Wrexham plan to sign a new striker in January, but a second addition is sorely needed if they want to have any chance of becoming a promotion-challenging team.
The winter transfer window is still a couple of months away from opening, but Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have already green-lit one move.
It emerged this week that Wrexham will be allowed to sign a striker in January, which is an excellent decision given the lack of natural back-up options for five-goal man Kieffer Moore.
However, it is imperative that the Red Dragons make changes to their goalkeeping department this summer as well.
- READ MORE: He was called Paul Mullin’s replacement, now he may face same fate as 110-goal star as transfer eyed
Wrexham need to upgrade on Danny Ward
The 2025/26 season began with Danny Ward as Wrexham’s number one, displacing Arthur Okonkwo.
Since then, Ward has suffered a long-term injury and is expected to be out of action for several months.
However, he should be replaced between the sticks before he eventually makes his return.
The 32-year-old only made four Championship appearances before being sidelined, and some fans may argue that suggesting he is not good enough to feature is harsh.
With Ward, that’s not the case. He is an experienced Premier League and Championship goalkeeper. But I’ve seen him play many times during his career away from Wrexham, and he is inconsistent and makes too many errors.
I watched Ward on several occasions when he was at Leicester City and have already seen glimpses of his inconsistent form in a Wrexham shirt.
Ward drew the ire of fans when he made an error in the 3-2 defeat to West Brom in August, and rightly so. Jed Wallace beat him far too easily at his near post to put the Baggies 2-1 up in the 74th minute.
Again, some supporters may suggest that it was just one game and it’s too early to make a judgment. But this has been the story of Ward’s career so far, and backing him in the second half of 2025/26 instead of upgrading in January will only cost Wrexham.
Ward has largely failed to hold down a starting berth for any team during his senior career, which goes a long way to explaining why he’s only made 140 first-team appearances despite making his professional debut in 2011.
The fact that he was brought back to North Wales in the first place was pretty surprising, while Parkinson’s decision to make him the new number one was even more of a shock.
Yes, he made a lot of saves in the 2-1 defeat to Southampton and has the highest saves per 90 (3.75) of any Championship goalkeeper this season, according to Fbref. But that stat is inflated by the fact that Wrexham have conceded so many shots this term.
It’s also far less impressive when looking at the number of shots he actually saves. Ward has a save percentage of 68.2% per 90 for Wrexham, which puts him 13th compared to every other keeper in the second tier this term.
Is that a horrendous record? No, but it’s bang average, and mediocrity coupled with a history of consistent errors won’t get Wrexham into the Premier League anytime soon, which is the primary goal of Rob and Ryan.
Arthur Okonkwo isn’t good enough to take Wrexham to the Premier League
In Ward’s absence, Okonkwo has returned to the eleven and has made several mistakes.
A brief moment of quality vs Derby County has done a lot to hide the fact that he’s let in some really tame chances this term.
Okonkwo was shaky against QPR when he conceded three goals, and was beaten far too easily by Jordan James versus Leicester City.
The former Arsenal man also has the 24th-worst save percentage in the Championship this season (57.9%).
Yes, it’s only October, but he’s cost Wrexham on multiple occasions already this season, and that just isn’t going to cut it in a team whose owners are determined to reach the Premier League.