Wrexham, currently in the EFL Championship, has emerged as a success story over the last few years due to their three straight promotions. And, the team, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, are set to be without their captain from now on.
Wrexham Lose Captain to Northern Irish Team
Earlier on Saturday, Jan. 17, former Wrexham captain James McClean sealed a free transfer to Northern Irish side Derry City, based in his hometown, on a multi-year deal. He is set to play alongside his brother Patrick, who arrived from Sligo Rovers earlier on Thursday.
McClean, who will turn 37 this April, left Wrexham after making 19 overall appearances for the Welsh outfit in the ongoing 2025-26 campaign. He joined Wrexham from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2023 and was subsequently named their club captain in 2024.
Overall, the former Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion winger featured in 108 matches across competitions for Reynolds’ side. He found the back of the opposition net eight times and laid out 23 assists for them, helping in two stellar back-to-back promotions.
Upon re-joining Derry City a whopping 14-and-a-half years later, McClean asserted that he is excited to begin his second spell at his new club after heaping praise on Wrexham.
“It’s a bit surreal that it’s here and it’s happened, but I can’t wait to get started. Wrexham and how they have dealt with this, absolute touch of class, they made it as easy as possible to come home. I spoke to the manager and I told him, the place I want to go is home,” the former 103-cap Republic of Ireland international said.
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McClean, who has made 158 Premier League appearances in his playing career, concluded, “I like challenges in my career and this is now probably one of the best challenges I get to take on. This is the last club of my career, this is where I am ending my career. If I was to win a league title here and go out in that way, I couldn’t write the script any better.”
The 36-year-old winger previously played for Derry City between 2008 and 2011, winning a League of Ireland First Division title in 2010. He scored 20 goals and provided 11 assists in 88 games across competitions during his first spell at the Northern Irish side.
The former Wrexham star moved to Sunderland prior to the start of the 2011-12 campaign. He joined Wigan in 2013 before securing a transfer to West Bromwich in 2015. He featured for Stoke City between 2018 and 2021 and had a second spell at Wigan until 2023.
