Wrexham said goodbye to Paul Mullin this summer, allowing the striker to join Wigan Athletic on loan for the season.
Wrexham’s rise to the Championship would not have been possible without Paul Mullin.
Mullin was the first major signing after the Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds takeover, dropping down two divisions to join the Wrexham project.
McElhenney tempted Mullin into joining Wrexham, snubbing the chance to play League One football with Cambridge United.
Mullin went on to become a Wrexham hero, smashing 110 goals in 172 games for the club.
As Wrexham’s progress continued at breakneck speed, Mullin found himself phased out of the side, and he was left on the sidelines as Phil Parkinson clinched another promotion.
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Paul Mullin on pre-season woes at Wrexham
Mullin has now joined Wigan Athletic, dropping back into League One after Wrexham’s promotion to the Championship.
The striker has started the campaign on Wigan’s bench, playing 37 minutes as a substitute across the first three games.
Mullin scored against Notts County in the Carabao Cup last week and will look for more goals under Ryan Lowe.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Wigan’s game at Luton Town on Tuesday, Mullin admitted that he now feels 100% ready to play, having come through pre-season unscathed.
Mullin suffered a punctured lung in the 2023 pre-season campaign and then underwent surgery last year, impacting his start to the season in both years.
Mullin noted that pre-season has been ‘plain sailing’ with Wigan, and he now feels the fittest he has ever felt at the start of a new season.
The striker admitted that he didn’t feel quite as ready in the last few years at Wrexham, and is now reaping the benefits of a full pre-season with the Latics.
“This one’s been plain sailing,” said Mullin.
“This year, I think my ultimate focus was on staying fit just for the duration of pre-season. I know how difficult it’s been, when you miss a pre-season.
“Everyone always says it, but I’ve obviously been on the end of that for the last two seasons before this one, and this year it was vitally important to me just to get through it, to make sure I didn’t have any of those mishap type of injuries, where there was nothing I could have really done about them and yeah, I’m feeling the fittest I’ve ever felt and really strong going into the season. Now, whenever I’m called on from the gaffer, I’ll be 100% ready, and that’s something I haven’t been able to say for the last few years,” he added.
Paul Mullin on Wrexham exit
Mullin also commented on his Wrexham departure, admitting that he isn’t focused on proving anybody wrong after his exit from the STōK Cae Ras.
Proving himself right is the focus for Mullin, and he has no doubts about his quality at League One level despite some detractors from last season.
Mullin admitted that last campaign ‘was not a successful season’ on a personal level, even though Wrexham achieved promotion.
The striker just wants to play in a successful team and believes an exciting future awaits him at Wigan.
“Nothing really changes for me. I’ve always said that I never want to prove anyone wrong; I always want to prove myself right. There’s many reasons why I haven’t played at League One level through my career, that was purely due to choice a lot of the time, and obviously last year didn’t go the way it went. I think that was from a personal point of view, but many people will say ‘oh you didn’t score goals last year’, and they will be the same people that rely on xG, which, to be honest, I don’t believe in, but if that was the case, then I only had an xG of four and managed to score three, so it weren’t such a bad season for those people.
“I probably started 12 games and scored five goals, so I can spin it any way you want. For me, it wasn’t a successful season. I want to play games, never mind scoring goals, I just want to play and be part of a team that’s successful, that’s the most important thing to me, being successful as a team, and last year we was.
“It is a fresh start. People could be sad about it, like, obviously, a lot of Wrexham fans, but for me, I’m excited about the next chapter of my book. In life, you have many opportunities of changing paths and going in different directions, and sometimes you’ve got to be brave to go and take the next step and see what’s next for you. I’m really looking forward to the future; it’s something I’m really excited about, and yeah, I’m fully excited about what’s to come.
Mullin is only on loan at Wigan, but the truth is that he is unlikely to ever play for Wrexham again, having been loaned out this term.
A permanent exit in 2026 looks inevitable, but Mullin will forever be a hero at the STōK Cae Ras, and supporters will be desperate to see him shine moving forward.