Wrexham took the difficult decision to release Steven Fletcher this summer, allowing the striker to leave on a free transfer.
Wrexham have brought more attacking changes this summer, even after signing Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez.
Phil Parkinson snapped up Ryan Hardie earlier this summer, before Josh Windass signed for Wrexham last week.
Another striker could arrive, with Wrexham targeting a move to sign Kieffer Moore from Sheffield United.
Paul Mullin has moved on to Wigan Athletic, while Steven Fletcher was surprisingly released at the end of his contract.
- READ MORE: Wrexham’s confirmed transfers in 2025 summer window, incomings, outgoings and latest rumours
Steven Fletcher on Wrexham
Fletcher was a real super-sub for Wrexham last season, starting just two League One games and coming off the bench in 38.
Phil Parkinson loved bringing the 38-year-old off the bench when chasing a goal, and Fletcher often delivered the goods.
Eight goals in just 1048 minutes of League One action is pretty impressive, with the Scot still showing the Premier League quality in his locker.
Fletcher indicated that he wanted to stay at Wrexham, but Parkinson took the difficult decision to let him go at the end of his contract.
Fletcher admitted that his exit was not his choice and has now reflected on his two years at the STōK Cae Ras.
Speaking on Golf Life, Fletcher admitted that he struggles to explain to people just how impressive Wrexham are as a club and as a community.
Fletcher noted that some people are confused by his decision to drop into League Two in 2023, but his time at Wrexham was the most enjoyable period of his career, even after playing for the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sunderland and Marseille.
“Honestly, it’s actually hard to try and get people to understand how good it is,” said Fletcher.
“I’ve signed there, I’ve went down to League Two, where I’ve never played before, and everyone’s like ‘it’s not that good, you’ve gone down in leagues’, but there’s something about it, the town, the club, the fans, the staff, everybody. There’s just a massive togetherness. I’ve been in football for 20-odd years, and it’s probably the… I know people will say ‘it’s easy for you to say’, but it’s the most I’ve enjoyed my football in my whole career.
“I’ve played in the Premier League, I’ve played at the highest levels, and it’s no disrespect to the clubs I’ve been at, but in that moment I really enjoyed my football and I loved everything about it.
Steven Fletcher drops retirement hint
Fletcher was contemplating retirement upon leaving Stoke City in 2023, but the Wrexham project excited him enough to keep going.
That decision certainly paid dividends, but Fletcher is now left to weigh up hanging up his boots once more.
Fletcher added on Golf Life that he is now 95% sure that he will now retire and call time on his playing career.
The striker admitted that it’s a ‘weird feeling’ to say it out loud, but he doesn’t want to chase the high he had at Wrexham and end up making a disappointing move to finish his career.
“I’m going to go as far as to say I’ll give you an exclusive… I’m about 95 per cent sure that I’m done,” said Fletcher.
“I think so. There’s a wee five per cent of me just sitting there thinking ‘ehhh’. It would need to be something like, that gave me a wee bit of ‘ooh’ to get me to go back out.
“When you say it out loud, it’s like ‘ooh’, you think about it, you’re sitting in the house, you’ve maybe been watching the Club World Cup, and you’re thinking… do I really want to go back and do it? But when you actually say it out loud, I’m sitting there on the sofa myself, missus probably not even knowing that I’m sitting about that, but then when you actually have a look over and say it out loud to her, ‘I think that’s me done’, you get a weird feeling.
“I’ve spoken to loads [of people], I’ve got a load of mates who have all retired now, and they’re all saying to me ‘you played nearly every game last year’. I know I was coming on as a sub for 20 minutes, but ‘you played every game, why are you finishing?’ There’s a bit inside of me that wants to finish on a high, and I don’t want to go chasing that high again; I just don’t want to go chasing something that I’m maybe not going to find.
“If I did and then I sign for a team, and I don’t get that… I wouldn’t want to go in every day, not really enjoying it and then being a burden on someone. I’ve enjoyed it though, it’s been a great gig,” he added.
Whatever Fletcher decides to do this summer, we can only thank him for his superb spell at Wrexham.
An incredible player and character, Fletcher will certainly be welcomed back to Wrexham at any point in the future, and it was a true privilege to see him finish up his playing days as a Wrexham player – if this really is the end.