Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson revealed that Paul Mullin’s loan to Wigan was a decision by the player, who was looking to secure regular playing time given the demands of the English Championship.
Mullin, 30, became an emblematic figure of Wrexham during its dizzying rise, fueled by the arrival of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. The team achieved a historic milestone by achieving three consecutive promotions in the top five divisions of English football.
However, off-season back surgery affected his performance and physical form, limiting him to a secondary role. This led to the star striker’s loan to Wigan last week.
“I spoke to Paul in the summer,” Parkinson commented. “Obviously, he had a complicated year due to his back surgery. I said to him, ‘Look, it’s up to you, you can come back. You need a good pre-season, compete for a place, or if you want to go somewhere where you know you’re going to play every week to get going, that’s up to you.'”.
Phil Parkinson, Wrexham Manager
Parkinson added: “Out of respect for him, I said: ‘You can make your own decision. I’m happy for you to speak to other coaches, have meetings and see where coaches see you in their team.’ I knew Wigan were interested, and I spoke to Paul and he said he felt he needed to go somewhere where he knew he was going to play. I totally respect that.”
“It’s just a loan, but after not having played much for different reasons last year, it’s a good opportunity for me to go and play and get going.”
The Wrexham, returning to the second category of English football for the first time since 1982, will face Southampton, relegated from the Premier League, in the first matchday of the season. Parkinson described this encounter as “a tremendous introduction to life in the Championship”.
“We are entering one of the most competitive leagues in world football,” Parkinson stated. “Not just in European football, but in world football. It’s a relentless league. We are the only team in the league that has never played in the top category in its history, so we are facing big clubs. As you move up the divisions in England, the technical skill improves, but athleticism and power are aspects where you can see the difference significantly.”
Phil Parkinson, Wrexham Manager
Following the incorporation of striker Ryan Hardie earlier this month, Parkinson emphasized that building a squad with the capacity and depth needed to face this increase in physical standards was a major priority.“Having the race power in the team, especially in midfield,” Parkinson said before his team’s pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand, where they will face Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.
“Having the ability to refresh the team as well. Because with the international breaks in the Championship, you have many midweek games.”
“You’re facing a tough match on Saturday, and then you go on Tuesday, with very little difference between the division’s teams. You don’t play against an Ipswich and then the following week against a lesser team, where there’s going to be a big difference in the level of the match.”
“Making sure the energy levels are there in the team, but having the ability within the squad to make four or five changes to maintain freshness in the team.”
“If you look at the team’s history, the people who watch the matches, we have evolved as a team.”
“As you move up the divisions, the playing field levels out and you face squads that, sometimes, even last year [in League One], had more talent than us. So we have to find a way to adapt. And that’s going to be more frequent in the Championship.”
