EFL rule means 5 Wrexham players will need to be sold, axed or loaned out by Phil Parkinson in 2025

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Wrexham’s promotion to the Championship and recent transfer activity will have an impact on several players at the club.

The Red Dragons are now set to compete in the second tier of English football next month following their third successive promotion.

Wrexham will play Southampton in their opening Championship fixture, and Ben Foster has shared his prediction for the game.

Ahead of their first campaign in England’s second division for over forty years, the Welsh outfit have been active in the transfer market.

Wrexham have broken their transfer record twice, adding a total of six new players to their squad so far.

It now means they have an inflated squad, and some players will not be able to play league football in the 2025/26 season.

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EFL Championship squad rules to impact Wrexham

In League One, Wrexham could register a 22-man squad, which did not have to include goalkeepers, no matter their age.

Championship teams are allowed to register a 25-man squad, but unlike League One, goalkeepers must be registered if they are 21 or over.

The differing squad rules between the second and third tiers are explained in the official EFL handbook:

“44.9.1 Clubs shall be permitted to name up to a maximum number of Players in their Squad List based on the following provisions: (a) in respect of Championship Clubs, 25 Players of which a minimum of 8 must be a Home Grown Player; and (b) in respect of League One and Two Clubs 22 Players of which a minimum of 8 must be a Home Grown Player.

“44.9.2 The following Players do not need to be included in the Squad List to be eligible to play in League Matches: (a) in respect of Championship Clubs, any Under 21 Player (save for any Under 21 Player who is registered with the Club on a Temporary Loan Transfer); and (b) in respect of League One Clubs and League Two Clubs: (i) any Under 21 Players; and (ii) goalkeepers.”

At present, despite Wrexham releasing eight players in May and moving on a few more names, including the likes of Paul Mullin, Phil Parkinson currently has 30 players aged 21 or above in his squad:

It means five of those aforementioned names will need to be sold, loaned, or left out of Wrexham’s 25-man Championship squad in the first half of 2025/26 – clubs can submit a new squad after the winter transfer window each season.

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5 most likely players to leave Wrexham

Parkinson could keep players at the club and just not register them in the league – we saw cases of this in 2024/5 with the likes of Anthony Forde and Will Boyle.

But it does seem likely that several names will need to be moved on before the transfer deadline on September 1, especially if Wrexham sign any more players this summer.

Jake Bickerstaff was training with Oldham Athletic earlier this month and he does look set to leave.

But that still leaves another four players who won’t make the Championship squad in the coming months.

With Wrexham planning to spend £10m on a striker, Ollie Palmer, Modou Faal and perhaps Jack Marriott could be loaned or sold.

Jacob Mendy didn’t play a single minute of League One football last term, so it seems clear he won’t feature in the Championship, especially after the addition of Cacace.

Similarly, George Evans had a reduced role in 2024/25, and Wrexham have since added a further two central midfielders to their ranks – three if Windass plays deeper.