Josh Windass. Credit: Wrexham AFC
Rangers lodging a loan enquiry for Josh Windass barely six months after he joined Wrexham tells you everything about the squad management problem Phil Parkinson faces in January. Windass isn’t going anywhere, but the interest proves what’s been obvious for weeks. This squad is too big, and departures are coming whether Wrexham want them or not.
Six goals and three assists in 21 games since signing a three-year deal in the summer. A spell as captain. One of the better summer signings, no question.
Success brings attention, though. Rangers made their approach because he proved himself at Ibrox between 2016 and 2018 with 18 goals, and because Danny Rohl knows exactly what he brings from their time together at Sheffield Wednesday.
Rangers interest validates recruitment but exposes the squeeze
Rohl managed him for two seasons at Hillsborough. Twenty goals in 66 games under his watch. That connection matters when you’re trying to convince someone to uproot mid-season.
Can Wrexham block it? Easily. He’s contracted until 2028 and the club has already said no.
Here’s the thing, though. When clubs start circling your summer signings before Christmas, your squad depth problem is obvious to everyone. Wrexham sit 15th, seven points off the play-offs, yet they’re already fielding loan enquiries for regulars.
That’s not normal for a mid-table Championship side trying to build momentum. It happens when you’ve recruited too many bodies and other clubs can see which ones aren’t getting the minutes they expected.
The bloated squad reality January must fix
And Windass isn’t even the main concern. Ryan Hardie’s been linked with moves despite only arriving in the summer window.
Dan Scarr, Conor Coady, Aaron James, Ollie Rathbone, Andy Cannon. All of them mentioned as potential exits. Some need game time they won’t find at Wrexham. Others represent assets the club might need to shift just to balance the books.
The 25-man registration limit doesn’t bend. Wrexham spent heavily last summer and now they’re stuck with the maths of it. Not everyone fits.
Parkinson brought in quality. But quality without game time creates resentment, and a bloated squad means someone’s always going to feel hard done by.
January will force movement whether the club likes it or not. You can’t carry this many players through to May without fractures appearing.
So Rangers approaching Windass won’t change anything for him specifically. He’s staying, barring something dramatic.
But it’s a preview of what’s coming. Other clubs are watching. The squad’s too big. And departures will happen regardless of how many times Wrexham insist nobody’s for sale.
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