"Definitely be an improvement" - Wrexham urged to beat to Plymouth, Derby and Bolton Wanderers to Luton Town deal | OneFootball

FLW's Wrexham fan pundit has given his verdict on the club's proposed pursuit of John McAtee from Luton Town

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Football League World's Wrexham fan pundit believes that Luton Town attacker John McAtee would be an excellent addition to Phil Parkinson’s side this summer - despite the plethora of options that are available at the Racecourse Ground already.

The Red Dragons are among a number of clubs mentioned as a possible next destination for the forward.

According to HITC, the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Derby County, Bolton Wanderers, MIllwall, Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers are all also interested in the Hatters attacker following a successful temporary stint in League One last season.

The 25-year-old signed for Luton in 2022, but has yet to feature for the club since his arrival from Grimsby Town.

The striker spent last season on loan with Barnsley, where he bagged 12 goals from 40 league appearances.

John McAtee, Wrexham transfer verdict issued

FLW’sWrexham fan pundit Liam Grice believes that McAtee would improve the team’s attacking options for life in League One.

While he has acknowledged the depth of options currently in Phil Parkinson’s squad, he is still keen to see the arrival of McAtee this summer.

“I do think we are quite stocked in the striker department, obviously we’ve got Mullin, Fletcher, Marriott and Palmer, Jake Bickerstaff, Billy Waters, but some of those do seem to be on their way out,”Grice told Football League World.

“But, we may be well-stocked, but you can always improve on what you’ve got, and I think John McAtee would definitely be an improvement.

“He’s got experience of playing at this level, which is something that is invaluable for a team that’s just come up, so even without his goal-scoring threat, I think he adds spark.

“Then you add his goals, and his overall play, he’s a different kind of player to a Palmer or a Fletcher.

“He’ll look to combine with Mullin, and play with the ball on the ground, so it could just be another avenue for Parkinson if he wants to change up the tactical side.

“I think it would be a very good signing, but obviously we’ve got a lot of competition so I’m not too hopeful.”

Wrexham’s 2024 summer signings so far

Wrexham earned back-to-back promotions over the last two seasons to go from the National League to League One.

This rapid rise has seen a lot of development in their squad, with five new additions already brought in this summer to improve Parkinson’s team.

Arthur Okonkwo completed a permanent move following the end of his loan spell, with George Dobson, Lewis Brunt, Callum Burton and Sebastian Revan also joining.

Wrexham have until 30 August to complete any remaining deals, and McAtee could be one of them.

If McAtee is going to arrive at Wrexham, then some of these players will need to be offloaded as it’s not healthy to hold onto so many forward options.

It’s no surprise that some bloat has crept into the squad due to their rapid rise over the last two years, but there is no point to keeping players that won’t play, such as the likes of Billy Waters and Sam Dalby.

McAtee signing for the Red Dragons would be a positive step in isolation, and he would improve their frontline.

But Phil Parkinson also needs to be wary of building a squad that will leave players out in the cold due to being too big, and he may need to rotate accordingly throughout the season.