There’s a growing list of players, who are now former Wrexham players, who unfortunately fell out of contention under Phil Parkinson.
One of the symptoms of Wrexham’s unprecedented rise up the Football League is that players will quickly fall out of favour, and leave the club.
Names like Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer can go from being indispensable players one season, to not being able to get in the matchday squad the next season.
This summer has seen more examples with Eoghan O’Connell leaving Wrexham this week; he was an integral player last season but was nowhere near the squad this time round.
Expect more to come in the following weeks and months, too. Wrexham recently announced their Championship squad for 2025/26 and last season’s Player of the Season, Ollie Rathbone, has even been left out of the squad list entirely.
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Former Wrexham player Jon Dadi Bodvarsson is banging in the goals
One player who arrived at the Racecourse with plenty of pedigree, but who eventually left as a something of a flop, was Jon Dadi Bodvarsson. The Icelandic striker is as experienced as they come in the Football League. But he managed just four League One games for Wrexham last season, without scoring, and then being allowed to join Burton Albion on a free transfer.
But the now 33-year-old enjoyed a rejuvenation with Burton Albion in League One in the second half of last season, scoring five in 13 league games. But Burton Albion released Bodvarsson at the end of last season, where he eventually returned to Iceland with Selfoss in the Icelandic Division 1.
In just five games for his former club, the 64-cap Icelandic international has an impressive three goals and one assist to his name.
What Phil Parkinson said about Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s Wrexham exit
Whilst it may not have worked out at Wrexham, Bodvarsson proved his capabilities at Burton, and is now doing the same with Selfoss.
For whatever reason, he just couldn’t get along at Wrexham, and speaking after the striker’s exit, Parkinson explained why Bodvarsson left Wrexham, saying: “Jon needed to go and play somewhere for his own career,
“We couldn’t guarantee him game time and he wanted to play because he’s still young enough to continue in his career.”
It’s eerily similar to what Parkinson told Palmer earlier this summer, before he sealed a move to Swindon Town.
Expect more cases like this, potentially even in January where there’ll no doubt be some players itching to leave the club and go play some regular football.