Wrexham Confirm Emotional Exit of Back-to-Back Promotion Winner

Success was often intertwined with a penchant for outspoken comments.

Ryan Reynolds (left) oversaw the exit of James McClean this weekend. | Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/Getty Images

Wrexham captain James McClean had his contract terminated by mutual consent to facilitate his immediate return back to his boyhood club Derry City this weekend.

The widely experienced Republic of Ireland international still had 18 months left on a deal which he only extended in August after first joining the upwardly mobile Welsh outfit when they were in League Two in 2023.

McClean’s industrious performances at left wingback helped Wrexham complete successive promotions, climbing up to the heady heights of the Championship. The former Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion wide man, who amassed 158 Premier League appearances, belatedly began to slow down this season. Now 36, McClean started just 10 of Wrexham’s first 26 Championship fixtures before his return to Derry was confirmed.

“I had a good chat with Jimmy last week,” Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson told the club’s official website. “The time is right for him and his family. He always wanted to settle back in his hometown and he has the opportunity to finish his career there.

“He’s been a great servant to the club, and we’ve really enjoyed working with him. He’s been an important player over the last few years for us, with his drive, determination, mentality, and his professionalism, and we wish him and his family all the best.”

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Wrexham Say Goodbye to Another Character

James McClean helped Wrexham climb out of League One last season. | Robbie Jay Barratt-AMA/Getty Images

McClean’s departure comes shortly after it was confirmed that fan favorite Elliot Lee would also be allowed to leave the club. While McClean missed out on National League promotion which Lee so enjoyed, the outspoken Irishman had fostered a strong fanbase in north Wales.

Never one to bite his tongue, McClean has routinely come under scrutiny for his refusal to wear a Remembrance Day poppy. He has also previously likened British soldiers to “terrorists” and derided Shrewsbury as a “cesspit full of inbreds” earlier this year.

Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has previously painted a flattering image of his “grumpy” captain. “There is a burning, fearsome, 5000 kelvin oven inside that guy that is remarkable, and one of my favorite players to watch,” the actor said of McClean on the Fearless in Devotion podcast over the summer.

“I grew up as the youngest of four boys, right, I have a people-pleasing gene in me somewhere. I always love the guys that don’t have that. I gravitate towards grumpy people,” he continued before likening McClean to one of his Hollywood co-stars.

“Samuel L. Jackson can be a grumpy person and he’s one of my favorite human beings on planet Earth because of it. I love it. James has a bit of that.”

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Emotional Homecoming for McClean

As much as Wrexham fans will be saddened to lose a defining figure of the last two-and-a-half years, McClean’s return to Derry has been half a decade in the making.

The proud Irishman made his senior debut for his boyhood club in 2008 as a steely 19-year-old. McClean would amass 88 appearances for the Candystripes over three years before joining Sunderland.

“While one chapter closes another one re-opens,” McClean wrote on Instagram. “15 years away its [sic] home time. This club means everything to me and i [sic] will give everything off me to try and help this club achieve [sic] success!”

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