Phil Parkinson says Wrexham are still working hard behind the scenes as the club waits on more summer transfers before the Championship season gets going.
The latest reminder of that approach came earlier this week, when The Athletic reported that bids for Henrik Falchener were rejected. It fits a pattern Wrexham have followed in recent windows, where key business has often gone late rather than being wrapped up early.
Late movement has become a theme
Wrexham have already been active this summer, with Danny Imray, Ben Whiteman and Anthony Patterson among the additions. But Parkinson made clear the club are not treating that as the end of the work, saying they are “working as hard as ever behind the scenes” and have not been shy about making signings when the right players become available.
He also acknowledged the frustration supporters sometimes feel when deals drag on. “People always say, ‘Why does it get left so long?’” he said, adding that there are “so many circumstances that can dictate that.” In other words, the timing is not always about hesitation. It can also be about availability, competition and other clubs deciding whether to sell.
That has certainly been true for Wrexham in recent windows. A year ago, Issa Kabore, Dominic Hyam and Ben Sheaf all arrived on the final day of the summer window. In 2023, Arthur Okonkwo and George Evans were also completed in the final hours of the summer transfer window. More recently, Wrexham spent heavily in summer 2024, when they signed 13 players for a combined cost of £33million, before spending another £5m on three more additions in the winter 2024-25 window.
Why Parkinson is comfortable with the wait
Parkinson said he felt the squad needed to spend pre-season together. “I felt this group needed a pre-season together, I really did,” he said, adding that last time things were “disjointed, with players coming in at different times, as we knew it would be.” That is a useful reminder of why the manager has been willing to be patient this summer.
He pointed to the way Wrexham have handled difficult negotiations, saying the club “took gambles to get who we wanted” and that “that meant being patient.” He used Nathan Broadhead as an example, noting that Ipswich did not want to lose him and that deals like that always take time. “But we feel we have a special talent in Broady, so the wait was worth it,” Parkinson said.
The broader picture is simple enough: Wrexham are not done yet. After three straight promotions and a seventh-place finish in the Championship last season, one win shy of the play-offs, they are trying to keep improving the squad without rushing the wrong move. That balance has become part of the club’s identity, including the measured tone Ryan Reynolds used when he compared the process to making “the kitchen work better, rather than doing a whole-house renovation.”
For now, Wrexham are still in the market, and Parkinson’s comments suggest the club expect more movement before the window closes. With Cardiff City next up and the season beginning to take shape, the remaining business could still matter a great deal to how far they can go this year.
