It has been a slow start to life at Wrexham for striker Bailey Cadamarteri since he joined the club on deadline day of the winter transfer window.
Wrexham paid a fee of $1.35 million (£1 million) to sign the 20-year-old from divisional rivals Sheffield Wednesday, viewing the youngster as a long-term investment for their project rather than someone who was expected to make an immediate impact.
There is already an expectation that Cadamarteri will feature a lot more for the club next season, with the youngster firmly behind both Kieffer Moore and Sam Smith in the current pecking order. He will feature heavily during the summer pre-season schedule and could even play a part in the final matches of the EFL Championship campaign if Wrexham miss out on a playoff place with a game or two remaining.
Cadamarteri will have to be patient about his situation, while his father took to social media over the weekend to suggest a loan move could be an option this summer if '”his fortunes don’t change.” He has gone from regular minutes in a struggling Sheffield Wednesday side to a depth player under Phil Parkinson, with just 46 minutes played across three appearances since he joined on February 2.
Phil Parkinson Explains Cadamarteri Role
Cadamarteri has only made three substitute league appearances since he joined Wrexham from Sheffield Wednesday, with a further seven appearances as an unused substitute and twice not being named in the matchday squad at all.
The primary reason for this is that he is competing for one position leading the Wrexham attack alongside the vastly experienced Moore, 33, and the hugely popular Smith, 28. At the age of 20 and with two goals in 33 appearances this season, it is perhaps no surprise that the Jamaican international has yet to earn the full trust of Parkinson.
It has been a similar story for fellow January addition Davis Keillor-Dunn, who has only made five league appearances since his £2 million transfer from Barnsley. The 28-year-old competes with Josh Windass, Nathan Broadhead and Ollie Rathbone for an attacking midfield role and was ultimately signed as a cover option rather than someone expected to play a regular starting role from the beginning.
Bailey Cadamerteri’s 2025–26 Statistics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 3 |
| Minutes Played | 46 |
| Goals Scored | 0 |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.17 |
“I think with that, when we bring players in, it was never to replace anybody, it was to allow other players to move on whose futures were elsewhere," Parkinson told Sports Illustrated.
“The lads who have been in the team have done well. Sam Smith has had an unbelievable second part of the season, Broady (Nathan Broadhead), until a couple of little things that have affected him recently with slight injuries. Josh (Windass) has scored goals.
“So players in those positions have done well and that’s the way it happens. Those two may get an opportunity and if they do, then it is up to them to take it.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Wrexham’s January Signing Has Only Played 46 Minutes Since Joining.
