Wrexham have announced a number of departures ahead of the Championship season, with some difficult goodbyes included.
Wrexham are preparing for life in the Championship as Phil Parkinson continues to drive the club forward.
Three promotions in a row leave Wrexham just one promotion away from the Premier League.
This remarkable rise shows no sign of slowing down, but each promotion brings a new raft of difficult decisions.
Wrexham don’t tend to show much sentiment in the quest for continued improvement, and we have already seen Mark Howard leave the STōK Cae Ras.
Steven Fletcher is also departing, as two popular figures from the Wrexham squad move on to pastures new.
Jordan Davies impact in Wrexham’s rise should not be forgotten
Howard and Fletcher played their part in Wrexham’s promotion, but Jordan Davies had to watch on from afar.
Davies spent the season on loan at Grimsby Town, having found first-team opportunities at Wrexham increasingly difficult to come by.
The 26-year-old bagged four goals in 18 League Two games for Grimsby, who missed out on the League Two play-offs.
Davies suffered injury problems and just couldn’t quite get going for Grimsby, before heading back to hometown club Wrexham.
Parkinson has decided to release Davies at the end of his contract, bringing an end to his second spell with the club.
Davies came up in the Wrexham ranks before being plucked by Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion in 2017.
After failing to break through with the Seagulls, Davies made an emotional return to Wrexham in 2020 – a year before Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds completed their takeover.
Davies re-joined Wrexham in an attempt to get his career back on track in familiar surroundings, but couldn’t have expected what was to come.
The playmaker has played his part in an incredible story, seeing his club and his hometown boom in popularity all over the world.
After eight goals in his first season back at Wrexham, Davies exploded with 21 goals in 48 appearances during the first campaign under McElhenney and Reynolds.
Paul Mullin was Wrexham’s goalscoring hero, but Davies stepped up as a serious force in his own right, standing out as a hometown star in Wrexham’s National League days.
Davies produced heroics in the dramatic comeback win over Dover Athletic, sparking wild scenes in the 6-5 victory.
Davies has seen his minutes gradually decline since then; from 39 appearances in the 2021-22 season to 27 in 2022-23 and then 25 in League Two.
Wrexham’s rise means many players won’t be on the full journey, hopefully towards the Premier League.
Davies will, sadly, leave Wrexham this summer but his contribution to the club’s rise will not be forgotten as he searches for a new club.
Any League Two side would be lucky to sign Jordan Davies
Davies has shown his quality for Wrexham in the past; it’s a cliche, but he really does have a wand of a left foot.
Wrexham fans know how dangerous Davies can be from dead balls and from long-range, and managers in League Two should be looking at him with real interest.
Grimsby saw glimpses of the quality Davies provides and we would certainly still back him to shine at League Two level if he can stay fit.
Davies gave Wrexham fans some brilliant moments and we would have loved him to be the hometown hero throughout this journey.
That won’t happen now, but Wrexham fans will keep close tabs on his progress and cheer him on from afar with his next move.