Gillingham FC should take advantage of Wrexham player situation with eye-catching transfer | OneFootball

Gillingham need goals, and with Wrexham burdened with a surplus of strikers, a move for Paul Mullin could deliver the EFL transfer coup of the summer.

With Gillingham’s 2024-25 League Two campaign now done and dusted, the attention turns to the transfer market as fans await news of the club’s first summer acquisitions.

After another season blighted by a lack of goals, strengthening the club’s firepower will be one of the key aims as manager Gareth Ainsworth and the club’s head of recruitment Andy Hessenthaler get to work on securing crucial new signings for next season.

And with Gillingham failing to see a player hit double figures in the league in each of the last four seasons, that need for a prolific goalscorer is uppermost in the fans’ minds as the summer transfer window looms.

Strikers who consistently find the net regularly don’t grow on trees, and clubs typically aren’t keen to let them go. But sometimes, a player’s circumstances at a club change and a quality finisher becomes available. And that could be the case this summer with Wrexham striker Paul Mullin.

Paul Mullin: From prolific to passed over

Mullin hit 32 goals in 46 League Two games for Cambridge United before dropping down to the National League with Wrexham and helping fire the Red Dragons back into the EFL, with 64 league goals across two seasons.

His goalscoring didn't slow down in League Two, as he contributed 24 league goals from his 38 appearances to help Wrexham to immediate promotion to League One. But, as the Welsh club has moved up the divisions, they have also looked to refresh and upgrade their forward line.

And with Wrexham boss, Phil Parkinson, selecting Jay Rodriguez and Sam Smith, and with Steven Fletcher and Jack Marriott on the bench, Mullin and his former strike partner Ollie Palmer have both found themselves out in the cold. Indeed, neither man has played in the league for Wrexham since the end of January.

That fact, coupled with the club’s links to even more attacking reinforcements this summer, suggests that Mullin and Palmer may potentially become available for transfer, if the price was right.

Gillingham would have to clear significant personal and financial hurdles to land Paul Mullin

Mullin is under contract, so will require an approach to Wrexham, and a transfer fee. But in the case of Mullin, that outlay might be exactly what’s needed to bring a proven goalscorer to Priestfield.

There are certainly obstacles in the way of a potential move. There are sure to be plenty of League One clubs who are weighing up a possible approach for Mullin, and with Gillingham still mired in League Two, swapping the Championship for League Two would represent a significant drop down for the striker.

He dropped down the divisions before to sign for Wrexham, but that was a one-off opportunity. It’s unclear whether he’d do something similar to join the Gills

Then there’s the geography issue. Mullin is a Liverpudlian who found the move to Wrexham suited his family perfectly. A chunky pay cheque at Wrexham probably didn’t hurt, either. He’d almost certainly have to take a pay cut to join Gillingham, and it would be a significant move for him to uproot his young family to move to Kent.

Lure of first-team football could make the improbable possible

But with Mullin not getting football at his current club, and the Gills in desperate need for a talismanic goalscorer to lead the line, a move for Mullin might be something that appeals to Gillingham owner Brad Galinson, who is desperate to see the Gills make upward progress after a rocky couple of seasons.

A bold approach from Galinson, and a great sales job by the infectiously enthusiastic Ainsworth, might stir some interest and give the Gills a chance to make what would surely be the most audacious League Two signing of the summer a possibility.

It’s a long shot, but it’s one that could pay huge dividends if Galinson and Ainsworth could pull it off.