Wrexham strikers Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer find themselves out of favour under Phil Parkinson as the season heads towards its conclusion.
Wrexham are chasing promotion once again with these end-of-season run-ins becoming quite the occurrence for supporters.
Wycombe Wanderers beat Rotherham United on Tuesday night, bumping Wrexham back down to second place.
The coming weeks will be nail-biting and nerve-shredding for Wrexham fans but the last few years have at least prepared supporters for the ups and downs to come.
The strange aspect this season is that Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin aren’t involved.
Palmer and Mullin have fired Wrexham to back-to-back promotions but the two strikers curiously find themselves out of favour right now.
How AFC Wimbledon reacted to Ollie Palmer exit
The pair haven’t played a single League One minute since the end of the January transfer window.
Wrexham fans are delighted with another promotion push but questions over Palmer and Mullin continue to dominate conversation.
Both strikers may well have played their final games for Wrexham at this rate and two absolute heroes could end up leaving fairly quietly.
Last week, we looked back at how Mullin left Parkinson surprised upon his Wrexham arrival.
Mullin’s signature really turned heads as the Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds project began, but it was Palmer who shattered the club’s transfer record in January 2022.
Wrexham coughed up £300,000 to sign Palmer from AFC Wimbledon with the striker viewed as the ideal partner for Mullin.
That has proven to be the case in the three years since Palmer left AFC Wimbledon for a move to North Wales.
AFC Wimbledon chief executive Joe Palmer told BBC Sport that Wrexham not only offered a ‘substantial’ fee for Palmer, but also made him an ‘irresistible’ contract offer.
The Dons accepted that they just couldn’t match Wrexham’s offer and couldn’t stand in Palmer’s way.
“Wrexham offered a substantial fee for Ollie – and also made him an irresistible personal offer,” said Palmer.
“In the end, though, it was entirely Ollie’s decision to leave. We couldn’t have offered him anywhere near what he was being offered and the last thing we wanted to do was force him to stay against his will. That wouldn’t have been in anyone’s best interests,” he added.
READ MORE: Ollie Palmer: Profile, Height, Transfer, Salary, Net Worth, Clothing
Ollie Palmer deal was a sign of things to come
Mullin’s arrival was a real statement but his contract at Cambridge United had come to an end – it was another thing entirely to go and slap a hefty transfer fee on the table.
This was ultimately a sign of things to come for Wrexham with other clubs left blown away by the financial power at the STōK Cae Ras.
Mansfield Town’s Nigel Clough admitted being unable to compete with Wrexham over the signing of Lewis Brunt.
Peterborough United also wanted Brunt with Darragh MacAnthony suggesting that Wrexham offered to pay him £3,000-a-week more to join from Leicester City.
Championship side Oxford United missed out on Ryan Longman in January with boss Gary Rowett admitting his interest but hinting that Wrexham blew him away.
Reading explained selling Sam Smith to Wrexham by confirming that a ‘handsome offer’ just couldn’t be turned down.
Wrexham continue to show financial prowess and bolster Parkinson’s squad with major additions.
Big signings were made before Palmer but the desire to break the club’s record on a then-League One striker was a major signal of intent.
Palmer’s Wrexham career may well be coming to an end, but his impact on this Wrexham rise will never be forgotten – and he was certainly £300,000 well spent.