Wrexham AFC transfer shot fired at Hull City - Tigers won't be "able to afford"£5m man | OneFootball

FLW's Wrexham fan pundit isn't expecting Wrexham to give up on Lewis O'Brien, despite reports linking him to Hull City

Wrexham's play-off dreams were dashed on the final day of the Championship campaign, but overall, it was a successful season, as Phil Parkinson's side registered their highest-ever EFL finish.

Some critics believed that the Red Dragons should have been in a more comfortable promotion push, given the personnel they signed, but the more realistic supporters in the Stok Cae Ras would have happily taken a seventh-placed finish when the season started.

As it happened, they had their place in the top six ripped away at the death by Hull City, who have since gone on to reach the play-off final, dispatching Millwall after two legs, coming out on top 2-0 on aggregate.

And it doesn't seem like Hull are interested in just taking this season's play-off dreams away from Wrexham, as Alan Nixon reported that the Tigers are keen on signing midfielder Lewis O'Brien this coming summer, one year after he signed with the Welsh side for a then-club record £5 million fee.

Hull were, in fact, interested in bringing the 27-year-old to the MKM Stadium this time last year, but the reported interest came just a week before Sergej Jakirovic's side were hit with a transfer embargo, and the move fell by the wayside.

Wrexham fan pundit dismisses talks of Lewis O'Brien joining Hull City

O'Brien has had a mixed debut season at Wrexham. With four goals and six assists, the 27-year-old registered the most goal contributions in a single season in his career. However, three of those goals and two of those assists came in the opening eight games.

He'd be in and out of the starting eleven from then on, and wouldn't even make it off the bench in the vital final day bout with Middlesbrough.

Despite those inconsistencies, FLW's Wrexham fan pundit, Liam Grice, can't see a world where his club sanctions a move away for one of their marquee signings last summer, believing that O'Brien can still be a key player for Phil Parkinson in a promotion push next season.

"I can't see it happening personally, even if he hasn't been the player we all thought he would be this season," Liam told FLW.

"When he showed the quality that we bought him for £5 million for, he was one of our best midfield players, and I can't see us ditching a player after a year — it's not something Wrexham tend to do, especially if Parkinson feels he has a future in the team.

"I think he does have a future here. You're not going to get many better Championship-standard midfielders for the price it would cost to replace O'Brien, and if he could work on his consistency, he could easily be one of the best midfielders in the league.

"So, I have no qualms about keeping him. It would take a lot of money for Hull to pry him away, and even if they do go up, I'm not sure if they'd be able to afford what Wrexham will be asking for."

Evidently, Grice expects Wrexham to adopt a hefty asking price for someone who still has a couple of years left on his deal, to the point where Hull will simply look elsewhere for a new midfielder this summer.

If the Tigers do make the Premier League, they would likely have the money available; it would just depend on how much they would be willing to spend on the 27-year-old, especially when there'd be a demand for a more seasoned top-flight veteran to come into the squad instead.

Lewis O'Brien should likely stay at Wrexham this summer

Unfortunately, O'Brien's few years in the wilderness at Nottingham Forest after an encouraging 2021/22 campaign with Huddersfield Town, which ended in the play-offs, have stunted his growth somewhat.

Therefore, it would be a bit of a head scratcher to see him move to the Premier League this summer, even after a decent, albeit not world-beating, first year at Wrexham.

And, if Hull remain in the Championship, they may likely be priced out of a move for the 27-year-old if Wrexham opt to keep him. That may prove the case for any other potential suitors, too.

With O'Brien still playing an important role in large parts of the season, he won't be one of the many squad players expected to move on from the Stok Cae Ras this summer, and unless Phil Parkinson's side brings in a top-level midfielder to come in ahead of him, his squad role will remain the same.

Only time will tell as to what Hull's transfer strategy could be if they end up in the Premier League, but all roads are pointing to O'Brien staying put for the time being and helping the Red Dragons try and go one better than their seventh-placed finish next season.