Why Phil Parkinson may have changed his mind on ‘superb’ player with ‘a lot of potential’
Phil Parkinson may have now changed his mind on a Wrexham player he previously said had ‘a lot of potential’.
Unlike in previous campaigns at Wrexham, Phil Parkinson is overhauling his squad this summer.
The Reds have let go of several senior players, including Ben Tozer, Aaron Hayden and Luke Young, to presumably make way for younger players with higher resale value.
Although Wrexham are yet to sign anyone, there is a feeling that Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds will flex their financial muscles to propel the Welsh side towards a promotion challenge.
That means bringing in quality personnel across the pitch and investing in a new goalkeeper, left-back, central defender, midfielder and striker.
Whilst Parkinson is well stocked in the striker department with currently seven on their books, the Wrexham boss did have rave reviews for one of them in the past, and it wasn’t Paul Mullin.
The 24-year-old arrived as a raw striker with a lot to learn and featured 41 times in the title-winning campaign, although most of his appearances alongside Mullin came from the bench.
Dalby then made a decent start to life in League Two, recording assists in the 5-5 draw against Swindon Town and the 3-0 win over Grimsby.
Wrexham then showed faith in the striker by triggering his one-year extension at the Racecourse Ground in October, with Parkinson claiming the Englishman had ‘a lot of potential’.
Speaking after signing a deal till the summer of 2025, Parkinson said: “We were always going to extend Sam’s contract because he is a good young striker who is only going to get better.
“He’s got a lot of potential, and we are looking forward to continue working with him.”
Despite raving about the ex-Leyton Orient frontman, his narrative on Dalby may have changed given how he ended the season and with Wrexham stepping up to League One.
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Why Phil Parkinson may have changed his view on Sam Dalby
Wrexham are going through a transitional period where they’re getting rid of players they signed in the National League and unfortunately, Dalby may be one of them this summer.
The “superb” striker has shown much promise since arriving in 2022 and matured as a player under Parkinson however, he’s not at the level to lead the line in League One.
Dalby played 31 times in the fourth tier last term, but made just 14 appearances in the starting XI, scoring just once.
It’s a return that won’t fill anyone with confidence that he can cut it in the third tier and with his contract expiring in 2025, Parkinson can either offload him now or risk losing him on a free transfer.
Parkinson may still feel he has a lot of potential, with his view not changing in that regard however, if Wrexham are serious about challenging for the play-offs at least, players like Dalby shouldn’t be anywhere near the starting XI.
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