even deeper in midfield would give Graham Alexander cover in plenty of areas, alleviate some of the pressure on the likes of Antoni Sarcevic, and cover for the long-term absence of Nick Powell.

Given their current league position, and the atmosphere at the University of Bradford Stadium, it would be an attractive move for all parties.

Luton Town

A temporary switch to Luton Town would be an emotional one for Lee, who turned out 123 times for the Hatters, scoring 30 goals and nine assists.

They have fallen on difficult times since their one-season dance in the Premier League, dropping twice to find themselves in League One, currently just hovering outside the play-off places.

It would be more than mere emotion that could drive Lee back to Kenilworth Road, however, because as revealed exclusively by Football League World, they could be about to lose Millenic Alli to Portsmouth.

The 25-year-old featured regularly in the first half of the season, but has waned in influence recently.

Should he depart, Lee is capable of filling both the wide roles and more central attacking roles that Alli covers, as well as offering additional support up front, although the Hatters are well stocked in that department.

Barnsley

Another of Lee’s former clubs, Barnsley, may be in need of his support by the time January is out.

Their key man in attack, Davis Keillor-Dunn, is attracting attention from Championship trio Middlesbrough, Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers, according to Pete O’Rourke.

Keillor-Dunn is the Tykes’ top goalscorer in League One this season with 11 goals, so the interest is understandable, but he will be difficult to replace in January.

Should he depart, Barnsley are likely to bank a significant fee. Rather than hurriedly spending those funds to replace the 28-year-old, a temporary move for Lee could be a more sensible option.

Like Keillor-Dunn, Lee is capable of leading the line, playing on the wings or dropping into midfield, making the Wrexham man an ideal stopgap should he be needed.

That would then allow Barnsley to take a calmer assessment of the market up until the summer, when pricing strategies may not be as defensive from other clubs, meaning they are less likely to rush their judgments and make a poor replacement signing.