Wrexham are still in the market for a new striker and Carlton Palmer has explained why landing one of their targets would be a ‘terrific’ coup.
Wrexham secured a 3-2 victory over Wycombe Wanderers on their return to League One and Jack Marriott’s sumptuous volley was the pick of the bunch.
Although the Reds looked free scoring without goal machine Paul Mullin available, Phil Parkinson is still looking to add a striker to his ranks between now and the end of the transfer window.
The Welsh outfit have added multiple forwards to their shortlist, including Sheffield Wednesday duo Bailey Cadamarteri and Michael Smith.
Links to Smith and Wrexham emerged over the weekend, with the Racecourse Ground reportedly ‘the likely destination’ for the 32-year-old, who scored in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Plymouth Argyle on Sunday.
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Wrexham target Michael Smith would be a ‘game-changer’ for Parkinson
Despite coming off the bench against Plymouth, Smith is low down the pecking order at Hillsborough as the likes of Josh Windass, Jamal Lowe and Ike Ugbo are all preferred to lead the line for Danny Rohl.
The Englishman has also just a year left on his contract, which suggests why Wednesday could cash in on him this summer.
For everyone involved, it seems the perfect move for Smith to join Wrexham and former midfielder Carlton Palmer certainly agrees.
Speaking to Football League World, Palmer said: “Michael’s had two promotions out of this league, I believe, two or three promotions out of this league.
“He’s prolific in League One, he’s guaranteed 20 goals a season in League One.
“He has that experience, he has that mentality, he works hard, he gives that edge to a team, and at Sheffield Wednesday he’s become a bit-part.
“And his record in the Championship is poor, he doesn’t score the same volumes as he does in League One in the Championship.
“But it’d be a terrific signing for Wrexham, they’ve already got an array of talent, but the experience and quality that Michael Smith will bring to their team at that level will be a game changer for them.
“He plays games, he doesn’t miss games through injury, I think it’d be a fantastic move for Wrexham and, again signalling their intent on what they want to do, that they want to be in the Championship next season.”
Michael Smith’s League One record is phenomenal
Capturing Smith from the division above would signal Wrexham’s intent to challenge towards the playoffs in 2024/25, to the delight of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
Putting three past Wycombe on Saturday was an ideal start for the Reds however, across a 46-game campaign, extra firepower is needed and Smith would supply that in abundance.
In his previous two seasons at this level, the target man has scored 18 goals for Rotherham and 16 for Wednesday; two sides who earned promotion thanks to his involvement.
When ammunition is fired into the box, Smith always positions himself in the right place to take his chance and become a match-winner for his side, which explains why Palmer labelled him a ‘game-changer’.
Parkinson is also looking for a target man to play alongside Mullin or Marriott, with a longer-term replacement needed for Steven Fletcher and Ollie Palmer, who are both out of contract next summer.
Ideally, at least for this season, Wrexham can acquire the Wednesday hitman as their tall and physical striker, who has a proven track record of delivering the goods in League One.