Wrexham's Ambitious Defensive Signings: Kabore and Ekomie

Wrexham are closing in on a double defensive swoop that underlines just how far the club’s ambitions now stretch.

Issa Kabore is set to join the Red Dragons permanently from Manchester City, while left-back Jacques Ekomie is poised to arrive from French side Angers, strengthening both flanks ahead of the new Championship campaign.

Kabore finally cuts the cord with City

For Kabore, this is more than another move. It is the end of a long, winding road with Manchester City that never quite reached the Etihad pitch.

The Burkina Faso right-back, now 25, is on the verge of a permanent exit after seven separate loan spells away from City. The deal is worth up to £4.75m, with City inserting a 20% sell-on clause and matching rights to keep some control over his future.

Wrexham know exactly what they are buying. Kabore played 32 times in all competitions for the club in 2025-26 and became a key outlet on the right, operating as a wing-back in Phil Parkinson’s system. His eight Championship assists were more than any other Wrexham player, a statistic that underlines how much of their attacking thrust came from his flank.

He announced himself in style. On debut at Carrow Road, Kabore set up two goals in a thrilling 3-2 win over Norwich City, immediately stamping his authority on the side. From there, he barely looked back, becoming a mainstay until his season was interrupted in November.

A hamstring injury picked up on international duty with Burkina Faso halted his momentum. The lay-off was long and frustrating, but Kabore’s return came on the biggest stage, featuring again for his country at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations before rejoining Wrexham’s promotion push in the second half of the season.

His journey to this point has been nomadic. City signed him from Mechelen in 2020 and sent him straight back to the Belgian club on loan. Troyes, Marseille, Luton Town, Benfica and Werder Bremen all followed before Wrexham secured him on transfer deadline day last September. Not once did he make a senior appearance for City.

Now, after proving his worth in north Wales, he is finally about to settle.

Ekomie to reinforce the left

On the opposite side, Ekomie is being lined up to add balance and depth.

The Gabon international has entered the final year of his contract with Angers and had drawn interest from Wrexham’s Championship rivals West Ham United, as well as German club Hamburg. Wrexham have moved decisively, looking to bring him to the Racecourse Ground as part of a broader rebuild.

Left-back has been a problem area. Liberato Cacace arrived from Empoli in the summer of 2025 with high hopes, but injuries have repeatedly derailed his time in north Wales. Ekomie’s arrival would give Parkinson a more robust set of options on that flank and reduce the reliance on makeshift solutions.

If both deals are completed, Kabore and Ekomie will join an already busy summer intake that includes full-back Danny Imray, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and midfielder Ben Whiteman. The pattern is clear: Wrexham are building a Championship squad with depth, not just sentiment.

Kabore, once a perpetual loanee, is about to become a permanent pillar of that project. The question now is simple: how far can this reshaped Wrexham side push in a division they no longer intend just to survive in?