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Ben Foster to come out of retirement and sign for Wrexham

Goalkeeper Ben Foster makes a surprise U-turn as reports claims he’s about to come out of retirement and sign for Wrexham.

The National League leaders are expected to be without keeper Rob Lainton during the six-week period following a knee ligament injury.

The 33-year old previously missed the beginning of the season, then got his fitness back up and returned to the bench in November 2022 and had been the club’s first choice goalkeeper since February.

Rory Watson, Kai Calderbank Park and Mark Howard are all goalkeeping options available to Wrexham, reports the BBC, but it seems the club could potentially have their eyes on someone else.

Wrexham are three points ahead of Notts County, who has eight league games left, and with promotion in their sights, they will want to make sure they’ve got a squad strong enough to take them back to the EFL.

CLUB STATEMENT ON BEN FOSTER:

Wrexham AFC are delighted to confirm the signing of goalkeeper Ben Foster until the end of the season.

The experienced keeper, 39, returns to the Racecourse Ground 18 years after he last played for the Club, on a loan spell which included a starring role in the LDV Vans Trophy Final success at the Millennium Stadium.

And on his return to North Wales, Foster said: “I’m over the moon. I’ve been at the Club an hour this morning and it seems a really nice place. Everyone is down to earth and the manager’s top class.

“It’s changed a lot since I was last here, but it’s nice to be back and it’s nice to be back as a player too. It will be interesting to see how my body feels after training today! I’m looking forward to getting started.

“The first time I was here, it was genuinely the springboard to the rest of my career – on the back of the loan move, playing in the LDV Vans Trophy Final at the Millennium Stadium, I got my move to Manchester United at the start of the next season. It was absolutely bonkers!

“If you’d told me 18 years ago that I’d have gone on to have the career that I have had, I probably wouldn’t have believed you to be honest so I do owe a lot to Wrexham.”

Foster first arrived at Wrexham on loan from Stoke City, making 21 appearances in all competitions to earn his move to Old Trafford – having starred at the Millennium Stadium alongside Sir Alex Ferguson’s son Darren.

He made 23 appearances for United, and spent two seasons on loan with Watford, before moving to Birmingham City and then West Bromwich Albion.

He returned to Watford in 2018, and was an ever present in the next two Premier League campaigns, before helping the Hornets bounce back to the top flight after relegation.

Last season, he made a further 26 Premier League appearances and arrives back at Wrexham having made more than 500 club appearances, as well as earning eight England caps.

Manager Phil Parkinson said of his signing: “We’re delighted to welcome Ben to the Club.

“With Rob Lainton getting injured at the weekend, it was important we had all bases covered going into the last part of the season, which this signing ensures.”

Ben Foster recently looked back on career and revealed just a few weeks ago that Wrexham tried to bring him out of retirement, opening up in an interview with LiveScore.

The 39 year old has revealed he declined a contract with the National League leaders, who have already got people talking with the signing of a fair few League One level players.

After Watford’s relegation to Championship, the veteran keeper ended his 22-year-long career last September, and feels he made the right decision.

Speaking with LiveScore, Foster said: “Wrexham were one of the clubs I got an offer from earlier in the season.

“I had a few offers. [Wrexham] would have been cool.

“I’m over the moon for them. I actually won the LDV Vans Trophy [EFL Trophy] with Wrexham. They’ve changed the name about 700 times since then.

“It’s good to see. The thing with Wrexham is it’s such a football community and the people really care about that club.

“Even when I was there, they were going through tough times financially and had some owners they didn’t quite trust.

“It’s nice to see they’ve now got owners that really care about not only the club but the community.”

Foster revealed he previously got an offer from Newcastle and he thought about it, however decided it would not be worthwhile given he lives four hours away in the Midlands with his family.

“Deep down I didn’t want to do it [turn down Newcastle],” Foster said on Fozcast.

“It sounds mad and it’s such a hard thing to explain because there’ll be millions of people up and down the country that will say ‘you’ve just been offered a contract, a really good contract, by the richest team in the world to go and be second-choice goalkeeper and be part of something’.

“But I just didn’t want to do it, I had this deep feeling, and the wrench of it was that I’d have to move away from home, that would kill me.

“If I’m in an apartment in Newcastle by myself, away from my family, I don’t think people can understand. That’s hard to do, especially at the age I am and with everything else I’ve got going on.

