During Wrexham’s pre-season tour of the USA, star striker Paul Mullin suffered a punctured lung, in a match against a Manchester United XI, but following the news, who could the Welsh side sign as a replacement?
Ahead of Tuesday’s EFL Cup match with Wigan Athletic, manager Phil Parkinson revealed the club had ‘tabled bids’ for replacements for Mullin, due to him being ruled out for the foreseeable future.
Wrexham’s first two competitive matches of the season, have proven to bring tough challengers so far. They began with a home league match against newly-relegated MK Dons, which Wrexham lost 5-3 on the opening day. This was followed by a goalless draw against Wigan Athletic in the EFL Cup, but fortunately, the Welsh side won on penalties to go into round two.
However, after watching yesterday’s cup match, it was painfully clear to me that Wrexham missed Paul Mullin, especially in the final third. Ollie Palmer had a couple of chances, with the Welsh side having a total of 20 efforts on goal, but only seven of these were on target.
This implies that Phil Parkinson’s men are missing their leading man. Across both games so far this season, Wrexham have had 43 shots at goal, with just 13 of them being on target. This means that just one in four efforts are testing the goalkeeper, with them also having a shot-on-target conversion rate of just 23%.
With that being said, let’s take a look at five potential options that Wrexham could look to land this summer…
Kabongo Tshimanga – Peterborough United
Kicking off this list we have Peterborough forward Kabongo Tshimanga, a player that has already been linked to Wrexham, despite only recently completing a permanent move to the League One side from Chesterfield.
Tshimanga scored seven goals in 17 appearances for Chesterfield last season, before completing a January switch to League One. The season before, he scored 24 in 27 for the Spireites and would almost certainly add goals to Wrexham’s forward line.
The 25-year-old is a physical presence in the final third for Posh, having both pace and the ability to hold up the ball and bring others into play. However, whether Peterborough wants to sell remains to be seen.
Luke Armstrong – Harrogate Town
Next up is another player that has reportedly been linked with Wrexham and that is Harrogate Town’s leading man Luke Armstrong.
The forward scored 16 goals and picked up six assists in 46 games in League Two last season for Harrogate as they confirmed their safety.
However, the 27-year-old has since told the club that he doesn’t want to be selected for any of their upcoming games because he wants to leave the club. This should put a side like Wrexham on high alert as they can offer him more money and a better chance of promotion.
Josh Umerah – Hartlepool United
One player that has continued to attract EFL attention is Hartlepool United striker Josh Umerah. The forward is still with John Askey’s side, despite their relegation into the National League.
Last season, Umerah scored 12 league goals and has already got a goal and assist in the National League this season, despite the club’s defeat against Barnet.
Umerah is another physical presence, who has arguably proven that he is more than capable of competing in League Two this season and should be an option that Wrexham consider.
Connor Wickham – Free Agent
Following his release from Cardiff City, former Premier League striker Connor Wickham remains without a club, with the 2023/24 campaign now firmly underway.
The 30-year-old scored six goals in 16 games for Forest Green Rovers last season, as well as a superb strike in the FA Cup. In January, Wickham joined Championship side Cardiff managing just one goal in 12 appearances before being released.
Wickham is a similar style of player to Paul Mullin and would be a significant replacement should Phil Parkinson’s side look at him as a potential option.
Charlie McNeil – Manchester United U21s
Having had Paul Mullin injured against Manchester United, one player that could replace him is United’s own Charlie McNeil, who featured in that game in the United States.
McNeil made 20 appearances in League Two last season for Newport County, scoring twice and assisting once more and has already been the subject of interest from several EFL sides this summer.
The 19-year-old has featured in the Europa League for Manchester United and is looking to have a successful run of matches this season, opening the door for Wrexham to swoop in and land the forward.
What are your thoughts on this list? Feel free to let us know on Twitter (@TheRealEFLSocial)!
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