Phil Parkinson is in a position at Wrexham where he must ship out several of his players, starting that process by loaning out goalkeeper Luke McNicholas.
Wrexham completed the double swoop of goalkeeper Callum Burton and defender Sebastian Revan on Monday night, taking their summer arrivals to five.
Whilst Revan joining will provide competition for Jacob Mendy, Burton’s transfer had consequences elsewhere, as it meant goalkeeper Luke McNicholas was sent out on loan to Rochdale.
The 24-year-old – who completed a permanent £100,000 transfer to the Welsh side in January – only made three senior appearances in the EFL Trophy.
A loan to the National League was ultimately the best decision of his career as the arrival of Burton, coupled with competition from Arthur Okonkwo and Mark Howard, meant chances to play in the first team were highly unlikely.
McNicholas isn’t the only player who would benefit from a loan, as Phil Parkinson should look at sending out a striker temporarily.
Wrexham need to send Jake Bickerstaff out on loan
Parkinson is faced with a tough situation in the striker department.
Paul Mullin is currently injured and will miss the start of the replacement but finding a temporary replacement is tough, especially when there are currently seven forwards on the books.
Whilst Mullin, Jack Marriott, Steven Fletcher and Ollie Palmer will all be here in 2024/25, barring any miracles, the Reds need to sell or loan out Billy Waters, Sam Dalby and Jake Bickerstaff.
Waters and Dalby are entering the final year of their contracts, so it’s likely they’ll leave for nothing next summer, whereas Bickerstaff has two years left to run on his deal and needs to be playing regular first-team football.
The 22-year-old, who graduated through the Wrexham academy at the same time as Max Cleworth, did spend the second half of last season on loan at Accrington Stanley, where he made 10 appearances in League Two.
It’s always difficult to join a club halfway through the season and Bickerstaff would benefit from playing a full season in the fourth tier.
Jake Bickerstaff is a League Two striker
Wrexham’s rapid rise into League One is both a blessing and a curse.
Whilst it shows how much they’ve progressed as a club on and off the pitch, it means that Parkinson has to overhaul his squad as some of the players who helped them on their journey are no longer good enough.
Bickerstaff is someone who is highly rated by Wrexham, with Parkinson waxing lyrical over his ‘clinical finishing’ after he scored against Walsall and Swindon Town at the start of last season.
Unfortunately, Mullin’s return and the likes of Palmer, Fletcher and Dalby all preferred over him, the chances for the Englishman to impress were at a premium.
That resulted in him being sent on loan to Accrington in January, but now, he needs a full campaign of League Two football under his belt.
Unlike Waters, Bickerstaff could still have a future at Wrexham however, to stand any chance of becoming a first-team regular, he must prove he can decimate defences in the fourth tier first.