Phil Parkinson could sign an ‘unplayable’ striker to partner Paul Mullin at Wrexham ahead of their League One campaign.
One of Phil Parkinson’s biggest priorities at Wrexham this summer is finding a long-term strike partner for Paul Mullin.
He wants someone to somewhat relieve the goalscoring burden from Mullin’s back and assume some of the responsibility.
Current partners Steven Fletcher and Ollie Palmer aren’t clinical enough to be a regular next to the Liverpudlian in the third tier, and although Fletcher signed a new contract this week, Parkinson still needs a quality striker to play most weeks.
What profile of striker are Wrexham looking for?
Wrexham currently have seven strikers at the club, all of whom have varying attributes.
Sam Dalby, Jake Bickerstaff and Billy Waters aren’t included in the conversation as they’re likely to be offloaded on loan or permanently, whereas the four others are.
Jack Marriott is a predator inside the box who thrives from running in behind. He’s currently back up to Mullin while Fletcher and Palmer are two target men who contest aerial duels against defenders and hold up the ball for their teammates to flourish.
For the long term, Parkinson will want replacements for the two veteran target men but for the short term, he could land a Championship striker on loan who would be the perfect partner for Mullin.
Wrexham should sign Modou Faal on loan from West Brom
A strong and physically imposing striker is what Wrexham need heading into League One but also someone with the pace to hurt defenders.
West Brom striker Modou Faal could be exactly who they’re looking for in that regard.
Faal rose to prominence as a goal machine for the Baggies under-21s, scoring 14 goals in 33 appearances before experiencing his first taste of senior football in the EFL with loans to Doncaster Rovers and Walsall.
Spending the first half of the campaign at Doncaster before switching to the Saddlers in January, the 2003-born striker accumulated 15 goals and two assists across 53 appearances in all competitions.
Dubbed ‘unplayable’ by journalist Gab Sutton, Faal captured the eyes of many as a physical striker, who was difficult to stop in the air and on the ground.
According to WRExG Data Analytics, Faal contested at least eight aerial duels per 90 and won 47% of them while converting 16% of his chances in the league.
Although he missed a whopping 19 big chances, as per Sofascore, that statistic can be interpreted in two ways; he’s getting himself into the positions to score superbly or he’s extremely wasteful in front of goal.
Whilst both can be attributed to the young striker, Faal could see an improvement in his finishing under Parkinson as he’ll be learning from one of the best in the EFL in Mullin.
As a potential partner for the Liverpool-born striker, he looks the real part, offering speed, strength and ability in the air to cause defenders problems. If he can iron out his wasteful finishing, he would be a solid addition on loan.