Paul Mullin's Wrexham story is over, and it ended with a whimper rather than the bang his first few years deserved. The striker who scored 110 goals in 172 appearances — helping drag the club through three consecutive promotions between 2022 and 2025 — departs having spent the final chapter of his time there frozen out, loaned out, and ultimately moved on.
He's landed at Rotherham United in League Two, which, on paper, makes complete sense. The last time Mullin played at this level consistently, he won the League Two Player of the Year award at Cambridge United, topping the scoring charts. When Wrexham came back down to League Two in 2023-24, he scored 24 goals in 38 league games and was named the club's Player of the Season for a third consecutive year. League Two Mullin is a different proposition to the version that went missing in the Championship.
A loan record that raised questions
Still, the drop-off was stark enough to warrant caution. Loaned to Wigan in League One, he scored five times in 26 appearances before the loan was cut short. A second stint at Bradford City in the same division produced nothing — zero goals in nine games. Those are thin returns for someone who'd built a reputation as a natural finisher.
At 31, Rotherham are essentially betting on the League Two version of Mullin showing up rather than the one who drifted through League One. Given his track record at this level, that's not an unreasonable punt — but it's not a certainty either. His goals-per-game rate in League Two is elite. Everything above it has looked shakier.
Wrexham's real statement: £5m for Danny Imray
While Mullin's departure closes one chapter, Wrexham have already started writing the next one. The club have signed 23-year-old full-back Danny Imray from Crystal Palace for a fee believed to be around £5 million — a significant outlay that signals exactly where the club think they're heading.
Imray's route to this point is anything but conventional. Non-league with Chelmsford City. Palace's academy. A season in League Two with Bromley. League One with Blackpool. Then, recalled mid-season by Palace and immediately sent to West Brom in the Championship, where he made 17 appearances, scored once, and contributed two assists as the Baggies scraped survival. That's an accelerated education across four divisions in the space of a few years.
He's stepping into a gap left by Issa Kaboré, whose loan from Manchester City last season was one of the more eye-catching arrangements in the lower leagues. Filling that void is a real challenge — Kaboré brought Premier League-calibre athleticism to a Championship-adjacent project. Whether Imray can match that output at this stage of his career is the central question around this deal.
Imray himself is clearly bought into the vision. "The Club want to be in the Premier League," he said after signing. "After speaking to the gaffer it's just such an exciting project to be a part of." Manager Phil Parkinson pointed to Imray's journey from non-league to the top flight as evidence of the character behind the signing.
Wrexham narrowly missed out on a playoff spot last season. At £5 million, Imray is the kind of investment that says they're not interested in nearly making it again.
