Ollie Palmer role, possible new partnership and more – three things to look out for in Wrexham pre-season tour

Wrexham are set to get their 2025 pre-season tour underway later this month.

Southampton will be Wrexham’s first opponents when the 2025/26 Championship campaign gets underway in August.

Before that, however, the club’s preparations for their debut season in the competition will kick off next week.

Unlike previous years when they have jetted off to North America, Wrexham’s 2025 pre-season tour will take place in Australia.

Ahead of their first meeting on July 11, we have taken a look at three things to look out for.

Three things to look out for in Wrexham pre-season tour

Will Ollie Palmer play for Wrexham

Speculation over the futures of Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin emerged in 2025 after both players lost their places in the squad.

Parkinson has explained why he dropped Palmer and Mullin, and the latter has now left the club on loan.

However, the former AFC Wimbledon player remains at the club for the time being and has another 12 months left on his contract.

A loan move for Palmer was discussed early in 2025, but at present, a potential summer transfer has not been reported.

Should the striker feature heavily in Australia, there could be a chance he stays at the Racecourse beyond the current window.

But if he remains a fringe option off the bench or does not even make the matchday squads, a move is surely more likely.

Wrexham could have new striker partnership

Palmer and Mullin losing their spots came at the same time Jay Rodriguez and Sam Smith were signed by Wrexham.

Smith is the club’s current record transfer, and it’s expected he will continue to lead the line in 2025/26.

Right now, there isn’t a nailed-on striker partner for the former Reading man, but it does seem likely that new signing Ryan Hardie will become a key feature.

However, despite some backlash from fans, Jay Rodriguez maintained his place during the promotion run-in, and it’ll be interesting to see if he is able to keep his place alongside Smith or if Hardie is instantly thrown straight into the team.

Any young players given a chance by Wrexham

Pre-season is often a good time for managers to assess the top prospects at the club.

On this front, there are a couple of names who we could see make appearances in Australia.

The club’s U19s are currently away training in Canada, but Harry Ashfield was spotted training with the first team when they returned recently.

Ashfield signed a new deal earlier this year, and Parkinson may use the upcoming pre-season to see if the player is ready for more regular minutes.