Connah’s Quay Nomads pay five-figure transfer fee for former Crewe Alexandra forward

Connah’s Quay Nomads have paid a five-figure transfer fee to sign Marine forward Jordan Hodkin, despite the player only joining the National League North club from Crewe Alexandra this summer.

The Cymru Premier side have moved to bring Hodkin to Wales after making a significant financial commitment for the former Crewe Alexandra forward.

Marine will receive an undisclosed five-figure fee, along with significant performance-related add-ons and a percentage of any future transfer fee involving the player.

Connah’s Quay Nomads agree five-figure deal for Jordan Hodkin

Hodkin only joined Marine from League Two outfit Crewe Alexandra on a free transfer during the summer, but his short spell with the club has now come to an end after Connah’s Quay showed their desire to secure his services.

The forward has made five appearances for Marine so far this season, starting twice and coming off the bench on three occasions. He is yet to score for the club.

However, Hodkin arrives at Connah’s Quay with senior EFL experience already under his belt.

Jordan Hodkin’s Crewe Alexandra and Marine record

Hodkin made three first-team appearances for Crewe Alexandra, with two of those coming in the EFL Trophy and another in the EFL Cup.

He also found the net for Crewe in a 3-1 victory over Burton Albion in November 2025.

Hodkin came through the academy at Crewe Alexandra and gained his first taste of senior football through a series of loan moves.

The forward spent time with Leek Town, Nantwich Town and Bamber Bridge on loan. His move to Marine in the summer was designed to provide him with a platform to play regular senior football, but his performances have now earned him the chance to return to top-flight football with Connah’s Quay.

The deal also represents a strong piece of business for Marine, who have secured a five-figure return on a player they signed on a free transfer only months ago.

What Marine said about the transfer

Marine director of football Jimmy Holmes said the club had been impressed by Hodkin from the moment he arrived and would not stand in the way of the opportunity to return to the professional game.

“Jordan joined us late in pre-season, but it was immediately clear that he possessed all the attributes required to kick on and succeed in his career.

“As a club, we are committed to providing a genuine platform for players to transition into full-time professional football, and we will never stand in the way of an opportunity like this for a young player.”

John Disney wants more firepower despite Nomads’ clinical start

Connah’s Quay first-team manager John Disney said the club had been monitoring Hodkin since his departure from Crewe and moved quickly to secure his signature after interest emerged in some of their own players late in the transfer window.

“Jordan is a player we have kept our eye on since his departure from Crewe, including whilst he was on trial at other clubs in pre-season,” he said on the official club website.

“With us gaining some interest in a number of our current playing squad late on in the transfer window, we had to try to act to protect and continually try to improve ourselves.

“We are grateful that our owner has backed us to go ahead with this move and, at 19, Jordan is exactly the type of person and professional that we are looking for recruitment-wise when trying to further develop our hybrid programme.”

Despite Connah’s Quay already being the league’s top scorers, Disney believes there is still room for improvement in the final third.

The Nomads boss wants greater competition for places in his forward line and sees Hodkin as a player capable of providing that, with the 19-year-old bringing senior experience alongside a strong goalscoring record from his time in youth football.

Disney is hopeful Hodkin can continue his development at Connah’s Quay and make an immediate impact after joining a young and ambitious first-team squad.

He added: “After speaking with Marine directly who have only worked with Jordan for a short while with great professionalism they gave us the green light to speak to Jordan and his agent knowing this was a full time opportunity for himself and his passion to remain in full time football was evident and clear to see from the moment I met him and I know he is extremely looking forward to testing himself in the Cymru Premier.

“We have started well so far this season, and although we are the league’s top scorers, I still feel that in forward areas we can be much more clinical than we have been.

“With Jordan giving much needed competition for places we have a dynamic forward player with some experience in the senior game and his goal scoring record in youth football is there for everyone to see, we hope Jordan can keep continuing his development with ourselves and I have no doubt he will hit the ground running as he now joins up with the rest of our young, hungry and ambitious first team squad.”