Former Wigan Athletic and Rangers star joins Wrexham ahead of Championship bow
Former Wigan Athletic forward Josh Windass pledged to 'win the respect of m,y team-mates' after joining Championship new-boys Wrexham on a three-year deal.
The 31-year-old left Sheffield Wednesday by mutual consent after the Owls repeatedly failed to pay their players their wages on time.
There were eerie similarities to the situation at WIgan two summers ago, which saw Will Keane and Jack Whatmough join Preston North End and Jamie McGrath return to Scotland with Aberdeen.
James McClean also left Latics in the summer of 2023, although Latics at least received a transfer fee from Wrexham.
And Windass could not hide his delight at joining McClean at the North Wales outfit, who have won three promotions on the spin under manager Phil Parkinson.
“I’m looking forward to getting going," said Windas. "I’ve spoken to the manager, who has shown me his plans for the season and what he expects from the group, and I’ve really bought into that.
“I’d describe myself as honest and hard-working, I like to contribute goals and assists from midfield and that’s what I’m looking to bring to Wrexham.
“First and foremost, I want to get into the team and earn the respect of my team-mates – I want to be professional, be someone to look up to and then get the team as high up the league as possible.”
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said: “I’m delighted to welcome Josh to the club. He’s a player with a lot of Championship experience and I’m looking forward to working with him over the coming seasons.”
Windass joined Latics from Scottish giants Rangers in the summer of 2018 for a fee believed to be in the region of £2.5million.
He moved to Wednesday shortly after Latics had been placed into administration by former owners IEC in the summer of 2020 for a knockdown fee of around £800,000.
Windass had taken to social media to say an emotional farewell to the Wednesday fans.
He wrote: “I can't explain just how much I have enjoyed playing for this club, representing the badge and the people of Sheffield. I will never ever forget Sheffield Wednesday and for sure I'll be a fan for life. Thank you again and hopefully I'll see you again soon.”