‘Monitoring’ – Wrexham keeping tabs on former Chelsea and England star

March 19, 2026

Wrexham are keeping tabs on a former Chelsea and England star for the summer of 2026. As expected, the transfer will depend a lot on Premier League promotion.

Wrexham jumped into the Championship top 6 in stunning manner two months ago. During January, the Reds came from behind to pip QPR 3-2 in injury time and never looked back since then.

That was true until the 3-1 Watford defeat. As luck would have had, Southampton capitalised on Wrexham’s slip and now sit sixth in the table with same points but a relative goal difference of +5.

Infact, Phil Parkinson’s men are staring at the real possibility of missing out on the playoffs. Only 8 games are left to decide the regular season leaderboard. Wrexham can still claw their way back into the top 6 but those chances can dry down soon if the Reds don’t recover in time.

How can Wrexham qualify for the playoffs?

Coming to the most asked question among Wrexham fans. How can Wrexham qualify for the playoffs from here? Well, the Reds still have their fate in their hands but only just.

Should Wrexham win all 8/8 games remaining until the first week of May, Phil Parkinson’s men will need no external help to qualify for the playoffs. That’s because one of those clashes is a direct 6-pointer showdown against Southampton.

A draw with the Saints won’t be bad for Wrexham but then they would need Southampton to drop more points elsewhere. Hence, it’s clear as day that Wrexham have a tough job on their hands to still find a way to the playoffs, and an even tougher one to the Premier League.

Wrexham keeping tabs on Ross Barkley

Looking at the positive side, Wrexham have nothing to lose regarding the Premier League. As a seventh-placed team the onus is on Phil Parkinson’s men to fight for the top-flight. Needless to say, but it’s absolutely worth it.

Many transfer rumours have surfaced since February about Wrexham plotting exciting Premier League moves for Harry Wilson and Liverpool legend Andy Robertson. Hands down, those two players will improve the Reds squad like anything.

Now, former Chelsea and England star Ross Barkley’s name has also been thrown in the mix.

In their own words, SportsBoom noted: “Wrexham have been monitoring Barkley’s output. But it is understood if Phil Parkinson does mastermind a remarkable fourth successive promotion to the Premier League, the Welsh side will recruit A list stars to match their newly acquired status.”

Ross Barkley can improve Wrexham

For a start, Ross Barkley is 32 years old and currently plies his trade at Premier League club Aston Villa. It’s his fifteenth season in senior level football and most of them have come in the Premier League with teams like Everton, Aston Villa and Chelsea.

Yes, he might be too old for Wrexham to consider him for the Premier League. But so was James McClean who was 34 at the time Wrexham signed him from the League One. Every Reds fan saw how well the McClean move worked out for Wrexham in clinching the last two promotions.

As an experienced player, Ross Barkley can also be a James McClean-like leader figure in the Wrexham dressing room. As a midfielder, there’s hardly any doubt that Barkley can’t run the Wrexham midfield in the top-flight.

But once again, that will depend on whether the Reds nick a playoffs place and then head to Wembley and win it all. Let’s stay optimistic for a Wrexham promotion in the meantime.

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