Exclusive: Wrexham AFC pushing to sign Reading FC star before February 3rd deadline
After three league losses in January, Phil Parkinson’s team has seen their hopes of automatic promotion wane in recent weeks.
Ryan Longman, a winger from Hull City, is the only addition Wrexham has made this miserable month, but the Welsh team is determined to acquire a striker before the transfer market closes on Monday.
A possible significant development in the competition for third-tier promotion has been confirmed by sources close to FLW. FLW can exclusively disclose that Wrexham is preparing a move for Smith in an effort to solve their goal-scoring problems and reconfirm their desire to advance to the Championship.
Smith has a deal with playoff-chasing Reading till 2026. However, the club is constantly vulnerable to losing their valuable assets, of which Smith is undoubtedly one, due to their well-documented financial crisis under Dai Yongge’s turbulent management.
The 26-year-old, who returned to Berkshire from Cambridge United in the summer of 2023 after spending five years with Reading from 2016 to 2021 without leaving much of an impression, has been a huge hit during the past two seasons.
| Sam Smith’s career stats via FotMob, as of January 29 | ||||
| Years | Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2016-2021 | Reading | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | Bishop’s Stortford (loan) | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018-2019 | Oxford United (loan) | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| 2019 | Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019-2020 | Cambridge United (loan) | 34 | 8 | 2 |
| 2020-2021 | Tranmere Rovers (loan) | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Cheltenham Town (loan) | 21 | 4 | 1 |
| 2021-2023 | Cambridge United | 109 | 35 | 3 |
| 2023- | Reading | 63 | 27 | 3 |
Smith has hit double digits this season, having found the back of the goal 11 times.
numbers for League One goals over the course of four consecutive seasons.
Adding a big-name striker in the remaining January transfer window will be crucial if Wrexham wants to close the gap on second-place Wycombe Wanderers, who are now six points ahead after Tuesday night’s 3-2 home loss to Stevenage.
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