Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has confirmed that he hopes to keep the core of his promotion-winning squad with no less than nine players contracts expiring in the summer.
The Welsh side secured their second successive promotion with a resounding 6-0 win over relegation candidates Forest Green Rovers last weekend. With club top scorer Paul Mullin, the joint-second highest scorer in League Two, adding two more goals to his account to take him to 23 for the season. It’s highly likely that Mullin will be in a Wrexham shirt next season, but the same can’t be said about some of his teammates.
Goalkeepers Mark Howard, Rob Lainton and Liam Hall, defenders Callum McFadzean, Aaron Hayden, Jordan Tunnicliffe and Ben Tozer, and midfielders James McClean and Luke Young all have contracts expiring at the end of the season.
First-choice goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, on loan from Arsenal will also see his loan expire, with his parent club yet to offer him a new deal despite his contract expiring this summer. He’s played 34 league matches this campaign, gaining 13 clean sheets in the process.
The Red Dragons have received plenty of attention as a result of their upward trajectory since being purchased by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020, including the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ Television series.
Parkinson’s side have won their last three matches in a row and speaking via the BBC, he confirmed he was hoping to keep most of his current squad for next season:
“We’ve got a lot of players out of contract, so we need to sit down and resolve that,”
“Our first job is treating the out-of-contract players respectfully. Last year we didn’t have many out of contract, but this year is different.”
“Those talks are important and it is important that we get them done sooner rather than later.”
The 56-year-old continued:
“The massive challenge for us is, can we build this squad strongly to challenge in League One, and I am really looking forward to taking on that challenge throughout the summer months.”
Their final two games in the fourth tier sees Wrexham travel to Crewe Alexandra before hosting League Two Winners Stockport County at the Racecourse Ground in the final game of the season in what is sure to be a celebration for both sides.
Writer’s View
A lot of teams will get promoted and somewhat disregard the very same players that got them on that upward trajectory. Wrexham get both good and bad attention due to their new found fame but keeping the core of the squad is definitely a positive for them and their fans.
If, and it’s a big if, they can get Arthur Okonkwo on a permanent in the summer and make a few new signings to add to the quality, then they’ll already give themselves a decent chance at establishing themselves as one of the top sides in League One.
