Wrexham AFC: Ollie Palmer may end up having regrets after double Red Dragons transfer | OneFootball

Ollie Palmer may live to regret remaining at Wrexham after the signings of Jay Rodriguez and Sam Smith.

Wrexham fan favourite Ollie Palmer may regret not pursuing a transfer away in January, following the arrivals of Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez.

The Red Dragons were always going to strengthen their frontline in the window, as Jack Marriott’s injury left them with just Paul Mullin, Steven Fletcher, and Palmer, who couldn’t find the back of the net consistently.

After smashing their club record fee on the signing of Smith from Reading, and also adding veteran striker Rodriguez to their ranks, Palmer now finds himself well down the pecking order at Stok Rae Cas. With reported interest in January, the Wrexham forward may regret not moving away to find more game time.

Wrexham’s attacking options now stacked after January

With plenty of spending from their promotion rivals in Birmingham City, Wycombe Wanderers, and Huddersfield Town, Phil Parkinson’s side had to make sure they weren’t left in the dust by their competitors.

The Welsh club certainly ensured that wasn’t the case, spending a reported £2m on Smith, £15k a week on Rodriguez and then another £500k on winger, Ryan Longman. Their attacking output had been rather toothless since Marriott’s injury earlier in the season, so strengthening the unit with three new big-money signings could help solve this issue.

As mentioned, Wrexham had to rely on Mullin, Fletcher, and Palmer whilst Marriott was sidelined, which didn’t yield the level of success they would’ve hoped. The trio only mustered 12 goals between them, which is only one more than what Smith managed on his own at Reading.

With the two new additions and Marriott returning from injury, the veteran trio may now find themselves obsolete, especially if Parkinson’s latest recruits hit the ground running as they're expected to do.

Palmer may regret not making January move

There was some interest in the 33-year-old in January, as developments in North Wales would limit his minutes in the second half of the season. It was reported that Bristol Rovers were one of a few League One clubs interested in signing the striker.

Despite this, Palmer would remain at the Welsh club beyond January, as he was still keen to play a part in the club’s future. With his contract up in 2026, the forward could still be on the books at Wrexham for the next 18 months. Now at the age of 33, Palmer is in the twilight of his career, and could be keen to see out his career in Wales, despite the lack of match minutes he may be afforded.

However, with six other strikers to compete with, it seems likely that the former AFC Wimbledon man’s game time may not replicate what he got in the first half of the campaign, featuring in 27 of Wrexham’s 29 league matches so far this season. His tally of just three goals and two assists in those 27 matches isn’t anywhere near the numbers required in a promotion race.

With that in mind, there may be some slight regret creeping into Palmer’s head that he didn’t leave the club in January. Teammate, Sam Dalby, has thrived on loan at Dundee United, and that could be something that the 33-year-old looks at and thinks it could’ve also been him.

If his minutes are drastically cut down following the two new arrivals, Palmer may have some regrets about remaining at the club, despite his love for Wrexham.