Wigan Athletic should pounce on Paul Mullin uncertainty at Wrexham AFC | OneFootball

Mullin has been an excellent servant for Wrexham, but their promotion to the Championship will surely spell the end for his time at the club.

With Wrexham AFC sealing automatic promotion to the Championship last weekend, it could have serious knock-on effects for one of the stars of their story so far, Paul Mullin.

The Red Dragons booked their place in the second tier with an emphatic 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic on Saturday evening, securing a remarkable third consecutive promotion.

Phil Parkinson’s side have undergone a meteoric rise in recent years thanks to the investment of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but their latest success could spell the end for Mullin, who has badly fallen out of favour of late.

The striker will surely depart the North Wales outfit over the summer, and Ryan Lowe’s Wigan Athletic could be the ideal destination for the 30-year-old.

Mullin has fallen badly out of favour at Wrexham

Since his move to the Red Dragons from Cambridge back in 2021, Mullin has played a crucial part in their recent rise through the divisions.

The frontman struck an incredible 38 league goals as Parkinson’s men raced to the National League title back in 2022/23 and he followed that up with a further 24 last term as they got out of League Two at the first opportunity.

However, such are the striking options that Wrexham have at their disposal now, that Mullin has been forced to the fringes of the squad.

Sam Smith, Steven Fletcher, Jay Rodrigues and Jack Marriott are all seemingly ahead of Mullin at present. The Liverpudlian has found the net just three times in the league all season, and hasn’t made an appearance since he scored in the victory away at Stevenage on 28th January.

With the majority of his experience coming in either League Two or the National League, there were doubts as to whether Mullin could replicate the success of his recent seasons in the third tier this term, and he’s struggled to adapt on the whole.

Now that the Red Dragons have had their place in the second tier confirmed for next season, preparations will surely have already begun as to how Wrexham can compete at that level next season.

The scale of their turnover and wealth was evidenced in the recent reveal of their record-breaking League Two accounts from last season. And, with those kinds of resources available to them, they will surely have their sights set on some particularly high-profile targets ahead of their first second tier campaign since 1981/82.

If the owners continue with a similar level of investment in the playing squad as is expected, Mullin will fall even further down the pecking order.

Wigan Athletic could be a perfect fit for Mullin next year

With Mullin’s time at Wrexham seemingly nearing its natural conclusion, it would be a huge surprise if there aren’t an abundance of clubs queuing up to secure his signature this summer.

Although his goal record in League One is far from convincing, his recent League Two stats are so impressive that there will likely still be plenty of third tier sides willing to hand him another opportunity.

However, early signs suggest that Wigan Athletic could be an ideal fit for the frontman.

The Latics look set to finish in the bottom half this term, but with Lowe now at the helm and recent results showing signs of improvement, their sights will surely be set higher ahead of the next campaign.

Working under Lowe could be an attractive proposition for Mullin, since the 46-year-old was a striker himself in his playing days, and will undoubtedly have a huge amount of knowledge for him to tap into in order to help him re-discover his goalscoring touch.

It's also a move that would make sense geographically for Mullin, who has spent large portions of his career playing in the North West, during his spells with Wrexham, Tranmere and Morecambe.

With several of their striking options on loan deals at present, the Latics are looking short of options to spearhead their attack for next season. Will Goodwin and Dale Taylor are due to return to parent clubs Oxford United and Nottingham Forest respectively at the end of the season, leaving 22-year-old Maleace Asamoah as Wigan’s only genuine option as an out-and-out striker.

While the youngster has shown what he can do in flashes following his move from Fleetwood last summer, he is likely far too inexperienced to be able to shoulder the majority of the goalscoring burden next term.

The Latics have scored just 38 times in the league all season – the lowest total of any side in League One. Although Taylor has been impressive, with 10 goals and seven assists to his name, Wigan’s issues in front of goal can be highlighted by the fact that no one else currently at the club has a tally higher than 3 at present.

Securing a deal for Mullin, who has proven himself to be a natural finisher in recent years, would likely go some of the way to rectifying those issues. It could also help to further unlock the creativity of Ronan Darcy, with the midfielder already having shown plenty of positive signs since his January move from Crawley.

As a result, a move for Mullin in the summer could be a gamble worth taking. His goal record in League One may not be eye-catching, but if Wigan could get him firing again, Mullin is the kind of player who is capable of lifting a team up the table virtually on his own.