Max Cleworth’s long-term contract renewal enables him to take a shot at matching Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu’s iconic non-League to Premier League feat.
Wrexham’s transfer window has seen fans transition from an expected signing spree to a dull event to a seller’s reality in the last days. While no new arrivals are on the cards, the departure of a few club heroes is picking up pace.
Already planning to move on from Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee, the idea of some other exits isn’t ruled out. But amidst this roster cleanup, Wrexham have expressed their core ambitions with another bold statement.
Having seen talented prodigy Max Cleworth’s name being discussed in the rumour mill, Phil Parkinson timely cut the fuss out. And within days, Wrexham have had Cleworth put pen to paper for a long-term contract, completely sabotaging any Aston Villa or Premier League links.
Wrexham officially confirmed Cleworth’s extension, quoting: “We are delighted to announce that Max Cleworth has signed a new contract, committing his long term future to the Club.”
With the recent development, Cleworth has joined Doyle and Nathan Broadhead to have their futures tied to the club till 2029. Though the 3rd one in this tally, the 23-year-old would have his eyes fixated on a very special record.
Incredibly rare Premier League record of Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu
So far in the history of English football, only one player has ever completed the trajectory of going from non-League to the PL with a single club. As special as 4 promotions with the same side sounds, this record still stands unique to Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu for his Luton Town spell.
Joining the club during the January transfer window in 2014, Mpanzu was lucky enough to gain promotion to League Two in his first campaign. After a wait of 3 seasons, Mpanzu and Luton gained consecutive promotions to jump up to the Championship.
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It was in the 2022/23 season that Mpanzu made history with Luton after getting promoted to the Premier League. Ultimately, after marking a long historic 11 years of career, Mpanzu left Luton last summer.
Currently, he’s still in contention for another promotion with Cambridge. But Mpanzu would always be known for his non-League to PL journey with Luton Town proving to be the club of his dreams.
Luckily for Wrexham fans, they have a solid contender in Max Cleworth, who can not only match this feat, but can do it even better with 4 consecutive promotions.
Max Cleworth’s journey from Non-League to Championship
Unlike the current crop of Wrexham players, Cleworth’s debut came under ex-boss Bryan Hughes. While this alone speaks of his memorable spell, he remains the only player continuing since the pre-takeover era.
Still, like for the overall Wrexham success, Parky owes the credit for Max Cleworth’s development, too. Having handed him his National League debut in his first game in charge, Cleworth has become one of Parkinson’s most-trusted players.
That explains how, despite being just 23, Cleworth holds over 160 appearances to his name. And the numbers just ought to get better going ahead as he strides alongwith Wrexham for the Premier League ambition.
Interestingly, not only has Max Cleworth jumped divisions in his Wrexham journey, but he has seen some competitions changing names, too. Having debuted for the first team in the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup, the competition has changed names twice.
As funny as it may sound, Cleworth can actually achieve the transition from Caramel Wafer Cup to the Champions League with Wrexham. But the crucial step for this remains a Premier League promotion for which Cleworth and co would be pushing for this season.
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