Furious Wrexham bosses issue statement after EFL reject record transfer

06 September 2023 , 10:56

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Furious Wrexham bosses issue statement after EFL reject record transfer

Wrexham have apologised to striker Luke Armstrong after deciding NOT to appeal his rejected transfer from Harrogate.

The Welsh side attempted to make the forward their record signing late on deadline day reported to be in the region of around £500,000. The club announced that a deal had been struck, with Harrogate also announcing his exit.

However, the deal was thrown out by the English Football League (EFL) after they missed Friday’s 11pm deadline. It was then announced that Armstrong - who scored 16 goals in League Two last term - was to remain as a Harrogate player as the agreement was null and voided.

Wrexham subsequently confirmed that they were considering an appeal and were collating all the relevant information. However, they will not be engaging in any further discussions with the EFL after it was decided that they would be unlikely to win any potential appeal.

A statement from Wrexham on Wednesday morning read: “Having reviewed the additional information received from the EFL and considered this in the context of the submission of the documents for the transfer of Luke Armstrong from Harrogate Town, the Club have determined there is no reasonable chance of success if we were to appeal the EFL’s decision to reject the transfer.

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“Now this decision has been made, we wish to apologise to Luke as we were unable to complete the transfer by the deadline and Harrogate Town, who we are sure will be as disappointed as we are that the transfer will not now be completed in this window. The Club will be reviewing the circumstances and processes that have led to this outcome with all the relevant parties.”

Wrexham agreed a deal to sign Luke Armstrong on deadline day (Getty Images)

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Armstrong will now return to Harrogate until at least January. The 27-year-old had made five appearances for the League Two side so far this season, scoring once.

He has been left out of the line-up for their last two matches - a league defeat to Barrow and an EFL Trophy victory over Nottingham Forest - as a resolution was found on his future. Armstrong could be back in action this weekend as they travel to Gillingham on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Wrexham are still without last season’s top scorer Paul Mullin. The striker scored 46 goals last term as the Welsh side gained promotion back to the Football League.

He suffered a punctured lung during a pre-season clash with Manchester United after a heavy collision with Nathan Bishop, who has subsequently moved to Sunderland. Mullin has since returned to individual training with Wrexham in need of kick-starting their season after just two wins from their opening six league games.

Daniel Orme