Wrexham have big decisions to make in attack this summer as Phil Parkinson prepares for life in the Championship.
Wrexham beat Charlton Athletic 3-0 on Saturday evening, securing a third straight promotion in the process.
This wild ride under Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds just isn’t slowing down and Wrexham will be thinking about the next step.
Part of that will be assessing Phil Parkinson’s striking options as Wrexham prepare for the Championship.
Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer seem likely to leave having been frozen out in 2025, whilst currently injured Modou Faal may need a loan move.
That could open the door for a new striker to arrive, but Wrexham are – theoretically, at least – waiting on Sam Dalby.
Dundee United boss on Sam Dalby
Dalby was sent on loan to Dundee United back on transfer deadline day in August.
Parkinson was happy to let Dalby go having seen him score just once in League Two last season.
Dalby has been simply exceptional ever since, smashing 14 goals in 30 league games for Dundee United.
The 25-year-old is out of contract this summer, and Wrexham have offered Dalby a new deal, even though he is likely to move on
Dalby’s stock has never been higher and few could blame him for leaving Wrexham and chasing opportunities elsewhere.
Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin wants to keep Dalby permanently but has now commented on Wrexham’s ambitions.
Goodwin has told the Daily Record that Dalby has a ‘big decision’ because of the contract offer still sitting on the table from Wrexham.
Goodwin pointed to ‘four or five’ strikers at Wrexham and believes the club-record deal for Sam Smith in January is a big indication of the spending to come.
The Dundee United boss thinks Wrexham will go and ‘spend even more money’, seemingly believing Dalby could be pushed out even if he does sign a new deal.
“I think Sam’s got a big decision to make in the summer,” said Goodwin.
“Of course, he has got that offer on the table from Wrexham.
“They already have four or five strikers at the club. The fact, in January, that they could spend £2 million on the boy (Sam) Smith tells you exactly what their intention will be next season going into the Championship.
“The owners are so ambitious that they’ll not just be satisfied with getting into the Championship. You would imagine, with the financial backing that they’ve got, that they’ll spend even more money to make them competitive in that league,” he added.
Sam Dalby exit best for all
We can understand Wrexham’s decision to offer Dalby a new contract.
Dalby has found the form of his life in Scotland and Wrexham may be keen to keep Dalby – or even get him tied down to a deal to then sell him on in the future.
Ultimately, we can’t see Dalby signing that deal and an exit this summer may actually make sense for everybody involved.
Dalby can go and sign for a new team as a free agent, capitalising on his incredible form to choose his destiny.
Wrexham are now aiming even higher after promotion to the Championship, and Dalby would surely struggle for playing time.
Having been happy to let him go on loan last summer, Wrexham are unlikely to have big plans for Dalby despite putting that new contract in front of him, and we would expect to see him move on.