Wrexham fans convinced they've spotted new goalkeeper as Ben Foster rules out return

Wrexham fans think they may have spotted a new goalkeeper arriving at the club following a shortage caused by injuries.

The Red Dragons are currently without their number one Arthur Okonkwo after the former Arsenal man was ruled out with a broken wrist last month.

Manager Phil Parkinson was dealt a further blow when his replacement Callum Burton suffered a torn thigh in last week's 1-0 win over Barnsley, meaning he is likely to miss the rest of the season.

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Third-choice stopper Mark Howard later stepped in and also kept a clean sheet in Saturday's victory over Burton Albion.

The goalkeeper shortage saw Parkinson add to his numbers by signing Brad Foster, who was previously on the books of Stoke City, Derby County and West Brom, on a short-term contract.

The 23-year-old was named as Wrexham's man of the match after they beat Crewe Alexandra 1-0 last night to reach the next round of the EFL Trophy.

However, it was the sighting of another player outside the Racecourse Ground which caught the eye of one eagle-eyed fan.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Gareth Edwards shared an image of an unknown player, who is said to have met with Parkinson at the game.

Other supporters quickly pointed out the mystery figure's strong likeness to young Hull City goalkeeper Thimothée Lo-Tutala.

The 21-year-old enjoyed an impressive loan spell at Doncaster Rovers in League Two last season, recording nine shut-outs in 20 matches.

One of those came against Wrexham in a 1-0 win for Rovers in April as he pulled off an excellent save deep into added time to deny Steven Fletcher.

Lo-Tutala signed a contract extension in the summer to keep him at Hull until at least 2028.

It remains to be seen if he will be coming to Wrexham or in what capacity, but one person who has ruled himself out of a third spell with the club is former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster.

The 41-year-old is a popular figure with fans after helping Parkinson's side to lift the National League title in 2023.

However, speaking to sports presenter Will Brazier, he firmly dismissed the idea of coming out of retirement again, saying: “Definitely not - not this time around.”

Recalling how he found out about Burton's injury, Foster said: “We did a podcast in Plymouth with Andre Gray, and we were riding back in the car.

“We were listening to a bit of the commentary, and they just said the goalie (Burton) has gone down injured.

“Mark Howard came on and Chomp (Howard) is a good goalie anyway to be fair to him, so no, it won't happen again.”

Foster initially joined Wrexham on a short-term basis as he helped them beat Notts County to the title in 2023.

Despite signing a one-year extension that summer, a rocky start to life in League Two saw him retire for a second time after conceding 13 goals in four matches.

Reflecting on his decision, Foster said he felt it was the best solution for all parties as he struggled for form.

He said: “It got to the point where I was letting in goals, and I just knew the old me would have saved them. I felt like I was letting the players down a little bit and I felt like I was letting the fans down.

“I thought that another goalie with a bit more spring in their step should be able to save that so maybe hand the reins over to somebody else.

“Chomp came in and played a few games, then they signed Arthur on loan from Arsenal, and Arthur has done so well.

“He’s really established himself as a proper goalkeeper, so I think it probably worked out best for everybody.”

Foster insists he has no regrets about his second stint at Wrexham after first playing for them in the mid-2000s.

He added: “The experience of seeing how it all operates, and how many people it's touched is phenomenal. We went out to America and saw the fanfare out there.

“The amount of people that come up to me still to this day and say that Notts County penalty save was just out of this world. Even I look back at it sometimes on video, and it gives me goosebumps.”