It is likely to be a summer of change at Wrexham following their landmark promotion back into the EFL after 15 years in the non league.
Manager Phil Parkinson will be tasked with keeping the ambitious North Wales outfit in the fourth tier after their heroic efforts to secure an automatic place in the division last term and possibly even masterminding another promotion push. As such, Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will be hoping to convince players to commit their futures to the project over the coming months.
The club has undergone major changes since the megastar pair assumed the reigns at the Racecourse Ground back in 2020, with the Red Dragons winning support from across the globe as a result of its links with acting royalty, alongside the "Welcome to Wrexham" TV series. By the time their crucial clash against title chasing Notts County came around, the intrigue had reached fever pitch — with the announcement of their dramatic 3-2 win on Twitter reaching millions.
Their valiant National League triumph was, of course, spearheaded by the likes of Paul Mullin, scoring a staggering 38 goals in 47 league games to help guarantee. The 28-year-old journeyman striker will be sticking around next season, with teammate Ben Foster also having committed his future for another year.
The former Manchester United and England stopper only made eight appearances for the historic Welsh club after coming out of retirement in March but his impact during those games mean he has already written himself into club folklore. Returning the the club where he had spent a season-long loan back in 2004-05, he kept three clean sheets, with his crowning moment coming with a last-minute penalty save to send his team on the way to victory in the Notts County title decider.
He could now be joined by another former Manchester United star in the form of Nick Powell. Wrexham are weighing up a move for Powell, who was once considered by Sir Alex Ferguson to be United's heir to Paul Scholes when he signed from Crewe Alexandra as a youngster in 2012.
Since leaving the club in 2016, he has played for a number of clubs and last turned out for Stoke City in the Championship, where he made 25 appearances and scored on four occasions. The 29-year-old midfielder could well drop down a couple of divisions to line up at the Racecourse Ground next season following his release from the Potters following the conclusion of the last campaign.
Bringing in another tactically flexible reinforcement could well pay dividends, with Ipswich Town's Wes Burns having been linked with the club in recent months. The versatile Welshman has excelled for the Tractor Boys in the past couple of seasons, notching 20 goals and would certainly be a coup for the club's owners.
It seems only right that James Jones, who made 40 appearances on the way to last season's title, should be allowed to retain his place in midfield, particularly with versatility man Tom O'Connor attracted interest from clubs at a higher level and a potential departure.
With Wrexham having boasted the third-best defensive record in the National League last term, it is feasible to suggest that manager Parkinson will be looking to keep this unit of players together next term. Given that Jordan Tunnicliffe, 29, Ben Tozer, 33, Aaron Hayden, 26, Eoghan O'Connor, 24 and Callum McFadzean, 29, all boast experience in the EFL, he may well turn his attention towards strengthening in other areas in more pressing need of a strengthening.
Finally, Wrexham's owners may be keen to add further firepower to the club's ranks this summer to aid the club in its quest to build on the success of last term and St Mirren's Curtis Main could tick a lot of boxes in that respect. Coming off the back of scoring nine times in the SPL last season, the 30-year-old could add some real quality to Parkinson's side up top and has been linked with a switch to North Wales, as per the Daily Record.
How Wrexham could line up next season: Foster; Tunnicliffe, Tozer, Hayden, O'Connor, McFadzean; Burns, Powell, Jones; Mullin, Main
