"Extra push" - Wrexham: Pundit issues January challenge to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer thinks the Red Dragons need a new forward to help them achieve a third successive promotion

Ex-England international Carlton Palmer has urged Wrexham to invest in a striker in the January transfer window if they want to stay in the race for the League One automatic promotion spots for the rest of the season.

The Red Dragons came into this campaign with the clear aim of achieving a third successive promotion to continue their meteoric rise from the National League, and the club look to be on the right track at this moment in time as they sit in third place in the third-tier.

Phil Parkinson's side began the new season on fire, with just one loss in the opening eight league games, but their form has taken a dip over the last month, and they certainly have not been as clinical, or as free-flowing, in the final third in recent weeks due to Jack Marriott's absence through an injury that is set to keep him sidelined for up to four months.

Wrexham have won just one of their last six in all competitions, with just four goals scored in that same time frame, so it is clear that new forward additions may be on the agenda amid concerns over Marriott, and journalist Alan Nixon has recently claimed that the club are set to go after a striker with Championship experience to bolster Parkinson's ranks further in January.

Carlton Palmer offers Wrexham striker verdict for January window

Wrexham have already moved to bolster their frontline this season, as free-agent Icelandic striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson signed a short-term deal last month with both Marriott and Steven Fletcher sidelined.

The 32-year-old has had fleeting opportunities since joining, however, with existing pair Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer largely preferred up-top despite their respective struggles to find the back of the net.

Palmer has netted twice in 17 games in all competitions this season so far, while Mullin has bagged just three times in the same amount of appearances following his own return from injury in August.

It is clear that Wrexham are planning to improve their attack in the new year, and former player and current pundit Palmer has approved of that news and told the Red Dragons owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to sign a new, prolific striker to help them continue their EFL ascent with another promotion when he spoke exclusively to Football League World.

He said: “Wrexham sit third in League One, and are bidding to get another promotion.

“Only two go up automatically to the Championship. They are on 28 points and have only conceded 11 goals, which is the second-best defensive record in the league.

“They haven’t done badly with goals, scoring 22 so far, but if they’re looking to go up automatically, then they do definitely need to go out and get a striker in January to compete with the likes of Birmingham and Wycombe.

“They’ve shared the goals around this season - Jack Marriott has got five, Elliot Lee has got four, Max Cleworth has got three, but I think they need that striker to give them an extra push.

“When you’re looking at Wycombe, they have scored 32 goals this season. That’s a big difference (to Wrexham).

“There’s not a lot of difference between Wrexham, Birmingham, Stockport, Lincoln, Barnsley and Mansfield. They’re all around the early 20s for goals scored.

“If Wrexham genuinely want that automatic spot, which is going to be tough, I think they need to go out and get a striker who can score them those goals to get them over the line.

“They keep it really tight at the back, they share the goals out and have got really good goal difference.

“They’re there or thereabouts and have played a game more but are only four points off Wycombe in top spot with a lot to play for.

“A striker would be a good bit of business.”

Wrexham are set to chase a Championship striker in the new year

The standard of Wrexham's opposition has clearly improved in League One compared to that of the fourth tier and the National League, as is the nature of such a rapid climb up the leagues, and their goalscoring abilities have understandably slowed down compared to that of previous seasons, as a result.

Parkinson's side have built a reputation over the last few years for being a team capable of scoring at will against powerless opponents, with 116 league goals scored in their 2022/23 National League promotion campaign, then 89 strikes in League Two last term as they went up once again to the third-tier.

It has not been as easy to find the back of the net this time around, and while Marriott is a real miss up front, his replacements are simply not doing enough to be able to sustain the Red Dragons' place in the promotion race for much longer.

It has come as no surprise then, that journalist Nixon has reported of their aims to swoop for a striker with second-tier experience, with a sizeable kitty reportedly set aside for a deal to be made in the new year.

Hollywood owners Reynolds and McElhenney are set to continue their trend of hefty investments in Parkinson's playing squad, with plans to "spend big" in the winter transfer window, because they are "cash rich" as they plan to announce a new sponsorship deal next summer.

Their concerns are understandable, given Mullin and Palmer's poor records so far this term, but whoever they sign in January will certainly have a lot of weight on their shoulders, with the club's League One promotion aims seemingly placed firmly in their hands ahead of a huge second half of the season.