Parkinson praises “really important” Wrexham signings as serious injury blow revealed

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson sees Issa Kabore and Jacques Ekomie as important signings, after revealing George Thomason will be out for a lengthy period.

The midfielder, who had been filling in at full-back, suffered a thigh injury during Wrexham’s 1-1 draw with Watford. Thomason is now set to be sidelined for the best part of two months. Fortunately, Wrexham have completed deals for full-backs Kabore and Ekomie, who will both offer alternative options.

“Unfortunately Tommo got injured last week, and he’s going to be out for 10 weeks,” revealed Parkinson. “Libby (Cacace) is still not right so we just couldn’t go into this period of the season with only Longy (Ryan Longman), who could play on the left.

“So they’re two really important signings because Issa can play on the left as well. It’s not totally natural to him, but he has done that in his career. So we needed to cover ourselves.”

Kabore returns to the Racecourse Ground on a permanent basis, having spent last season on loan with Wrexham. The defender joined from Manchester City for a fee £4.75 million.

“With Issa coming back,” Parkinson continued. “He was a very popular player with us last year, and I think our supporters really warmed to him.

“I think the time is right for Issa in his career to get a home now. He’s had a lot of loan moves in his career, and it’s time to really settle down and establish himself as a player.

“He’s got great energy and personality in the way that he plays. We look forward to working with him in the coming years.”

Meanwhile, Ekomie has arrived from French top-flight side Angers.

“Jacques is a similar player in many respects to Issa in the way he plays,” the Wrexham boss added. “He’s someone we’ve been working on for quite a while and faced quite a bit of competition to bring him here.

“We’re delighted to have got him over. He’s been with us for a couple of days of training and has settled in well.”