Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham have same golden transfer rule as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

A Wrexham director has lifted the lid on manager Phil Parkinson’s stringent player recruitment strategy, which closely mirrors Mikel Arteta’s approach at Arsenal

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has a golden rule when signing new players which echoes the approach taken by Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta. The former Sunderland and Bradford manager has delivered unprecedented success since taking charge of the Welsh side in July 2021.

Backed by the money of Hollwood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Parkinson has achieved three successive promotions, lifting the Red Dragons from the National League to the Championship. Wrexham’s critics often use their riches as a reason to pour cold water on their accomplishments.

However, club director Shaun Harvey has now shone a light on the extensive homework Parkinson does before bringing in new recruits. Similar to the strict non-negotiables Arteta has set out in relation to players’ personalities at Arsenal, Wrexham have a firm “no d*******s” policy.

Harvey lifted the lid on the secret to the club’s tried and tested methods in the transfer market while appearing on ex-Wrexham and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster’s Fozcast podcast.

“We still have what most people would recognise as a more traditional model, where the manager is all things,” said the former EFL chief executive. “He helps recruit players, identify players, and ultimately, from a footballing perspective, Phil has the ultimate sign off.

“It’s been couched around Wrexham as Phil’s d******* test. Is he going to fit in, or is he going to upset the dressing room culture? The dressing room culture plays such a big part in the success of any team so background checks will be done. Some will be good, some will be bad.

“The bad ones, you don’t take forward and you leave them on one side. The best player signings are those that have probably been discussed that little bit more openly with a group of people who’ve got no vested interest other than the success of the football club.”

Wrexham have so far made six signings this summer, initially bringing in Plymouth striker Ryan Hardie, Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward and Empoli left-back Liberato Cacace in the months since gaining promotion from League One. They have also added Bolton captain George Thomason, former Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass and Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien to their ranks this week.

Parkinson’s stringent focus on prioritising the right type of character is very similar to Arteta’s ethos at Arsenal. The Spaniard has explained the high demands he sets for incoming players on several occasions.

Speaking to Amazon Prime Sport Video in 2022, he said: “Around the club, we have to make a lot of good decisions and when we talk about non-negotiables, it’s about the values that have to be installed. If someone is going to damage those values and environment, they should not be part of the club.

“When we set the objectives, we made a compromise that only the best people and the best players are going to come through this door. And when you cannot recruit that, it’s better not to recruit.”

Expanding further on his requirements, Arteta told the Men in Blazers podcast: “I will try to recruit players that we can all feel that they are part of us, and they are able to transmit the values and the ideas that we have at the club.

“First of all they have to love the game, and someone that loves winning. They need to love the club, so they need to be willing to join us for the right reasons, and then characters that can complement what we already have and provide what we don’t have.”

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