Wrexham have turned to former Three Lions striker Jay Rodriguez in a surprise Championship announcement prior to the Sheffield United fixture.
A lot has been said and done about Wrexham’s poor form heading into the New Year 2026. Most of them is completely justified criticism of Phil Parkinson but rest it’s a struggling phase the Red Dragons need to pass.
A dismal month on the pitch is almost unheard among Championship table toppers, but hardships like Wrexham’s usually fall in place on the ones fighting for playoff rights.
So, how to find the winning way out of this? The most common answer is to test and tweak things, and expect the Championship stars to finally align together.
Is it a proven path to success, not quite really. However, Wrexham fans saw how an ordinary looking Swansea freekick ended in Arthur Okonkwo’s net through substitute Adam Idah and a number of wishful sequences that often exist only in dreams.
Wrexham shuffle Parkinson’s attacking ranks with former Three Lions star’s comeback
The bottom line is sometimes weird decisions start making sense in the bigger picture and Wrexham appear to be applying this ideology.
Through the club’s official website, Wrexham have relayed a squad change: “With Elliot Lee currently recovering from injury, he has been removed from the squad and Jay Rodriguez added.”
I can sense the puzzled look on your faces, Wrexham fans. Even I am running short of reasons to find what the 36 year old former Three Lion can offer which the currently available forwards cannot.
Rodriguez is widely hailed for his aerial ability at all of his previous clubs, but Wrexham are blessed with Kieffer Moore who takes care of the heading stuff. Apart from that, Rodriguez is a good company to play second striker and every Wrexham fan knows Parkinson’s obsession with a 3-5-2 formation.
Hence, putting Rodriguez and Moore upfront makes sense until you realise how will Josh Windass fit in the lineup. Ok, drop Windass a little bit back in midfield and then another midfielder will need to be compromised. All in all, fitting Rodriguez in the Wrexham playing eleven is easier said than done.
How many goals Jay Rodriguez scored against Sheffield United?
Calling Rodriguez on as a super sub still seems a decent idea, though. To Rodriguez’s credit, he has three goals to his name against Sheffield United over the course of a long career.
One of them came as recent as in 2023 and surprisingly, that was a first minute Premier League strike. If “J Rod” replicated that early goal whenever he comes on Friday, Wrexham’s risk will be branded as a calculated tactic.
That’s how the way Championship football works. Another example of a risky-but-smart move is present in the Blades camp, Patrick Bamford.
Sheffield United offered him a second tier contract when multiple clubs including Wrexham didn’t, and look at the striker’s goals flowing freely in S2.
On parallel lines, Rodriguez wasn’t an exceptional figure for Wrexham in League One though he was a part of the direct promotion gaining squad. Add his almost five months of absence since the season began and deep down, the 36 year old might be longing to hit the ground running.
A swiftly falling out of favour Phil Parkinson needs Wrexham players to stand out in order to complete a fifth year anniversary in North Wales. Rodriguez would equally be desperate to record his Wrexham spell as anything but flop, meaning both are sailing in the same boat.
Now it can either end up with Rodriguez bailing out Parkinson to a win and featuring in the next “Welcome to Wrexham” web series or the end of road for both. Holding out hope for the first one, rest, let’s see.
