Wrexham: Should fans be worried about defence and are there reasons for optimism?

Having made 13 signings over the course of the summer transfer window, Wrexham’s new-look squad will undoubtedly take time to gel – including at the back.

Conor Coady, Max Cleworth, Lewis Brunt, Eoghan O’Connell, Callum Doyle, Dan Scarr and Aaron James have all operated in the back three at some point for Wrexham this season. Dom Hyam also joined from Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers on deadline day.

As for the wing-back slots, Liberato Cacace, James McClean and Jacob Mendy have shared the duties on the left while Cleworth, Ryan Longman and Ryan Barnett have all had stints on the right – with Issa Kabore joining on loan from Man City in the final stages of the summer window.

In a nutshell, the turnaround has been vast – with O’Connell and Mendy no longer even at the club.

“The change in personnel has been so rapid,” club legend Mickey Thomas said on BBC Radio Wales Sport.

“I spoke to Phil Parkinson a while ago, I said ‘with all these players coming in, you’re going to find it a problem to keep them all happy’. He said he’d rather have that problem than not have them (players) here at all.”

The defeat by QPR saw Ben Sheaf make his debut off the bench while the former Coventry City midfielder’s fellow deadline day recruits Kabore and Hyam featured in a Wrexham matchday squad for the first time.

Ex-Wales frontman Ian Walsh believes Parkinson needs time to work with his much-changed squad.

“If they’re sensible they’ll give Phil Parkinson enough time to turn things around,” he said.

“It’s difficult, back-to-back-to-back promotions and you drag a lot of new players into the club, listening to Mickey Thomas, it’s going to take time for them to work each other out.”

Parkinson himself commented: “We’ve changed the squad around completely and there was always going to be a period at the start where it doesn’t go completely as you’d want it.”