With 10 new signings Wrexham have already spent an unprecedented £20m-plus to try and compete in the Championship - but with one point from three games what else do the Hollywood-owned club need?
There is an unfamiliar feel to Wrexham right now, in more ways than one.
With 10 new signings – at an unprecedented £20m-plus cost for a club in non-league three years ago – there was always going to be a different look to Phil Parkinson's side now they have begun life in the Championship.
There is a new division to get used to, new players to get used to each other, not to mention the new pressures of that extra layer of attention being one tier away from the Premier League.
But as it stands, Wrexham are having to get used to not winning.
"We looked like a Championship team in the first half and a League One team after the break," is how Parkinson described the 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, a result that means the north Wales side have gone the first three league games of a campaign without victory for the first time since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's 2021 takeover.
"We've seen how good teams are and how difficult a season it's going to be – even though they've spent a fortune in Wrexham terms," said former Wrexham midfielder Waynne Phillips.
"It just goes to show it's going to take a bit more to get used to it."
But a bit more what?
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A bit more spending?
Parkinson seemed to hint at it, as he tried to take in the draw with Wednesday having thrown away a two-goal advantage.
Wrexham's club record-shattering transfer outlay has been the talk of many this summer, with young defender Callum Doyle on the bench on Saturday following his move from Manchester City that could eventually rise to £7.5m.
It is all relative given Wrexham's revenues - and it is far from unheard of at Championship level.
But it has caught the eye and Parkinson seemingly sees the merits in adding more before next Monday's deadline.
"The squad is decent as it stands but we will have a chat as a staff and decide one or two players may be going and one or two may be coming in," said Parkinson, who knows the current size of the squad will need some to leave to free up numbers.
Midfield appeared to be on the manager's mind, with yet another Wales international linked to a move; Rennes' Jordan James, formerly of Birmingham City, is among those reported as a target.
"It might be some extra bodies in to make sure we've got options to freshen a team up during a game, and things tactically we'll look at," Parkinson added.
A bit more luck?
In the same analysis, Parkinson also pointed to early injuries that have disrupted a settling-in period to the second-tier.
New signings have been missing. Josh Windass is out for six weeks with a hamstring injury, Liberato Cacace was not quite fit enough to feature at the weekend with a similar problem, while former Bolton midfielder George Thomason is yet to figure.
Andy Cannon has been out since last season, likewise Jay Rodriguez is recovering from a stress fracture and Ollie Rathbone – such an effervescent feature of Wrexham's promotion-winning midfield last year – is working his way back from a pre-season ankle problem.
Even those who have played have their issues. Kieffer Moore has been impressive in all three outings so far, but has nursed an ankle problem since the opening day at Southampton and struggled after his double against Wednesday that got him off the mark for his new club.
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A bit more cohesion?
Wrexham had five new players in the side at the weekend, including right through the spine.
"There's a lot of new faces in the building, so it is going to take time to gel but ultimately we need to do that quicker," said Moore, whose number nine play has fitted in perfectly to Wrexham's system and style - and who was adamant the team have the foundations to build on.
"We will improve as a team and the results will come, I can promise that."
Twice a promotion-winner to the Premier League, the 32-year-old does have the CV to back up his claims.
It includes a renewed partnership with former Ipswich and current Wales team-mate Nathan Broadhead, who is yet to spark since his up-to-£10m move from Portman Road.
"He's learning about us and we're learning about him," said Parkinson of Broadhead. "He's a clever footballer and it didn't quite come off from him in moments, but it will do. He'll get fitter with the more minutes he gets in."
A bit more time?
Or even a bit more realism. Southampton fresh from the Premier League needed late, late goals to deny Wrexham on the opening day. West Brom were clinical and Wrexham uncharacteristically sloppy at the back.
And Wednesday should have been put to bed in the first half before naivety let the north Wales side down.
Spelt out to the side and – whether new signings or loyal servants – Parkinson has rarely not been ruthless when it comes to making plans. Adapt, improve, or make way.
"I think when we reflect, you remember we have come up three divisions very, very quickly, and it's a tough learning curve," added Parkinson. "We feel we are improving. We were a little bit flat but they shouldn't be because we're a new group and we're going to get better."
Category: General Sports
