If ever there was a frustrating player among the Wrexham fans, it’s Jay Rodriguez. He failed to make an impression following his January move to the Racecourse.
Jay Rodriguez has enjoyed a stellar career so far. His experience fits the bill for Wrexham who signed Rodriguez from Burnley in January this year, handing the 35-year-old a contract until the end of the 2025/26 Championship season.
But Wrexham fans weren’t impressed with Rodriguez. In 17 League One games for the Dragons he scored just twice, assisting two more and largely playing in a no.10 role behind fellow January arrival Sam Smith.
Rodriguez seems like one player who Phil Parkinson desperately needs to upgrade in the summer transfer window, and there’s been a few potential candidates mentioned alongside a move to the Racecourse.
But one name in particular could spell the end of Rodriguez’s starting berth in the side: Danny Ings.
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The latest on Wrexham’s pursuit of West Ham striker Danny Ings
It’s been reported that Wrexham are considering a move for Ings this summer, with the former Liverpool, Aston Villa and Southampton striker set to leave West Ham as a free agent. Now 32 years old, Ings’ final season with the Hammers saw him score just one goal in 15 Premier League games.
But Ings has been tipped to succeed at Wrexham should he sign this summer, and if he signs then it’ll surely push his former Burnley teammate Rodriguez right down the pecking order and potentially out of the picture entirely if more attackers arrive this summer.
Other names linked include Leeds United strikers Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt, Callum Robinson, Ryan Hardie, and CF Montreal striker Sunusi Ibrahim has now been linked with Wrexham ahead of the summer too.
Three ways Phil Parkinson could play Danny Ings for Wrexham next season
Danny Ings could simply replace Jay Rodriguez in the no.10 role
Ings is known for being a no.9. But so too was Rodriguez beforehand and so Parkinson could experiment with Ings as a no.10 should he sign the former England striker.
Per Transfermarkt, Ings has played 36 games as a ‘second striker’, scoring 15 goals from that position. He’s arguably not had the chance to play that role over the last several years having been signed as an out-and-out striker, but now could be the perfect chance for Parkinson to deploy him behind the striker once again.
Danny Ings and Sam Smith as two no.9s
Parkinson did change up his formations on a few occasions last season. Almost always it was two strikers on the pitch but towards the end, Rodriguez would play as a deeper-lying striker: basically as a no.10.
But next season we’ll surely see a clamour of set ups as Wrexham take on some new and varying teams and Ings alongside Smith as two no.9s could be a formation we see quite a lot of if Ings joins, and it would leave Rodriguez without a spot in the XI.
Danny Ings could even rotate with Sam Smith
Smith ended the season as Wrexham’s first-choice striker, and the only striker on the pitch for the most part. He played that lone striker role very well and next season, Parkinson could keep that set up and simply rotate Ings and Smith.
In a gruelling 46-game season, Parkinson will need to be really smart with his squad rotation. Ings doesn’t have the best injury history either, so this could be a role that suits Ings down to the ground.