Wrexham are on the verge of landing one of English football's most respected recruitment minds, with Newcastle United's head of recruitment Steve Nickson set to become the Welsh club's first sporting director.

Nickson is expected to depart Newcastle United this summer after 15 years with the Magpies, and is poised to formally join Wrexham in September in a newly-created role. Although Newcastle United have yet to officially confirm his exit, the deal is understood to be all but finalised.

A key figure behind Newcastle's transfer successes

During his long tenure at St James' Park, Nickson was central to several landmark signings. He played a pivotal role in bringing Joelinton to Newcastle United from Hoffenheim for £40 million in 2019, orchestrated the record-breaking arrival of Miguel Almiron that same year, and was instrumental in securing Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon in 2022.

His work earned him glowing praise from Magpies manager Eddie Howe and former director Amanda Staveley, who once described him as "amazing." Staveley previously said:

"Fortunately, we have an amazing head of recruitment in Steve Nickson, who has been with the club for a long time and has a really deep knowledge of the player markets. So we were able to quickly put together a transfer committee."

Nickson also attracted interest from recently relegated West Ham United before Wrexham moved to secure his services.

Ambition drives Wrexham's appointment

Wrexham view this appointment as a statement of intent as the club targets a place in the Premier League. Nickson will work closely alongside manager Phil Parkinson, who has been kept regularly informed throughout the recruitment process and is expected to make full use of the incoming director's experience.

His precise responsibilities are still to be confirmed, though he is expected to oversee transfer activity and broader football operations at the club.

Three promotions, and now a Championship challenge

Parkinson has overseen three successive promotions at Wrexham between 2023 and 2025. In their first Championship season since 1981-82, the Red Dragons finished seventh last term — narrowly missing out on the play-offs on the final day of the regular season.

The club are yet to make any signings this summer. However, Parkinson took a 28-man squad to the United States for pre-season fixtures against Leeds United, Liverpool, and Sunderland. Speaking after a 1-0 friendly victory over Manchester United in Helsinki, the manager made clear that reinforcements are coming.

"We feel we've got areas in the squad where we're light in terms of taking on the challenge of the Championship, which is a relentless league," Parkinson said. "There's areas which we feel we need to improve. We've identified those since the start of summer and we're working towards that."

Wrexham open their competitive campaign at Middlesbrough in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Friday, 7 August, before kicking off their Championship season at Cardiff City Stadium on Monday, 17 August.