Wrexham signs club-record transfer on eve of League One debut

One day before its first game in League One, Wrexham made a statement by signing Ollie Rathbone from Rotherham United for a club-record fee.

The midfielder has spent the last two seasons in the Championship with Rotherham, which was relegated to League One at the end of last season.

Before leading Rotherham to promotion in 2022, Rathbone played nearly 200 games in League One with Rochdale and Rotherham.

Wrexham secured its second straight promotion last season by finishing second in League Two. The Red Dragons will kick off their League One campaign on Saturday against Wycombe Wanderers at Racecourse Ground.

“I’m delighted. I’m really excited to be here and to get going,” Rathbone, 27, told Wrexham’s website .

“To have back-to-back promotions, the club is obviously doing something very right from the outside looking in. There’s nowhere I’d rather be signing.

“I’m really glad the move has been completed. It’s going to be a long season, but I’m hopeful that we’ll have another successful season.”

Wrexham confirmed it had paid a club-record fee for Rathbone, but did not disclose the amount. The club set its previous record when it paid $383,000 to sign Ollie Palmer from Wimbledon in January 2022.

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