Three games into the Championship season and Wrexham still haven't won one. Phil Parkinson's answer? Two signings in a single day, with the September 1 deadline breathing down his neck.
Wing-back Issa Kaboré is back at the Racecourse Ground on a permanent three-year deal, ending the will-he-won't-he saga that's followed the 25-year-old since his loan spell last season. He played 32 games for Parkinson, predominantly on the right, and helped the club finish seventh in the Championship. The Burkina Faso international made no secret of why he returned: "Everybody knows our ambition is to get to the Premier League, and I'm here to fight for that promotion."
Good. Because Wrexham need that energy right now.
Ekomié Fills the Left Back Problem
The second arrival is Jacques Ekomié, a 23-year-old left back from Ligue 1 side Angers, signed on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The Gabon international made 33 appearances for Angers last season and slots into a position that's been a headache since New Zealand international Liberato Cacace picked up the injury that derailed his entire debut campaign in 2025/26. George Thomason has been covering there — that stopgap arrangement is now officially over.
"I want to achieve great things at Wrexham. I think it's an ambitious project," Ekomié said. The word "ambitious" does a lot of work when you're talking about a club co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, still chasing their first top-flight appearance in decades. Whether that ambition translates into results is the only question that matters right now.
Birmingham Up Next, Injury List Still Ugly
Both players could feature against Tom Brady's Birmingham City on Friday — registration and international clearance permitting. That's a significant caveat, and Parkinson will know better than to count on either being available from the first whistle.
What he definitely can't count on: Thomason, Cacace, and midfielder Ben Sheaf, all sidelined through injury. Josh Windass — the club's top scorer last season — is a game-time call. That's a thin squad going into a match against a Birmingham side with their own celebrity ownership narrative and something to prove.
Kaboré's reintegration also isn't straightforward. Danny Imray, signed from Crystal Palace this summer, has already posted a goal and an assist from the right side of midfield in three games. He's not moving for anyone without a fight.
Wrexham went out of the EFL Cup 1-0 to Middlesbrough, drew 1-1 with Cardiff, drew 1-1 with Watford. A team that finished seventh last season and backed themselves in the transfer market is currently sitting on one point. Their promotion odds won't hold at any appealing price for long if Friday goes the same way — but two new defenders and a still-fragile injury list mean the margin for error remains tighter than the club would admit.
