Wrexham have had a summer that will go down in the club’s history for a number of reasons.
Wrexham broke their commercial sales record during their pre-season tour down under and are set to reap the rewards of their ever-increasing popularity across the globe.
The owners have certainly stuck to their word of attacking the Championship and Wrexham are competing with the Premier League ‘big six’ in terms of their financial growth.
In the transfer market, the Red Dragons have already broken their transfer record twice and are set to do so once again with Wrexham agreeing a fee for Nathan Broadhead believed to be in the region of £7.5m.
However, despite all the success and positivity, the club may just rue one mistake that could cost them at the start of their upcoming campaign.
READ MORE: Nathan Broadhead’s Championship record should give Wrexham fans hope as £7.5m deal beckons
Wrexham may rue lack of pre-season friendlies come the start of the campaign
Wrexham haven’t played a pre-season friendly since their 1-0 defeat to Wellington Phoenix back on 19 July and have had their fair share of travelling in the meantime.
The club face Groningen in the Netherlands before their season opener at Southampton the following weekend, but Phil Parkinson would have wanted a couple more opportunities to get his players in action.
A flurry of new signings means that four players will make their debut against the Dutch side, leaving them a maximum of 90 minutes in a Wrexham shirt before competitive action.
Settling into a club takes time and a player such as Liberato Cacace will especially need time to adapt to a new league and culture.
The financial aspect of the pre-season tour down under was a huge positive for the club, however, Parkinson may just be wondering whether it was the best decision in terms of preparation on the football pitch.
Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez made Wrexham debuts after one training session
Supporters may point to the fact that last season January signings Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez made their Wrexham debuts against Crawley Town after featuring in just one training session for the club.
However, the duo were already in the full swing of the season in terms of fitness and match sharpness, a player such as Broadhead could join the club with very limited minutes during pre-season.
Southampton will be a side looking to make a fast start this season having been relegated from the Premier League and with the expectation that new manager Will Still will take them straight back up.
Parkinson may have to blood his new signings into the team gradually and go with a starting XI that he knows and trusts to begin with.