Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson has revealed why Christian Eriksen declined an approach from the club during the summer transfer window, with the former Manchester United midfielder initially worried about being asked to feature in Wrexham’s popular documentary series, 'Welcome to Wrexham'. The Dane instead joined Bundesliga side Wolfsburg as a free agent.
Getty Images SportEriksen's Wrexham snub revealed
Eriksen was exploring the market as a free agent after leaving Manchester United in the summer. Wrexham, who had just earned another promotion, this time to the Championship, made an ambitious attempt to sign the 33-year-old, but talks quickly stalled, to the disappointment of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Speaking on , Williamson explained that Eriksen’s representatives initially misunderstood the club’s intentions.
He said: "I reached out to the agent and what was really interesting in the first call is the reaction was, 'We don't want his story to be in a documentary, because we've had plenty of opportunities for a documentary for his story.' He thought we were calling not because of his footballing capabilities, but because we wanted a documentary story. I'm like, 'Wait a minute. I didn't even think about that'.
"Obviously, I'm aware of it, but that wasn't the reason we were calling. We were calling because he could potentially be an interesting footballer, we're looking for players that could play for us in the Championship. Difference makers that could help us be competitive on the pitch. After I explained what our actual objectives were, trying to build a competitive squad and that I wasn't even thinking about it from a documentary perspective, we had a great conversation."
Williamson, who previously served on Inter Milan’s board during Eriksen’s time there, said that after clarifying Wrexham’s objectives, the conversation became positive. However, the Denmark international ultimately decided he wanted to continue his career with a top-flight club and later signed for Wolfsburg in September.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWilliamson: Media attention a good thing
Despite missing out on signing a Serie A and FA Cup winner, Williamson believes Wrexham benefited from the publicity surrounding their pursuit. He added: "I wasn't expecting the agent to come out and say what he said because I typically expect those conversations to be confidential. But what it did was it sent a signal around the players' market, if you will. That we were serious about being competitive. I think that was important because a lot of people were just saying, 'OK, what's Wrexham doing? You know, they've been a little bit quiet at the start of the market, but now they want to be competitive.'"
The attention certainly did help Wrexham attract several notable signings, including Kieffer Moore, Josh Windass, Liberato Cacace, Lewis O’Brien, and Conor Coady. The club went on to break their transfer record three times, spending around £33 million ($43m) in total, including £10m ($13m) on Wales forward Nathan Broadhead. So far the string of signings are helping keep the club afloat in the second tier of English football.
Red Dragons adapting to Championship life
Wrexham have risen rapidly through the English football pyramid in recent years. Their journey has been chronicled in the Emmy Award-winning Welcome to Wrexham documentary series, which is broadcast on Disney+. The documentary began with their life in the National League, before eventual back-to-back promotions into League One. Last season, Phil Parkinson's side won automatic promotion, placing them just one step below the Premier League. Currently sitting 16th in the Championship, but only five points off the play-off spots, Williamson said the club’s progress remains on track as they look to break through and into the top flight. He said: "It’ll take a few windows to build a squad capable of challenging for promotion. But we’re heading in the right direction, and that’s exciting."
Getty Images SportLong-term vision on track
It would be a minor miracle to see Wrexham promoted into the Premier League at the first time of asking, but the Welsh side have continued to show they can compete with some of the UK's biggest clubs. Plenty of teams in the Championship have vast experience of life at the top, and Wrexham are continuing to push in the right direction at the top of the pyramid.