One of the legendary players, Paul Mullin, looks to be considered surplus to requirements by the Red Dragons, since Wrexham has advanced from the National League to the Championship with three automatic promotions in four seasons.
According to numerous reports, the former Cambridge United striker will remain in League One after completing a loan transfer to Wigan Athletic.
Before moving down to non-league to sign with Wrexham that summer, Mullin helped Cambridge advance from the fourth division in the 2020–21 season and finished as the League Two top scorer.
The 30-year-old has established himself as a club icon while in Wales, scoring an incredible 110 goals in 172 games across all competitions.
However, as they make the step-up, he is set to be loaned out and Wigan now appears set to be his destination. On the face of it, it may well seem like a coup for the Latics, but it isn’t necessarily a deal that will fix their goal scoring issues.
Wigan Athletic’s struggle for goals in League One last season was evident
Wigan finished firmly in the middle-of-the-table last season, but under the management of both Shaun Maloney and then Ryan Lowe, their troubles in front of goal were a major concern.
Easy on the eye and perhaps fairly strong between both boxes, Wigan managed to score just 40 goals in their 46 games last season, the lowest in the division, and taking out Dale Taylor and Thelo Aasgaard’s 19 goals combined, no-one else in the squad scored more than three league goals.
For a club that have scored freely over the years at different levels, it was turgid stuff for the most part for Wigan, who need some more inspiration and creativity at the top end of the pitch.
They have already attempted to address this issue this transfer window with the arrival of Christian Saydee from Portsmouth, despite the fact that the former AFC Bournemouth player has only scored 14 goals in his professional career. The sale of Aasgaard to Luton Town during the winter transfer window did not help their cause.
Mullin dwarfs Saydee’s numbers, and he is certainly an upgrade on what they already have at the club, but despite his heroics at Wrexham, his overall career would suggest he may not be the man to propel them forward.
Paul Mullin’s struggles above League Two level will also be of concern to Wigan Athletic fans
Mullin began his career with Huddersfield Town but didn’t make a senior appearance for the Terriers before his move to Morecambe in 2014, where he proved to be a reasonable threat in the fourth-tier, reaching eight, nine and then eight again in the league in his three seasons on the Lancastrian coast.
Underwhelming stints at Swindon Town and Tranmere Rovers followed, including just three goals in 20 League One appearances for the latter, before his move to Cambridge.
At the age of 26, Mullin came to life with the U’s, scoring 32 goals in 46 games during the 2020/21 campaign before his departure for Wrexham, where he once again consistently hit good numbers.
He was a vital member of Wrexham in both the National League and League Two, but he struggled for minutes and goals in the third division once more.
Paul Mullin’s record in League One
Time of year
Club
Games
Objectives
2019–20
Rovers of Tranmere
20
3.
2024–2025
Wrexham
26
3.
FotMob is the source.
Mullin is a well-known player these days, and his track record at lower levels must undoubtedly be worth a try for a Wigan team that is desperate for anything in the final third. However, his overall performance at a higher level is disappointing, and it would be shocking to see him return to form for a Wigan team that has been comfortably positioned in the middle of the League One table in recent years.
