Jay Rodriguez shares how he really feels about scoring zero goals in nine appearances for Wrexham
Jay Rodriguez is still yet to get off the mark for Wrexham following his winter transfer from Championship high-flyers, Burnley.
Wrexham spent much of the 2025 January transfer window looking to improve their striker ranks.
With Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer failing to match the dizzying heights they reached in previous seasons, it became clear the Red Dragons needed some more firepower in their forward line.
A number of players were linked before Phil Parkinson and co. eventually agreed a club-record deal for Sam Smith.
Smith was already proven in League One, having found the back of the net 11 times with Reading in 2024/25.
Within hours of the ex-Reading ace signing, Wrexham confirmed the arrival of Jay Rodriguez from Burnley.
The 35-year-old had previously shone in the Premier League and Championship, so expectations were no doubt high when he dropped down to League One.
Jay Rodriguez on not scoring for Wrexham since Burnley transfer
So far, however, the former Southampton man has been struggling on the goal front.
Despite beating play-off rivals Huddersifeld Town earlier this month, Rodriguez received criticism from Wrexham fans for his performance on the night.
He has now started the Welsh outfit’s last eight league clashes and came off the bench in an EFL Trophy meeting with Bolton Wanderers.
However, despite being signed, along with Smith, to improve Wrexham’s previously limp attacking threat, Rodriguez has not scored in nine appearances.
Now, in an interview with The Athletic, Rodriguez has spoken out on his lack of goals, admitting he’d be lying if he said it didn’t bother him.
The striker stated: “I hope I’m helping the team, that’s my main focus. I haven’t scored yet and as a striker, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me. But I don’t think it affects my game. Or the mental side.
“I’ve had patches like this when I haven’t scored for a while, but it soon ends and you go on a run. The key is to keep doing consistently well the things that you know are right.
“I’m happy just to help the team. For me, the bottom line after a game is whether we have the three points.”
What Phil Parkinson has said about Jay Rodriguez
While fans have voiced their displeasure at the centre-forward, Parkinson has praised Rodriguez for what he offers Wrexham.
Speaking after Huddersfield, he said: “Sam and Jay give us a platform to play. We can get the ball into Jay’s feet, (while) Sam is good at stretching it. But also their tactical awareness without the ball was brilliant against Huddersfield.
“Jay has obviously played at the top level and the detail in the way he presses and covers space is brilliant. It helps the midfield so much. They are getting better all the time as a combination.
“I was very pleased with them both. As much as they didn’t get the moment, they so nearly did. Jay had a brilliant shot, Sam had a header. But the main thing is they played well to enable to team to get the result.”
Wrexham are next in action against second-place Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday, which would be the perfect time for Rodriguez to score his first goal.
