Fletcher leaves Wrexham ‘not by choice’ as ambitious team rebuilds for life in Championship

WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Wrexham continued its squad reconstruction ahead of a season in the second-tier Championship by releasing one of its most renowned players — against his will.

Steven Fletcher, a former Premier League player who scored some crucial goals to help Wrexham earn a third straight promotion, took to social media to say he’d be leaving the ambitious Welsh club.

“It’s with a heavy heart, and not by choice, that I unfortunately have to announce my departure from what I can only describe as the most magical club I have ever played at!” Fletcher posted on Instagram.

The 38-year-old striker said he fell back in love with soccer by joining Wrexham, a club whose notoriety has rocketed since being bought by Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and becoming the subject of a fly-on-the-wall documentary — “Welcome to Wrexham.”

“In my 22 years of stepping onto a pitch, I have never experienced anything like this club,” the former Scotland international wrote.

“To my teammates — you are family!” he added. “I have never experienced a dressing room like it in my career, and I can’t believe I don’t get to walk in there every day next season.”

Fletcher finished a long message by thanking Reynolds and McElhenney for the opportunity to play for Wrexham.

Reynolds responded on Instagram, saying: “I don’t really know what a co-chairman is supposed to do or say in these moments and I don’t much care. I’m gonna miss you. I’ll miss your your leadership and wit and the way you remind everyone — including me — that this is also FUN.

“Like the first day we met, I’m here for you any time and any place. Always.”

Wrexham will need to improve the quality of its squad after rising to the second tier, a level the club hasn’t played since the 1980s and just one more promotion away from the Premier League.

Another striker who might be leaving is Paul Mullin, a star player in previous promotion campaigns but who was overlooked by Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson for much of the second half of the season.

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