‘Who you know’ can take you a long way in football, and Wrexham are benefitting from the vast experience and the sizeable contact book of former Bolton Wanderers boss Phil Parkinson.
A case in point.
When Wrexham lost both Steven Fletcher and Jack Marriott to injury back in October – leaving Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer short of competition up top – Parkinson reached out to a few trusted contacts to enquire about the character and the qualities of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.
The well-travelled striker had, after all, spent the last three years at Bolton Wanderers before his contract expired over the summer.
And, Bolton boss from 2016 to 2019, Parkinson eventually jumped at the chance to bring in Bodvarsson on a short-term deal once he had been given assurances over the Icelandic international’s fitness and professionalism.
Phil Parkinson explains Bolton role in Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s Wrexham move
“He is a player I knew from watching League One football, and I knew people who had worked with him at Bolton,” Parkinson explains, Bodvarsson having represented Wolves, Millwall and Reading earlier in his EFL career.
“We checked his character out and knew he was a great lad. We spoke to him on the phone a couple of times and then we got him over.
“Then, we have certain physical tests which give us great markers of where he is physically.”
Bodvarsson’s Wrexham debut – coming in the FA Cup defeat to Harrogate Town – was his first appearance since a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth eight months earlier. But, having kept himself up to speed by training with Icelandic outfit Selfoss over the summer, Parkinson’s concerns over a lack of sharpness were quickly overcome.
“The advantage of Jon was that he had been training with an Icelandic club,” Parkinson explains, he and the rest of the Wrexham staff opting for Bodvarsson over a number of other free-agent options.
“He didn’t play any matches [for Selfoss], but he had been training so his fitness levels were decent. Straight away, we thought he’s not going to take too long [to get up to speed].
“Obviously, then all the staff were watching games of him and comparing him to one or two others we could get. We had a meeting to say ‘which one fits the profile of what we need?’. And we unanimously thought that Bodvarsson, if he got up to speed, would be a good asset for us.
“And, so far, he’s fitting in great, certainly as a character.”
Parkinson backs Wrexham strikers to step up in Steven Fletcher absence
Bodvarsson has played four games in Wrexham colours so far, making his full League One debut for the Racecourse Ground outfit during the 1-0 loss at promotion rivals Stockport County last weekend. He is yet to open his account under Parkinson, though the 32-year-old should have plenty more chances to do just that with Fletcher suffering a setback in his attempted return to action.
Parkinson remains confident in Wrexham’s striker options, meanwhile, even if a tally of just 22 makes them the lowest scorers in League One’s top five.
“Jon Dadi Bodvarsson has looked really good,” Parkinson tells The Leader. “He is getting up to speed and just needs game-time, and Paul Mullin is one moment away from getting himself up and running again which I am sure he will.
“We have just got to keep going. I have got a lot of belief in the lads we have got out on the pitch. We have got to keep chipping away. We have got players in the team who can score.”