Plenty of players have been cast aside by Phil Parkinson over the last few years at Wrexham, but two of his unwanted men are now mixing it up with a Premier League champion in pre-season.
One of the side-effects of Wrexham’s rapid rise through the Football League has been that fan favourite players have been moved on rather ruthlessly at times.
Phil Parkinson has never let sentiment get in the way of footballing decisions, with a number of Wrexham players released this summer including Steven Fletcher and Mark Howard.
Now, two former Wrexham stars are still looking for a new club, and they’ve been joined in their latest training camp by an ex-Liverpool and Chelsea striker who has actually won the Premier League in the past.
Anthony Forde and Jordan Davies are rubbing shoulders with Fabio Borini
We’ve known for some time now that Anthony Forde and Jordan Davies have been training together this summer as part of the PFA’s free agent squad.
The pair have been involved for a few weeks now and are still without a new club. However, they shouldn’t be too disheartened about that fact, as Fabio Borini is also training with them this week.
Borini may be best known for his time at Sunderland, where he scored 17 goals in 93 appearances, including a stunning match-winning goal in the Tyne-Wear derby.
However, earlier in his career the Italian spent time with Liverpool and Chelsea, and it’s with the Blues that he actually picked up a number of winner’s medals despite only playing eight times for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Borini is technically a Premier League winner and FA Cup winner from the 2009/10 campaign, and also won the Community Shield in the same year. As far as treble-winners go, Borini hasn’t done too badly relative to his actual input!
Why have Jordan Davies and Anthony Forde still not found a new club?
While this is Borini’s first week with the PFA squad, it is a little concerning to see that Davies and Forde are still there after weeks of training as part of the free agent roster.
Anthony Forde left Wrexham in January to join Burton Albion, but was released by the Brewers this summer. Similarly, Davies was let go by the Red Dragons this summer after a loan spell with Grimsby Town last season.
Interestingly, Forde has partnered with Ben Foster and Elliot Lee to set up an academy, so he’s got his hands full whether he finds a new club or not. Still, it is surprising that the 31-year-old has not found a new club, especially in the lower leagues.
Meanwhile, Davies scored two goals in the latest PFA friendly, so his chances of landing a new club have surely just increased. However, there’s always the lingering doubt over his fitness that could be holding the 26-year-old back.