Where Is Paul Mullin? Wrexham Chase Promotion Without Their Star Man

Wrexham Promotion Push Leaves Paul Mullin on the Sidelines

It’s a strange sight at the Stok Racecourse this spring. The chants still echo through the stands. The red shirts still swarm the pitch in unison. But as Wrexham once again march towards promotion, there’s one unmistakable absence — Paul Mullin.

Just a year ago, the image was iconic. Mullin, arms spread wide, soaking in the adulation of Wrexham fans after firing the club to yet another promotion. It was his moment, and in many ways, it was Wrexham’s moment too — a fusion of old-school grit and Hollywood stardust. But fast forward to April 2025, and Mullin isn’t just off the scoresheet — he’s off the team sheet entirely.

He hasn’t played a single minute of league football since January. He hasn’t made the bench in nine straight games. And as Wrexham chase a historic third successive promotion — a feat that would launch them into the Championship — their most beloved star has vanished from view.

A Star Written Into Wrexham’s Script

Mullin isn’t just a striker. He’s the face of the story. A key character in Welcome to Wrexham, the documentary that turned a scrappy Welsh football club into a global phenomenon. Since arriving in 2021, he’s scored 110 goals — seventh-most in the club’s 160-year history. More importantly, he’s embodied the spirit of a club reborn.

“He’s a modern-day legend,” says Tim Edwards, co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast. “It’s not just the goals. It’s how he plays. It feels like he’s playing for us, like he’s one of us.”

Mullin’s connection with Wrexham is deep and heartfelt. A working-class lad from Liverpool, he plays with the kind of hunger that speaks to fans in every corner of the ground. The comparisons to Wayne Rooney — raw, relentless, real — aren’t thrown around lightly.

So how did the talisman go from top billing to an unlisted cast member?

From Red Carpet to Rehab: A Season That Never Took Off

Ryan Reynolds in a blue beanie hat and Paul Mullin in his Wrexham kit converse after a game at the Racecourse

Mullin’s status off the pitch remains undimmed. When he punctured his lung on Wrexham’s U.S. tour against Manchester United, he spent recovery time at Rob McElhenney’s Los Angeles home. He later landed a cameo in Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Wolverine film, donning a custom ‘Welshpool’ superhero outfit now immortalised in a glass case at the Racecourse.

But back in reality, the footballing narrative took a different turn. Mullin underwent back surgery last summer. Then a second procedure. Two major operations and a disrupted pre-season left him chasing fitness from the off.

The numbers are stark: just nine league starts, three goals, one every 384 minutes. For a man who once struck fear into defenders, those stats paint a painful picture. His xG numbers — previously elite — now lag behind every other Wrexham striker.

“He just never got going this season,” says former Wrexham midfielder Waynne Phillips. “Then the new signings came in, and they’ve delivered.”

A Ruthless Evolution in Attack

Sam Smith (left) and Jay Rodriguez applaud fans following a Wrexham game

Phillips is referring to January signings Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez — the latter a former Burnley and Southampton man. Smith, brought in for a reported £2m from Reading, already has 16 goals to his name. Rodriguez brings pedigree, movement, and experience at the top level.

Add to that the form of veteran Steven Fletcher, who’s scoring at a league-best rate of a goal every 118 minutes off the bench, and Jack Marriott waiting in the wings, and suddenly there’s no space for sentiment.

“You don’t spend that money in January not to play them,” says Phillips. “Parkinson’s proven ruthless before. He’s not swayed by what someone’s done in the past.”

Phil Parkinson’s transformation of the squad has been pragmatic, not nostalgic. Of the team that began the season, more than half were National League regulars. In the recent win over Burton Albion, just two remained.

The message? This isn’t a fairytale. It’s a football club, and there’s only room for those delivering in the moment.

Where Is Paul Mullin? No Fallout, Just Football

Paul Mullin stands with his hands on his head during Wrexham defeat by Stevenage at the Racecourse

Social media did its thing. Rumours swirled. Was there a fallout? A bust-up? A call to the owners?

“Nonsense,” was Mullin’s blunt response to one such claim on X (formerly Twitter). Club sources and those close to the player echo the same: no rift, no drama, just a footballing decision. Mullin has kept his head down and trained hard.

In truth, he’s not alone in being edged out. Fellow promotion hero Ollie Palmer has also faded from view. He could’ve left in January. He stayed. Told the club he still had a part to play.

That’s football. At Wrexham, though, it plays out under the glare of global cameras.

“Because it’s all documented, people see these players as characters,” says Edwards. “It makes the emotions stronger. But if the results weren’t coming, fans would be asking why we didn’t invest in January.”

Could Mullin Still Script a Fairytale Return?

For all the detachment, hope lingers. Parkinson has kept the door ajar.

“Players like Mulls and Ollie have made huge contributions,” the manager said last month. “They’re training hard every day, waiting for that moment. Because you never know when it’s coming.”

If it does come, it would be fitting. Mullin has been central to this story — not just in the goals but in the emotion, the identity, the rise.

“He’s still only 30,” says club director Humphrey Ker. “There’s a huge future here for him. We’ve seen what he can do against top-level opposition in the FA Cup. We know he can compete at Championship level.”

Mullin’s contract runs until 2027. The club are said to be paying him well. And he hasn’t shown any sign of wanting to move on.

The rest of this season may not be about him — but the chapters ahead still might.

Trusting the Process — Even Without the Protagonist

Wrexham are a different team now. Slicker. Deeper. More clinical.

But they’re also still the club where a lad from Liverpool could capture the hearts of a city and the attention of the world.

Right now, as they chase promotion once again, Paul Mullin is missing from the picture. But no one has forgotten what he’s meant — and few would bet against one more starring role before the credits roll.

“Phil Parkinson is a legend,” says Edwards. “Paul Mullin is a legend. But only one picks the team.”