Football can be a ruthless business, as many Wrexham players are discovering in this summer’s transfer window.
Football can be a cruel mistress. The game giveth and the game taketh, and when a club is on such a monumental rise as Wrexham, there’s going to be players left behind sooner than they might have hoped.
That’s certainly the case with Paul Mullin. The Wrexham cult hero is at a crossroads after a rather miserable 2024/25 season in League One, with Wigan Athletic now in talks to sign Mullin who’s fallen painfully down the pecking order.
Another who’s already moved on is Steven Fletcher. Wrexham released eight players earlier in the summer and Fletcher was among them despite scoring eight goals in League One last time round, with many fans thinking Fletcher would’ve done a job in the Championship.
It’s a sign of the times for Wrexham, and whilst the going is certainly good, it’s tough to see names like Fletcher move on and names like Mullin fall out of favour. Another name that has already been and gone is Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.
Burton Albion make difficult Jon Dadi Bodvarsson decision
Wrexham signed Bodvarsson on a short-term contract in October 2024. But the 64-time Icelandic international failed to do anything of note for the Dragons, featuring four times in League One without scoring, and then moving on to Burton Albion in the January transfer window where Wrexham signed Sam Smith in a club record deal, as well as Jay Rodriguez.
And the 33-year-old Bodvarsson went on to shine for the Brewers. He scored five goals in 13 League One games for the club as they went on to beat the drop by a single place and a single point, with Bodvarsson etching himself into club folklore despite his short time there.
This week, though, Burton have released Bodvarsson. Fans reacted positively to his stint at the club, thanking him for his goals and wishing him well in his next move.
Why Phil Parkinson let Jon Dadi Bodvarsson leave Wrexham
It clearly wasn’t meant to be for Bodvarsson at Wrexham. But there were no ill-feelings and the striker went on to prove that he’s someone who can cut it at League One level, potentially putting himself in the shop window for another EFL move this summer.
Speaking earlier in the year, Parkinson explained why he left Bodvarsson leave Wrexham, saying: “Jon needed to go and play for his own career and if we couldn’t guarantee him game time he wanted to play because he’s still young enough to continue his career.”
It sounds a lot like what Parkinson recently said about Mullin’s Wrexham exile, and another reminder of just how brutal the game can be, especially when Wrexham just can’t stop moving on up the Football League.
It could be that Mullin and Bodvarsson go up against each other in League One next season if a team takes a gamble on Bodvarsson, who’s clearly still got a lot to offer.