Rob McElhenney opens up on Wrexham's strict transfer test that all targets must pass before club will buy them

Wrexham owner Rob McElhenney has revealed one of the club's most important strategies when it comes to player recruitment.

After earning back-to-back promotions, Phil Parkinson's side have enjoyed an impressive start to their latest campaign in League One, picking up five wins from a possible seven.

In fact, they are currently joined by big-spenders Birmingham City at the top of the table.

It was an important summer for Wrexham in terms of recruitment. Arthur Okonkwo made a permanent deal from Arsenal after the goalkeeper impressed in League Two.

George Dobson and Callum Burton, who have a vast amount of experience in the Football League, were also brought in alongside Lewis Brunt, Sebastian Revan, Ollie Rathbone and club-record signing Mo Faal.

So, how do Wrexham go about their business? Speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast earlier this month, McElhenney opened up on a number of subjects, including the rule every player must pass before signing.

He said: "[Parkinson] has a rule, which is no a--holes, no p----s, and ... more specifically, I'm going to use another word: no d---heads."

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has previously spoken on their transfer strategy.

"We always make calls to a lot of people, and I'll always have a meeting with the player to know the person we sign," he said via ESPN.

"I think character is key because the lads are representing a great club but also a club with a huge profile now. So it's important we bring the right people in who are going to conduct themselves properly, not get too carried away with the profile of the club and keep the feet firmly on the ground."

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Wrexham are also determined to upgrade their academy status in the hopes of luring the country's best young talent to the club to be developed.

Back in July, the club announced that they have been granted the EFL Category 3 Academy License.

A statement on the club’s website read: “Wrexham AFC are proud to announce, following the completion of the Club’s Academy Full Audit Assessment, we are able to confirm our status as an EFL Category 3 Academy from the 2024/25 season.

“Following a successful PGAAC audit, and the announcement of a multi-million pound investment in the academy training facility to be built in partnership with Darland High School, we have received confirmation that we have been granted the provisional Category 3 licence in line with our ambitions.”