Wrexham’s busy summer transfer window came to an end last week, paving the way for Phil Parkinson to name his Championship squad.
Wrexham landed three more signings on deadline day, bringing Ben Sheaf, Issa Kabore and Dominic Hyam to the STōK Cae Ras.
Phil Parkinson ended the window with 13 signings, spending more than £30million on new additions after promotion from League One.
Wrexham even snapped up Reuben Egan last week as the free agent goalkeeper arrived following the end of the transfer window.
Parkinson then named his Championship squad, including 24 players in his squad despite being able to name 25.
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What Wrexham can do with Phil Parkinson’s spare squad slot
Five players were left out as Parkinson left one spot open for future use.
Injured trio Ollie Rathbone, Andy Cannon and Jay Rodriguez were all left out, while Danny Ward’s recent injury means he has joined them on the sidelines.
Eoghan O’Connell was another notable absence, though Wrexham released the Irish defender by mutual consent.
The Athletic noted that Parkinson prefers to leave a squad slot available for unforeseen circumstances down the line.
There are a couple of ideas here, starting with registering one of those injured players.
Cannon underwent knee surgery in February and likely won’t return until the festive period at the earliest.
Rodriguez has also been under the knife, though his return is unknown, while Ward is now facing a ‘significant’ spell on the sidelines.
Rathbone suffered an injury in pre-season and will hopefully be fit to return very soon.
Rathbone had his protective boot removed in August, so the midfielder may be best placed to claim that spare squad slot.
Some may wonder about registering goalkeeper Egan, but Championship clubs are able to utilise an unlimited number of Under-21 players on permanent contracts.
Goalkeepers over the age of 21 must be registered, but Egan only turned 20 in July, so he can step up to cover for Ward’s injury if needed, without taking that final squad spot.
Parkinson is likely to use the remaining spot on one of those injured players, and will weigh up who is best-prepared for Championship action in the coming weeks.
What about a free agent signing?
We can’t really see this happening, despite a handful of free agent additions outside of the transfer window last season.
Josh Adam, Matty James, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Brad Foster all joined Wrexham as free agents in League One.
Wrexham have just the one free spot this time, and a couple of summer transfer targets are still available on free transfers.
Tom Lawrence was eyed for a Wrexham return, while Parkinson considered landing Craig Dawson after his Wolverhampton Wanderers exit.
Both players remain available and could be in the mix, but we would be surprised to see a free agent signing after Parkinson recently snapped up 14 new additions.