“I know for a fact if I’d have gone there I’d have had an amazing time, the lads would have been absolutely brilliant and I’d have buzzed off the stadium, the fans, all that kind of stuff, but the overriding sinking feeling was ‘I don’t want to do this.’

“I was just eating my dinner and I thought ‘no, I’m not doing it’. I’ve got to be happy and comfortable and I wouldn’t be able to do that so far away from my family. It would kill me.’

Foster added: “Oh yeah, I’m double fine [about retiring]. I’m past that stage now.

“I would’ve been so stiff if I had played in that game! I know it just wouldn’t have happened.

“At the end of last season, I was still playing in the Premier League with Watford and Saturday was always a day where you felt it was all worthwhile.

“You’d get this adrenaline buzz but towards the end I just didn’t get it any more.

“Nothing has really come close to tempting me [back]. The last time I had a Premier League game is nine or 10 months now — I think the ship sailed.

“I’m at ease and at peace with that.”

This is what fans said with Ben Foster to come out of retirement and sign for Wrexham…

@WrexhamCanada: Lads, I haven’t even had my coffee this morning. I’m absolutely buzzing.

@AnthonyDav1es: I’m not ashamed to say, I’m 37 and I’ve just wet myself. OMG

@carlasmall: MASSIVE. Absolutely massive! Cannot believe it

@AdamGrif1: Friggin ledge honestly absolutely top geezer unbelievable bloke one a kind fella

@sam__wxm: If you’d have told me 5 years ago we signed Ben foster, I would’ve thought your mad, it’s mad the transformation our club has had in recent seasons – what a signing

@LiamSully81: That’ll boost his podcast ratings 👍

@Tomgodbold11: ‘The Wrexham underdog story’ continues

@josh_seward: I don’t really get the hatred of Wrexham, unless it’s just jealousy. Yes, it’s mental. No, it’s not an underdog story. But they won the lottery with their owners and they’ve more than served their time in the NL. Fair play to them. 🤷‍♂️ #WxmAFC

@RichPhillips: Great move for Ben Foster and Wrexham. Lots of content for Foster’s social media channels and exposure on welcome to Wrexham. And we get a keeper that uses his arms. Great deal all round. #WxmAFC

@SpaffNCFC: Make my fucking year if Ben foster gives a peno away against york and they loose 1-0, tramps

@elis_hxrrison11: Ben Foster coming out of retirement and joining Wrexham was not on my 2023 Bingo card

@robin_froom: Ben Foster I’m lost for words mental ⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🍺

@safetywatto: Ben Foster out of retirement & signs for Disney FC for the rest of the season. Just fk off will you, absolute joke.

@Liams1991: And the madness continues in the national league, didn’t Ben say oh I don’t need to go back into football, @BenFoster podcast and YouTube not doing too well lol ?

@LHoyle_: We’re in league two having to play 41 year old Joe Murphy or 7th tier Matheus Hewelt and these lot just sign Ben foster. Sick of it. #trfc

@g10eob: Ben foster to Wrexham no way 🤣🤣

@Abcdefgheksosd: i used to like ben foster, i now don’t like ben foster

@Ryannn_NCFC: Good christ, just get promoted already so we can piss the league next season

@1892Ben: this makes complete sense cause if you had to guess which professional player would love the wrexham project, it would be ben foster

@benpritch18: Announce @GarethBale11 💰

@JackWhitman_7: Ben Foster matchday vlogs with Ryan Reynolds? Doesn’t get better than that.

@PL2NL: Plucky underdog non league side with a striker on 10k a week and premier league keeper. Cracking work from Foster. Will boost his socials

@SuperPatVieira: Absolutely mental that a NL club has prem/champ level players ready and willing to play for them

@AmbroseBarnaby: Incredible signing at that level tbf

@nlmusings: I know this will be looked down upon by most, and each to their own. As a neutral, I find the idea of somebody like Ben Foster playing National League football really fun.

@sophierussell89: County melt down incoming 😂🔴⚪️

@bobbytomncfc: Fair play to them but no more of this “fairytale” “underdog” bollocks – absolutely no way any other team can compete when they’re making signings like this and Waters as soon as someone gets injured

@Georgeqpr_: Wrexham – if Hashtag United met Ted Lasso. Such an unlikable club.

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