It is abundantly clear that Wrexham need to sign a new striker this month, but one of their supposed top targets may have just played his way out of a move.
With Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer struggling to replicate their past success, and Jack Marriott just returning from injury, it has been down to Steven Fletcher to lead the goalscoring charts for Wrexham this season.
Phil Parkinson’s men are pushing for promotion once more, but their main weakness has definitely been in finding the back of the net.
But, as we wait for more confirmed Wrexham transfers to be announced, it seems one forward the club were looking at is now potentially out of reach.
Michael Smith scores for Sheffield Wednesday, it’s all over for Wrexham
Perhaps the strongest link for Wrexham has been that of Michael Smith, the veteran striker at Sheffield Wednesday.
And, after missing the last two games completely, Smith was left on the bench for the Owls yet again this weekend, sparking more speculation on Saturday afternoon.
However, if Wrexham chiefs were plotting a move for Smith, they’ll be sorely disappointed to see the striker come off the bench to change the game for Sheffield Wednesday, bagging the first goal in a 2-0 win over QPR.
| Statistics | Michael Smith (2024/25) |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 29 |
| Goals | 6 |
| Assists | 6 |
| Minutes played | 1,223 |
That was Smith’s six goal of the season, to go with his six assists — that’s a goal contribution every 101 minutes for the forward. Surely now, Danny Rohl would rather keep the 33-year-old, than dip into the market for a replacement striker.
Wrexham must surely have other targets in mind
In fairness, Wrexham fans have been sceptical about Smith, and judging by comments from the fanbase, they would rather the club look elsewhere; more specifically, for a younger model.
The Wrexham squad already has a number of experienced strikers, and while Smith would surely fire them to success this season, he does not necessarily present a good long-term investment.
It all depends, then, what the Wrexham hierarchy is looking for at this stage in their journey. But, either way, it would appear Smith is just too valuable to Sheffield Wednesday right now, and the thought of him moving on this month does look unlikely.
Perhaps, with Sam Dalby being offered a new contract, the Red Dragons will look to make do with what they have for the remainder of the season, and reassess their forward options in the summer.