‘Hollywood had sanctioned the move,’ says Peterborough chairman, explaining how Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney missed out on Wrexham’s prolific striker after Paul Mullin was injured.
The Peterborough manager explains how Wrexham missed out on prolific scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris after Paul Mullin was injured.
Mullin was sidelined for Wrexham due to injury.
We intended to bring in a replacement.
The transfer saga on the deadline day
WHAT OCCURED? Wrexham and their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney showed late interest in 29-year-old forward Jonson Clarke-Harris, according to Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony.
The striker was expected to join League One side Bristol Rovers before the deadline, with the two clubs agreeing on a fee of around £800,000 plus £200,000. However, the deal fell through after the Peterborough chief said on the Hard Truth podcast that negotiations were moving “too slowly.” Wrexham were also interested but did not follow up on their initial inquiry.
“When a player has a disappointment like this, he can go one of two ways,” they said. He can mope or he can get his head down, score 15 goals before Christmas, and bring three or more clubs to the negotiating table.
“Rovers were the only ones who made a reasonable bid.” Wrexham called me and stated that they would make an offer, which was intriguing. It may have appeared to be an unusual move for the player, but if they acquired him, it would almost certainly mean back-to-back promotions for them, so I could understand the logic.
“Apparently, Hollywood approved the move, but they then went silent.” They never got back to me, which surprised me, especially given who they eventually sought to sign with.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Wrexham never made an official bid for the two-time Golden Boot winner, and Rovers eventually failed to get him after running out of time before the transfer window closed. They first offer £300,000 for the forward, then £500,000 before reaching the agreed-upon sum, but it was too late.
Wrexham were looking for a striker after top man Paul Mullin was injured. Following his 38 league goals last season, which helped catapult the squad back into the football league, the forward was expected to play a crucial part in this season.
However, he suffered a lung puncture during a pre-season friendly against Manchester United and has yet to return to duty despite gradually returning to training.
