Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson visited France to see transfer prospect Sidiki Cherif in the Ligue 1 game between Angers and Paris FC.
With each passing hour, the January transfer window deadline looms larger and larger. While Wrexham’s Championship rivals wrap up their winter business, the Reds still struggle to finalise their attacking recruit.
Unequivocally, the last few days have proved crucial in narrowing down Wrexham’s options. With players like Jeremy Sarmiento now out of scope, the Welsh club can make a binary choice between Sidiki Cherif and Adam Armstrong.
That’s definitely not closing the doors on no January signings at all. Given the logical fan concerns surrounding Armstrong and Cherif’s £19m deal, a bland window is very much on the cards with less than a week left.
To Wrexham fans’ relief, a part of their guesswork transfer speculation has been taken out of the equation. With boss Phil Parkinson visiting to see Sidiki Cherif’s game personally, it’s obvious the teenager commands more interest from the biggest stakeholder in the Wrexham camp.
Recently, Transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke confirmed Parky’s visit, quoting: “Understand Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson was in France on Sunday to cast an eye over transfer target Sidiki Cherif. Parkinson was in attendance for Angers’ game at Paris FC and used the trip to assess the French market for potential future signings.”
Cherif enjoys priority in Phil Parkinson’s eyes
Despite being a manager by trade, Phil Parkinson loves to go and watch transfer-linked players himself. Having scouted multiple star players, including Wrexham icon Paul Mullin, Parky prefers this way over conventional stats or player reports.
With the boss taking a multi-hour flight route to see Cherif’s game in person rather than watching Armstrong within England, Parkinson’s transfer choice is obvious now. Though this doesn’t provide a transfer shield to Cherif, he clearly ranks higher than Armstrong or competitors.
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Directly or indirectly, Phil Parkinson’s previous spell with Adam Armstrong holds a say in this choice. With the duo at Bolton for the 2017/18 Championship campaign, Armstrong had a flop first half of the season, only to find his form in League One on a winter loan.
Having lived that disaster experience, the decision to vouch for a new candidate in Cherif makes sense. This choice only strengthens while considering Wrexham’s long-term vision for youngsters as they feel seeing ahead of old club heroes.
Sidiki Cherif’s form could decide his transfer
As mentioned above, Cherif’s status as a transfer priority doesn’t fetch him a Wrexham deal. Considering his recent displays, the 19-year-old’s form could see him out of Parky’s plans despite the transfer buzz.
That’s because Sidiki Cherif completely botched his initial introduction to Phil Parkinson. In the goalless draw between Angers and Paris FC, Cherif was rarely seen with the ball at his feet. Marking just 15 touches in his 60-minute appearance, Cherif was subbed off for discomfort.
Undeniably, it was an unlucky evening where a hard knock forced Cherif to play in pain most of the time. While that explains his latest sub-par performance, the teenager’s form has hardly been impressive recently.
To note, Cherif’s last goal was more than a month ago. Since then, the teenager’s form has seen a major dip, with him registering poor matchday ratings consecutively.
Be it the Le Havre game, the Marseille defeat or the Paris draw, Cherif’s game involvement has been minimal. With a low number of touches and no threat generation in the opposition’s final third, Sidiki Cherif’s £19m fee could prove to be a bit too much for Wrexham to spend.
Well, Cherif’s possibly last chance to impress the Wrexham camp is just a chance in name only. Given his injury, he may not even make the next matchday against Matz. As a result, the transfer deadline can come a bit too soon for Cherif to prove his hefty bid valuation ever again.
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