Why Ollie Palmer decided against leaving Wrexham after chat with Phil Parkinson in winter, ‘my heart…’

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson sent transfer advice to Ollie Palmer, but the player opted not to take it.

It has been an interesting 12 months for some of the club’s previously key stars.

Wrexham released eight players in May, with Steven Fletcher and Mark Howard among the more notable names whose contracts will now expire at the end of June.

Elsewhere, Paul Mullin has spoken about being axed by Wrexham in the second half of 2024/25.

Ollie Palmer found himself in a similar situation to Mullin, with both players losing their spot at the end of January 2025 following the arrivals of Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez.

Phil Parkinson told Ollie Palmer to leave Wrexham on loan

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson looks on during a training session. Ollie Palmer reacts during the Sky Bet League Two match between Wrexham and Milton ...

When said duo arrived, it emerged at the back end of the winter window that Palmer and Mullin had transfer interest.

Both remained at the Racecourse for the rest of the season, but neither played a single minute of League One football from February onwards.

Now, in Season 4 Episode 6 of Welcome to Wrexham, Palmer has revealed that Phil Parkinson thought it was best if he was sent out on loan.

That didn’t happen, with the 33-year-old explaining why he wanted to stay.

He said: “He thinks it’s best for me to go out on loan, I said I want to be part of the promotion. I’ve given everything to this club and the community and loved it.

“Why would I then want to…. It’s just I’ve built a bond with the boys and the staff and the fans, and everything to do with Wrexham.

“I just don’t know what to do. You don’t want to be somewhere where you’re not wanted, but my heart is to be at this football club and continue what I’ve been doing and help the team in any way, so I just don’t know.”

Why Ollie Palmer lost his place at Wrexham alongside Paul Mullin

Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

In the same episode of the documentary, Parkinson explained why Mullin and Palmer were dropped.

He pointed towards a lack of goals and competition for places, saying: “When we brought two strikers in January, we always knew we’d have a surplus of, and people would find themselves out of the 18-man squad because you can only have seven substitutes.

“That’s the way it is. Mulls didn’t just quite get the goals, which he normally does, and I thought he had a good start to the season, and his general performances were decent, but the goals just didn’t come, and we just needed more from the player in that number nine role.

“So Paul and Ollie found themselves out of the 18-man squad. It’s a harder level than we’d been operating at. So, both good lads, really good lads, have carried on training well for us. But it’s tough, it’s a competitive division, to make the step up is not easy.”

Mullin and Palmer both scored three league goals each in 2024/25.