Wrexham plan to make a further addition to their squad in January, which could impact the role of one player moving forward.
Wrexham signed 13 new players to break their transfer spend record by nearly £28m over the summer.
Every position in Phil Parkinson’s eleven was strengthened, with the manager able to field a completely new side if he wished when everyone is fit.
However, more signings, or at least one, are already planned for the 2026 January transfer window.
It has emerged this week that Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have greenlit Wrexham signing a striker.
While a new centre-forward able to offer cover for Kieffer Moore is a must, it’s likely to impact Sam Smith if and when it happens.
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Sam Smith was called Paul Mullin’s replacement
Smith joined Wrexham from Reading towards the end of January 2025 and was the Dragons’ record signing at the time (£2m).
The Englishman arrived alongside Jay Rodriguez after the majority of the Welsh outfit’s strikers had struggled for consistent goals in the first half of 2024/25.
Among them was Paul Mullin, who did not play a single League One fixture after the arrivals of Smith and Rodriguez.
TalkSPORT called the ex-Reading man Mullin’s replacement in July, and it’s easy to see why, given the role he took up in the second half of last season.
Smith played in the most advanced striker role, while Rodriguez dropped deeper, although he was not as impactful in the air as Palmer.
It’s fair to say Wrexham probably wouldn’t have won promotion without the 27-year-old, who scored seven times for the Dragons last season.
Sam Smith may face same fate as Paul Mullin
But as Parkinson now only plays one out-and-out striker, with two attacking midfielders behind the main number nine (usually Kieffer Moore), the arrival of another nine in January would likely see Smith pushed down the pecking order and potentially even out of the matchday squad altogether.
Mullin scored 110 goals for Wrexham before losing his place, and while Smith hasn’t been in North Wales long enough to have such an impact, the signing of a new centre-forward this winter means he could end up, just like the club icon, being dropped in the second half of 2025/26.
There are also Championship squad rules to consider.
Ollie Rathbone will take the final place in the 25-man squad once he returns from injury.
So, any new arrivals in January will mean at least one of the current group can’t be registered next year.