Ryan Reynolds told he's wasted £4m as Wrexham deals ripped to shreds - 'Not done a thing'

Wrexham have been warned that two of their new big money signings could be over the hill. The Red Dragons have been on a spending spree this summer after gaining promotion to the Championship in April.

Manager Phil Parkinson has recruited eight players during the current transfer window. Six new faces started in Wrexham's opening game at Southampton on Saturday, which ended in a dramatic 2-1 defeat for the Welsh club.

Parkinson's side took the lead in the first half through a Josh Windass penalty, but late goals from Ryan Manning and Jack Stephens saw the Saints grab victory. Wrexham's two latest arrivals, former Leicester defender Conor Coady and ex-Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore, were both in the starting XI at St. Mary's after being bought for £2million each.

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The arrival of two players with plenty of Premier League and Championship experience between them has largely been seen as a positive by supporters. However, former Wales striker Iwan Roberts has criticised the signing of the pair after raising major doubts about their recent track records.

The ex-Leicester and Norwich frontman labelled Coady as being "past his prime", while questioning Moore's goalscoring abilities. The latter has already suffered a setback after being taken off with an ankle ligament injury during the second half of Wrexham's loss at Southampton.

Speaking on the BBC's Feast of Football podcast, Roberts said: "I'm not too sure of these two signings if I'm being totally honest with you. He (Coady) hasn't done a thing at Leicester for two years.

"If you ask any Leicester fan if they will lose sleep over losing Conor Coady, and they've got £2million for him, they will say that no, they won't.

"He hardly kicked the ball in the season when they won the Championship. Last season, he was involved in 22 Premier League games in the second-worst defence in the league. I think he's past his prime."

He added: "I do a Monday night programme at the King Power looking back at the weekend's fixtures. I think in that first season, he was on that show more than he was playing for Leicester."

Coady has made nearly 200 Premier League appearances in his career, having turned out for Wolves, Everton, and Leicester. The 32-year-old centre-back arrived in North Wales after Wrexham fought off interest from Scottish giants Rangers to secure his signature.

Moore scored five goals in 27 appearances for Sheffield United in the second tier last season as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the top flight after losing to Sunderland in the play-off final. The 33-year-old is another player with Premier League pedigree from his time at Bournemouth, but Roberts doesn't believe he is prolific enough in front of goal.

"With the Kieffer one, he's 33 and in the third-best team in the league in Sheffield [United] last season, he only scored five goals in 27 appearances," he said. "I think he works a little bit too hard outside the width of the penalty box.

"He's six foot five and is an absolute specimen. I feel bad saying this, because he's been unbelievable for Wales. But I watch him in the penalty box and when the ball's coming down the right hand side, he drifts to the middle of the goal.

"I'm screaming, 'Stay out, let the ball cross in, and then go and attack it.' For me, he gets caught underneath the ball when the ball's crossed. Then it's a battle with the centre half and who's the strongest."

Roberts added: "I don't think that at six foot five, he uses all this physicality and all his natural attributes to score enough goals with his head, but it could be a different story if he's got a partner to play with."

Wrexham's next game sees them take on Hull City at home in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening. Parkinson's side will then face West Brom at the Racecourse in their latest league fixture on Saturday.

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