Wrexham AFC have made biggest wildcard signing of Reynolds, McElhenney era - it could be epic success or fail | OneFootball

Wrexham AFC owners are taking a massive gamble on former Serie A defender from New Zealand

Summer signings always come with a little unpredictability, and time will tell if Wrexham AFC have made a wise investment in a defender with plenty of top-flight experience.

Over the past few weeks, the club have been active on the transfer market, bringing in a handful of new faces as they prepare for their first Championship season since 1981-82. We knew the Red Dragons would eventually step up and make some splash signings, and one of their biggest will come with a massive amount of potential risk and reward.

Liberato Cacace brings a lot to the table

He may not be a mega name for fans that follow English football, but when you look at Liberato Cacace’s CV, it’s hard not to get excited.

On July 18, Wrexham announced on their club website that they had signed the New Zealand international, listed as a left-back, to a three-year deal.

“I’m absolutely delighted to sign for this historic club, and I just can’t wait to get started,” Cacace said on the team’s official website.

“Looking from the outside, what they are creating here is something I want to be part of. The family they have here – it’s a tight-knit club and that enticed me.”

Terms of his contract were not disclosed, but according to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, it could be in the range of £2.2 million, which, if correct, would surpass the fee Wrexham paid for Sam Smith during the winter transfer window of £2.1 million per Sports Illustrated.

Cacace, who is 24, came over from Empoli, who had been relegated from the Italian Serie A last season. Even though they’re no longer in the top flight, Cacace collected over 80 caps for them during his tenure in Tuscany.

While Serie A might not be considered the best league in Europe, as it was in the early to mid-90s, it is still one of the Big Five European Leagues, and for Wrexham to get a player of that calibre is quite a coup.

Cacace not only has plenty of top-flight experience in Italy, Australia and New Zealand, but his pace, skill and upper-body strength could be a valuable asset for Phil Parkinson’s setup in the Championship. His versatility could also allow Parkinson to plug him into many different positions.

Indeed, Cacace has all the attributes one needs to be a solid Championship player, something the club and its fans will feel good about.

In addition to his top-flight experience at club level, Cacace has 33 caps for New Zealand and could very well be among those selected to the World Cup squad next year.

Liberato Cacace expected to be a key player for Wrexham this season

With the kind of money it appears the Red Dragons have invested in Cacace, it’s no surprise that his expectations will be high.

On the latest episode of the Second Tier Podcast, co-host Ryan Dilks called him their key player for this upcoming season: “He’s a defender from Empoli in Italy, who’s got 33 caps for New Zealand, played 33 games in Serie A last season. He’s traditionally a left back but didn’t actually play many games there last season. In fact, they say he has played more games as a number 10 last season.”

Traditionally, Cacace has operated as a left-back for his country, but was often either a wing-back or a forward that played behind a single striker with Empoli.

Dilk’s podcast colleague Justin Peach said that ex-Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor once described Cacace as the “best left back in the A-League”.

Given his reported price tag and that kind of high praise, he’ll likely be drawn into the starting 11 immediately, but at what position may be the big question.

With the kind of money it appears the Red Dragons have invested in Cacace, it’s no surprise that his expectations will be high.

Cacace could be the Wrexham owners' biggest wildcard signing

There is plenty to like about Cacace, but there are some things that Parkinson and the club must be conscious of.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have rarely got a signing wrong since becoming the principal owners. Parkinson is a big reason why, as he’s done some savvy recruiting, but of course, there is a lot of luck involved in the new Wrexham players that have worked out.

Cacace is by no means a guaranteed impact player for this team ahead of the Championship season, and he may have the most significant learning curve of all the newcomers who have come to the Racecourse Ground.

Unlike George Thomason, Josh Windass, Lewis O’Brien and Ryan Hardie, Cacace has never played in England; he’s coming into a new system, plus a new country and a culture, all of which are completely foreign to him.

At the same time, people know he used to play top-flight football, so they’ll expect him to play like it all the time. Except O’Brien, there might not be many other Wrexham players with those sorts of expectations at the moment.

Where to play him is another uncertainty, as he can play several positions, but which one would enable him to be successful and help this team compete?

There seems to be an automatic assumption that if you played in Italy, you must know how to defend. Empoli, though, weren’t all that strong at the back last season, conceding the third-most goals in Serie A (59). While Cacace had four assists, won 42 aerial duels and won over 67% of his tackles per FotMob, he tended to stay forward more often than not, and there wasn’t a lot of cover for him based on Empoli’s defensive record.

Cacace has the potential to be one of the best signings that Wrexham’s Hollywood owners have ever made, but given his price and that expectation, it could also fail epically. For better or worse, he’s their biggest wildcard to keep an eye out for with the club next season.