Wrexham have officially announced the signing of 23-year-old goalkeeper Luke McNicholas on loan from Sligo Rovers, bolstering the team’s goalkeeping options for the first half of the season.

The Irish shot-stopper joins after playing 26 matches in the League of Ireland Premier Division, leaving Sligo Rovers in seventh place with 10 games remaining.

He joins the Welsh club until January 2024 on a temporary basis but Wrexham have an option to buy the player when the loan expires if they so wish for £100,000, according to the Irish Independent.

This season, ‘Bit O’ Red’ have conceded 36 goals in 26 games, the fourth-worst in the league despite the potential the young player holds.

What’s been said?

On signing for Phil Parkinson’s side, Luke McNicholas said:

“I’m absolutely buzzing to be here and can’t wait to get started. The experience in the goalkeeping department at Wrexham is second to none.

“I’ve got so much to learn from all of them, and from Aidan Davison, so I know I’m going to soak it all in.”

Phil Parkinson also revealed how happy he is to add the Mayo-born keeper to his squad for the next few months:

“I’m delighted to sign Luke. He’s a good, young goalkeeper with real potential and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

McNicholas will be joining fellow Irishman James McClean at The Racecourse Ground – the former signing for the newly-promoted side just last week from Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee.

Writers view

This seems like a good decision from Wrexham to invest in a younger player who can grow into the style of Wrexham and into the quality that Parkinson needs in goal.

However, as a short-term option, it seems strange. Wrexham now have four goalkeepers that are first-team quality, the most notable being former Premier League shot-stopper Ben Foster.

It’s difficult to see McNicholas getting too much game time until January with the likes of Mark Howard, Foster and Rob Lainton all being in contention for the no.1 shirt but it’ll be interesting to see how he gets on if he does get minutes in cup games.