Parkinson eyes progress as Wrexham meet top clubs

July 14, 2026 No Comments

Parkinson eyes progress as Wrexham meet top clubsImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Phil Parkinson celebrated five years in charge of Wrexham this month Published6 minutes agoWrexham are set for a quartet of friendlies against Premier League opponents with Phil Parkinson confident his side will be better prepared for the Championship in 2026-27 than they were last season.Parkinson’s squad are building towards a second successive campaign in the second tier having narrowly missed out on the play-offs last May.Their pre-season campaign features fixtures against stellar opposition, with Wrexham meeting Manchester United in Finland this Saturday (16:00 BST) before they face Leeds United, Liverpool and Sunderland in the United States.Parkinson says eye-catching pre-season games are “part and parcel” of life at Wrexham thanks to the club’s elevation in status since their Hollywood takeover in 2021.And the Red Dragons boss regards this year’s warm-ups as a chance to iron out some of the issues last season.Newest Wrexham news, analysis and fan views

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Wrexham finished seventh in 2025-26, their first campaign in English’s football’s second highest division since 1982.

The north Wales side improved as last season wore on, climbing into the top six for the first time in late January and never dropping lower than seventh throughout the remainder of the campaign.

Wrexham’s poorest form came during the early part of the season, with only 10 points coming from their opening 10 games.

Parkinson believes the slow start was thanks in part to the disruption caused by an overhaul of his playing staff last summer – and says there is more to come from what is now a more settled squad.

“I feel with us that we have improvement in the group because a lot of the lads came in late [last year] and it took us a while to get to know them individually and to work with them collectively,” he mentioned.

“We went to Australia [in pre-season] and then the signings kind of rolled in after that.

“All the boys who missed a lot of pre-season last year – [Lewis] O’Brien, Sheafy (Ben Sheaf), [Josh] Windass, [Liberato] Cacace, Broady (Nathan Broadhead) and Kieffer [Moore]. To have that group together I think us going to give us huge benefit.

“I feel there is an improvement [to come] from the group we have got.”

Callum Doyle, Dan Scarr, and Kieffer Moore of Wrexham during Saturday's pre-season game against Wisla Krakow — Image caption,

Wrexham’s game in Poland was to help celebrate Wisla Krakow’s 120th anniversary

Wrexham are looking to bring in new faces in the current transfer window, though the changes are likely to be less significant than last year.

Having climbed out of League One – their third successive promotion – Wrexham made 13 signings in the 2025 summer window.

Parkinson says the many alterations in the dressing room meant it took time for his team to find their best on the pitch.

“I felt that it took us a while to get the players to understand what playing for Wrexham meant and what the requirements are,” he mentioned.

“But gradually over a period of time you saw more typical Wrexham performances – with better quality players at a higher level, but similar types of performances to what our supporters have been used to over the years.

“We want to make sure we are an aggressive, attacking team who [make] our supporters, home and away, come away from games and think ‘well, what a performance that is’. Sometimes that doesn’t result in a win, but it’s a full-out, committed performance.”

Players to see ‘how much people love Wrexham’

Wrexham began their pre-season campaign with a goalless draw in front of 23,000 fans against Wisla Krakow last weekend.

Parkinson fielded a different XI in each half in Poland, with a number of youngsters involved as various senior players were unavailable.

Wrexham step up their preparations for the return of competitive football when they face United in Helsinki before they head to the States.

Parkinson’s men meet Leeds in Tampa on Sunday, 26 July before tackling Liverpool in New York four days later. Their final pre-season game is against Sunderland on Sunday, 2 August.

“We didn’t go to America last year and I think for all the new lads who have come in, to see what it’s like over there and how much people love Wrexham in the US… I think they’ll be surprised when they get out there,” Parkinson mentioned.

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