Aaron Cresswell is leaving West Ham United this summer but – make no mistake – a 35-year-old left-back with over 300 Premier League appearances is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Speaking ahead of the Hammers’ final game of the top-flight season – Aaron Cresswell signed off in ‘fitting’ circumstances with a trip to his old employers Ipswich Town – the former England international admitted he is keen to keep going and extend an already lengthy CV.
Cresswell made 18 Premier League appearances across the 2024/25 campaign, after all.
And, having adapted nicely to a more central-defensive role in recent times, the decline in his physical attributes has been covered up somewhat by a shift away from his old buccaneering, touchline-treading tendencies.
The Sun reporter Alan Nixon, via his official Patreon account, claims that Leeds United could offer Cresswell the chance to stay in the big time.
The alternative is a first season in the Championship since 2013/14. Ambitious, newly-promoted Wrexham are hoping to do what they have done throughout the transformative Ryan Reynolds – Rob McElhenny era and bring another highly-experienced, big-name acquisition to the Racecourse Ground.
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Aaron Cresswell urged to join Wrexham after West Ham United exit
Lee Hendrie, once of Aston Villa and Sheffield United and now a pundit on Sky Sports, downplays concerns around Cresswell’s age while talking up his potential value to a Wrexham outfit preparing for their greatest challenge yet after three successive promotions.
“Aaron Cresswell is 35 years of age. He comes with loads of experience,” Hendrie tells Football League World. “For someone like Wrexham, coming into the Championship, I think it will work well because of his experience alone.
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“He’d be a good addition. A good footballer, there’s no doubt about that. And I feel that he could drop into the Championship and be a very good player for them.
“On a free transfer, 35, experienced; why wouldn’t they take him on? I think it’d be a good signing for the Welsh side.”
Interestingly, Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson did set up his side with a back three during their promotion-winning campaigns out of League Two and League One.
Cresswell could slot in nicely, then, as a left-sided centre-back. A role which should give him the freedom to fizz those left-footed passes into midfield, while also ensuring he is not expected to go from box-to-box for 90 minutes on end.
Cresswell open to Ipswich Town return after 11 years with the Hammers
The Conference League champion is not closing the door on a return to Portman Road, meanwhile, with the Ipswich Town fans divided on an Aaron Cresswell homecoming.
“First and foremost I’m definitely carrying on [in football]. There’s no doubt about that,” Cresswell explained to the East Anglian Daily Times last week. “I still feel like I’ve got a lot to offer on and off the pitch.
Once a Hammer, always a Hammer. ❤️
Leaving with the legacy of a legend, after 11 years in Claret and Blue.
Thank you, Aaron Cresswell. ⚒ pic.twitter.com/SZMUZZWiX2
— West Ham United (@WestHam) May 16, 2025
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“Towards the back end of the season, I’ve managed to play a lot of games under the new manager that’s come in, whether that’s at left-back or left side of a three.
“Let’s see what happens in the summer.”
The similarly out-of-contract Danny Ings has been linked with Wrexham, too. As for Lukasz Fabianski – the veteran goalkeeper set to depart this summer along with Vladimir Coufal – West Ham’s long-serving glovesman has rejected a return to Poland with Legia Warsaw.