Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson made two bold calls with the futures of both Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer, both of which, in hindsight, could have been the wrong decision.
The summer transfer window has now closed, and the landscape of the Wrexham squad has changed tremendously in the last few months.
Following Wrexham’s promotion from League One, Phil Parkinson made it clear that sentimentality would not get in his way of making bold decisions regarding the futures of some players.
In the early stages of the transfer window, it was clear that Paul Mullin would not stay at Wrexham this season. Phil Parkinson also made Ollie Palmer surplus to requirements.
As Mullin and Palmer have now left on loan and permanently, respectively, Parkinson may have questioned whether he made the correct call.
Phil Parkinson should have loaned Ollie Palmer instead of Paul Mullin
Wrexham favourite Ollie Palmer left to join Swindon Town this summer, having arrived at the League Two club not too long after the parting gift of two goals in the EFL Cup for the Red Dragons as they beat Hull City in the first round.
The Red Dragons’ forward only had one year left of his contract, and as a result, left by mutual termination of his Wrexham contract.
While his departure was permanent, there is still hope for Paul Mullin to return to Wrexham after only being handed a loan move to Wigan Athletic.
Phil Parkinson may feel, however, that he judged the pair wrongly. Mullin has struggled at Wigan Athletic so far, while Palmer, after putting in sufficient displays in pre-season, as well as in the EFL Cup against Hull City, is already off the mark with Swindon Town.
Regarding fitness, Palmer is also ahead of Mullin, making the argument stronger that the former may have been a better option to loan out and given an opportunity to return to the club.
This, of course, would have meant that Palmer would have to be handed a new contract, but after what he has offered to the club since he arrived, he would be more than deserving of another chance at the Racecourse.
Paul Mullin needs to do more to receive Wrexham opportunity
The decision to move Paul Mullin on loan to Wigan Athletic provides a chance for him to regain his confidence, to hopefully return to Wrexham and lead the line.
Mullin needs to give a good account of himself in League One and prove that he can perform at that level before being considered by Phil Parkinson for next season, but as things stand, he needs to do more.
In fairness to the Wrexham legend, he has predominantly been used from off the bench for the Latics so far, with boss Ryan Lowe yet to show full faith in him.
If Mullin does get the chance to lead the line for Wigan, he must grasp it with both hands and prove to Parkinson that his Wrexham journey is not over.