Wrexham have been extremely active in the transfer market and that leaves Phil Parkinson facing a selection dilemma ahead of League One.
Wrexham announced the double signing of goalkeeper Callum Burton and defender Sebastian Revan on Monday night following the arrivals of Arthur Okonkwo, Lewis Brunt and George Dobson.
Phil Parkinson is currently assembling a squad capable of challenging the division’s powerhouses, and while that is exciting for supporters, it leaves the Wrexham boss with a selection headache.
The Reds have several quality players across multiple positions, so ahead of their home clash against Wycombe Wanderers on August 10th, some crucial decisions will need to be made…
Should Lewis Brunt start for Wrexham?
Wrexham captured centre-back Brunt for an undisclosed fee from Leicester City, beating divisional rivals Mansfield Town to his signature.
The 23-year-old helped the Stags earn promotion alongside the Reds last term during his time on loan but his place in Parkinson’s starting XI is far from guaranteed.
A trio of Max Cleworth, Eoghan O’Connell and Tom O’Connor blossomed into an exceptional back three however, one may have to drop out for Brunt.
Cleworth is the most likely of the three to make way for the talented defender, as he’s the only one out of O’Connor and O’Connell not to have played third-tier football previously.
Indeed, choosing a back three for the start of the season, especially with the arrival of Brunt, could prove difficult.
The replacement for Paul Mullin
Wrexham fans feared the worst when they discovered Paul Mullin would miss their pre-season tour of the United States, but luckily, Parkinson calmed supporters nerves with his update.
He revealed that Mullin would miss a maximum of three matches at the start of the League One campaign, meaning a replacement for the 29-year-old isn’t a priority.
Instead, he has to decide who to start from the current crop of strikers. Parkinson usually plays a tall and physically imposing striker alongside Mullin, so one of Steven Fletcher and Ollie Palmer.
With it looking unlikely that the aforementioned duo would play together given their lack of pace and mobility, Wrexham may choose to start Jack Marriott instead.
A former Golden Boot winner with Peterborough United in League One, Marriott has failed to reach those heights at Wrexham but with his teammate recovering from an injury, the former Derby striker must pounce at the opportunity to shine.
Will George Dobson slot straight into Wrexham’s starting XI?
Parkinson’s strongest position at Wrexham is arguably midfield, with the Reds boasting talents such as Andy Cannon, George Evans, Elliot Lee and James McClean.
Dobson is the latest player to join that roster and that has made picking a midfield three increasingly difficult.
Luckily, the former Charlton Athletic captain can play in a variety of roles, including as a number six – similar to Evans – or in one of the advanced eight positions.
Dobson has made more appearances in League One than any other player in the Wrexham squad, featuring 265 times, with 43 of them coming in the 2023/24 campaign.
A leadership presence and a quality operator rolled into one, Dobson is unlikely to get left out of the starting XI but Parkinson has to decide which player gets dropped.