Ollie Palmer has now left Wrexham and joined Swindon Town, but he’s not the only player to leave the Racecourse on Friday.
After months of uncertainty, Ollie Palmer‘s future has now been decided. On Friday, Swindon Town announced the signing of Palmer after the 33-year-old fell out of contention under Phil Parkinson after the turn of the year.
Palmer leaves as a modern-day legend among Wrexham fans. The towering striker scored 44 goals in 150 games during three years at the club, but following promotion to the Championship, it was always likely that Palmer was going to move on this summer.
And ahead of the September 1st transfer deadline, there could be a few more on their way out too.
- READ MORE: Winners and losers as Ollie Palmer close to leaving Wrexham, major impacts for Paul Mullin and more
Nick Chadwick departure announced at Wrexham
Palmer, though, isn’t the only one who officially left Wrexham on Friday. Shortly before Palmer, Wrexham announced that the club’s Academy Head of Player and Pathway Development, Nick Chadwick, is leaving the club to take up a coaching position with Premier League club Everton.
Under Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, Chadwick has been instrumental in bringing the academy up to speed with where it needs to be.
Previously, the club’s youth academy was far behind that of its rival clubs. But Mac and Reynolds, along with people like Chadwick, have helped fast-track the quality of the academy, with players such as Harry Ashfield in particular making their breakthrough under Chadwick’s supervision.
- READ MORE: Winners and losers as Ollie Palmer close to leaving Wrexham, major impacts for Paul Mullin and more
What Phil Parkinson said about Wrexham’s youth academy progress
Along with many other things, the club’s youth academy has been a main source of Wrexham’s focus in recent seasons. And speaking earlier in the summer, manager Phil Parkinson gave his verdict on the matter.
Speaking from the pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, Parkinson revealed Wrexham’s plans for the youth academy, saying: “So we, or they [Reynolds and Mac] and the staff are putting a structure together to give us a great chance, and we know that the academy going forward is going to be crucial for us, because we need to produce our own players.
“But as much as we’re playing catchup at first-team level, we’ve had to play catchup in the academy as well, because we’ve only just been started it for two years and we’re competing against established teams with category one academies.”
Seeing Ashfield break through right now, and seeing Max Cleworth settle into the Championship should give the club and potential youngsters hope that Wrexham can be a good club for players to come, ply their trade and eventually get first-team exposure.
Ashfield looks like he could be another one who’s forced his way into the first-team picture and who could yet become a very valuable asset for the club.
Wrexham return to championship action against Millwall on Saturday.