Phil Parkinson has a secret weapon at Wrexham that he can unleash against League One opposition next term.
The new League One season is fast approaching and Wrexham feature for the first time in 19 years as Phil Parkinson prepares his squad for a new challenge.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have unsurprisingly outlined promotion as their aim, with the Hollywood owners backing Parkinson with the necessary funds to at least challenge.
Arthur Okonkwo, Lewis Brunt and George Dobson have all arrived at the Racecourse Ground, plugging gaps in goal, central defence and midfield.
Parkinson has claimed that another signing could be sealed ahead of their pre-season fixture against Hanley Town on Saturday and there’s speculation over who that may be, though it seems certain that one position isn’t being targeted.
Wrexham aren’t targeting new signings at right-back
Whilst the Reds have bolstered in goal, centre back and midfield with a clear emphasis on signing a new left-back and striker, it appears Wrexham feel as though they don’t need to sign a new right-back.
Currently, Parkinson has three options to choose from. Luke Bolton and Ryan Barnett are battling for a starting place whilst Anthony Forde is third in the pecking order.
Forde was injured for much of last season and in January, Wrexham signed Bolton to provide competition for Barnett, who held firm and remained the preferred choice for Parkinson.
The 24-year-old impressed as a right wing-back in a 3-5-2 system and restricted the deadline day arrival to just five starts.
Barnett ended the 2023/24 season with a flourish by scoring twice and assisting once as Wrexham won each of their final five games. The former Shrewsbury Town man will now be aiming to carry that momentum into the third tier.
Why Ryan Barnett can be secret weapon for Wrexham in League One
For clubs operating at higher than League Two, Barnett is a relatively unknown quantity. At the beginning of his career, he only made three appearances in League One during his time at Shrewsbury.
Upon his return to this level of football, the ‘tremendous’ talent can prove to Wrexham’s rivals why they were wrong to let him leave the club in 2021.
Previously dubbed as ‘terrifying‘ to defend against due to his electric pace and unpredictability, Barnett was arguably one of the division’s best wing-backs last term and the statistics prove that.
As per Sofascore, the fleet-footed talent created 11 big chances for his teammates and showcased his willingness to cross the ball, averaging 1.6 per game at a respectable success rate of 31%.
Barnett also demonstrated his strong mentality when Bolton arrived. Instead of dropping his performance levels, he used it as motivation to keep his place in the starting XI and he did so to devastating effect.
Whilst signing a right-back isn’t out of the question by all means, Parkinson will look forward to unleashing his secret weapon down the flank, who can terrorise defences in League One.