With more than half of the January transfer window gone, Wrexham are yet to add to their squad.
But having made 13 signings in the summer, this month was always going to be about streamlining as opposed to further adding to the squad.
The only first team business completed so far in 2026 has seen striker Jake Bickerstaff join Cheltenham Town and James McClean return to Derry City – both on permanent deals.
And while additions cannot be ruled out before the 19:00 GMT deadline on Monday, 2 February, exits certainly seem to be the priority as things stand.
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Squad depth improving
Co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac sanctioned a summer net spend of more than £30m as Wrexham overhauled their squad to give themselves the best possible chance of being competitive in the second tier.
The options Phil Parkinson has at his disposal are continuing to improve too as players return from injury, meaning such an outlay is not needed in the winter window.
Having been omitted from Wrexham’s 25-man squad in the opening half of the season, Jay Rodriguez has fully recovered from an ankle injury.
The striker has made five substitute appearances since Christmas and scored in the penalty shootout as the Red Dragons dumped Premier League Nottingham Forest out of the FA Cup.
He re-joined a striker department that saw Sam Smith step up admirably in the absence of fit-again Kieffer Moore in the new year, although Ryan Hardie is continuing to recover from a knee issue.
Midfielder Andy Cannon and goalkeeper Danny Ward are also close to being available following lengthy spells on the sidelines with ACL and elbow injuries respectively while Lewis Brunt and Aaron James are not too far away either.
Issa Kabore and Liberato Cacace have both made full recoveries from their own injury issues to ease the concerns Wrexham had in the wing-back positions before Christmas.
That said, McClean’s exit could potentially open up the need for a fresh face at wing-back, but Ryan Barnett and Ryan Longman remain available while George Thomason has filled in well on the left.
So all in all, Wrexham have a pretty strong Championship squad at present, but funds are thought to be available should they be able to find a gem or two in the final stages of the window.
Speaking prior to the 2-1 loss to Norwich City, CEO Michael Williamson told BBC Radio Wales Sport: “If you compare it to past January windows, you might find there’s a clear piece of the window we still need. In this case, we have a very strong squad.
“We go into this January seeing if there are there opportunities where you look for a bit of added depth in case there’s an injury, otherwise you just look at someone who has future potential or if there’s an opportunity that just all-round makes us better, and we’re ready to pounce on it.
“But the reality is, there’s not much we have to do because we’ve been on a great run of performances here, and you can see before that, we’ve gone toe to toe with anyone in this league.”
Who is in the frame to leave?
Such is the competition for places in the starting 11 and matchday squad at present, some players will be heading for the exit door over the final fortnight of the mid-season window.
Back-to-back promotion winner McClean has already departed and it has ensured Parkinson still has plenty to consider in terms of possible incomings this month.
When asked if he was eager to make any signings in this window, Parkinson said: “We’ve always got to look.
“We’ve got a couple of options, but we’ve got 27 or 28 players training, we’ve got a lot of numbers.
“Jimmy (McClean) opens up a place, so we’ll just assess it as we go along over the next few days.”
Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee were pivotal in Wrexham’s rapid rise from the National League to the Championship, but both club icons appear destined to leave north Wales this month.
Striker Mullin featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Liverpool last week and remains eligible to join another club on loan before the deadline having only represented Wigan Athletic this season.
As for midfielder Lee, he has been left out of the club’s 25-man squad for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
Prior to the defeat by Norwich, Parkinson confirmed Wrexham would “respect” the 31-year-old’s wish to secure a loan move elsewhere in a bid to play regularly.
Harry Ashfield has attracted plenty of transfer interest and would almost certainly benefit from a loan move to gain some much-needed first team experience.
The 19-year-old impressed in the League Cup fixtures against Hull City and Preston North End earlier on in the season and was handed his league debut at Blackburn Rovers on New Year’s Day.
The club are continuing to keep an eye on the future too having sent Rio Owen to Caernarfon Town, Max Purvis to Flint Town United and Tom Kelly to Bootle – with the trio all departing on loan to aid their development.
So it may well continue to be a case of Farewell to Wrexham for some of the club’s modern-day icons, but the market is continuing to be scoured as the Red Dragons look to give themselves the best possible chance of securing a top six finish.
