Football League World
·17 November 2024
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·17 November 2024
Wrexham are expected to be in the market for a new striker in January, and one with second tier experience under their belt.
Wrexham suffered a significant blow regarding Jack Marriott’s first-team availability last month, but they could be in the market for a new striker in January.
According to The Athletic, the ex-Derby County striker is set to be absent for up to four months following a freak accident in training in the build-up to a 1-0 win for Wrexham over Rotherham United.
Now, Alan Nixon is reporting via his Patreon that Wrexham are set to go after a striker with Championship experience to bolster Phil Parkinson's ranks further in January. There are growing concerns around their strike force and whether they have the attacking firepower needed to secure promotion to the second tier.
Marriott had been crucial to Parkinson in the League One season, bagging five goals from 10 appearances. He joins George Evans on the treatment table as a long-term absentee, which means other forwards will have to step up in the meantime.
A fellow forward in Steven Fletcher has also spent time out with a knee problem this season. However, in recent campaigns, scoring goals has been a hallmark of Parkinson's side, with the Red Dragons netting a remarkable 296 goals over the past three years.
Central to this has been Paul Mullin, who has contributed nearly a third of those goals. His own injury issues heading into the season have held him back from hitting the heights of the last few years.
Wrexham responded to such setbacks by completing the free agent signing of former Bolton Wanderers man Jon Dadi Bodvarsson. However, the race for promotion looks as though it will be a fierce one, so Parkinson’s men must be consistent and vigilant if they are to stay in the fight for the top two places.
Since the well documented takeover by Hollywood duo Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds in 2020, the Red Dragons have made eye-catching signings, and the January window could be set for more of that in the bid to secure a third-successive promotion.
Nixon is reporting that they will be in the market for more second tier experience, with big money set aside for a deal to be made. They are planning to "spend big" across the winter transfer window, because they are "cash rich" as they plan to announce a new sponsorship deal next summer.
But their main priority is a striker with Championship experience to compete with Mullin, Marriott, Fletcher, and the like as their hunt for automatic promotion goes on. A 1-0 loss to Stockport County on Saturday highlighted their lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
The Welsh outfit managed back-to-back promotions from the fifth tier to League One in 2022 to 2023, and are currently vying for an even more impressive third promotion in a row, which would take them to the Championship.
Mullin has been Wrexham’s talisman over the past few years, but he is struggling to be the main-man in front of goal this term.
It should be said that the striker had an injury that disrupted his pre-season, so he was playing catch-up, but the reality is that one goal from 13 league games isn’t enough.
Ollie Palmer is the only fit striker to have found the net more than once with his two in the campaign. It leaves them in desperate need of additions following Marriott's injury issue, as Wrexham hunt down the likes of Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers in the race for a third promotion in as many seasons.