Wrexham fans will not be happy with Championship expert’s Phil Parkinson verdict, he’d ‘be stunned if…’

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Despite overseeing Wrexham’s outstanding rise to the Championship, one second tier expert believes that Phil Parkinson’s days as Red Dragons boss are numbered.

Wrexham are heading into the 2025/26 Championship campaign on the back of finishing runners-up in League One last season behind Birmingham City.

In the wake of the Red Dragons’ promotion to the second tier, the club’s recruitment team has been busy adding quality to the ranks for head coach Phil Parkinson, as he looks to fulfil Ryan Reynolds’ Premier League dream.

Wrexham will smash their transfer record to sign £4m New Zealand international Liberato Cacace this summer, who could join Hull City ace Alfie Jones in arriving at the Racecourse, with Wrexham set to beat Boro to sign Jones.

However, if the predictions of one Championship expert come to fruition, Parkinson may not enjoy the fruits of Wrexham’s summer recruitment labour for too long.

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Championship expert believes Wrexham will sack Phil Parkinson in 2025/26

Wrexham made history with successive promotions under the tutelage of former Bolton Wanderers boss Parkinson, who arrived at the then-National League Red Dragons in the summer of 2021.

In his four years at Wrexham, Parkinson has overseen three back-to-back-to-back promotions, in the club’s historic rise from the National League to the Championship.

Parkinson is tasked with achieving promotion in what could be the best Championship season yet, but one second tier expert has admitted he will be “stunned” if Parkinson is still the Red Dragons boss come the end of the 2025/26 Championship season.

Ryan Dilks told the Second Tier podcast: “Phil Parkinson is a Wrexham legend, understandably so as well because he’s guided them to back-to-back-to-back promotions.

“He’s clearly no slouch, but financially Wrexham should have been winning promotion. It would have been a failure if they didn’t because they had by far the biggest budget in every promotion season, bar last year because of Birmingham City of course.

“It’s worth remembering they didn’t actually win the league in either of their last two seasons either despite their budget.

“In terms of the underlying data, Wrexham weren’t exactly dominant in League One last year. They were actually more like a play-off chasing side, and Parkinson’s Championship record isn’t great.

“He’s traditionally more of a lower league manager. Simply put, if a Championship job came up and Phil Parkinson was a free agent, would he get that job? No chance in a million years.

“When he took over at Wrexham, he was a League One manager batting below his level. Now he’s above that level.

“So I personally would be stunned if he is still the Wrexham manager come the end of the season, because of their ambitions, which we all know.

“I think the next chapter in this Wrexham story sees them getting a big name as manager to take them to that next level, because I don’t think Phil Parkinson’s going to be able to do that.”

When analysing Parkinson’s return at Championship level, his record does give credence to Dilks’ claims that the former Sunderland manager could be replaced by the Wrexham hierarchy at some point next season, given their lofty top flight aspirations.

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Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson’s Championship managerial career record

Parkinson was last a Championship manager with Bolton, where he masterminded the club’s survival from relegation to League One in the 2017/18 season, with Wanderers finishing just three points and one place above the drop zone.

He resigned in August 2019, after overseeing Bolton’s relegation, before months later being appointed by the Black Cats.

Parkinson’s Championship record stands at 26 wins, 37 draws, and 78 matches from 141 games in charge at second tier level.

With just an 18 percent win rate as a Championship manager, Parkinson has enough credit in the bank at Wrexham to be given a chance heading into the 2025/26 second tier season.

Wrexham are desperate for Championship success in the upcoming campaign, as the Red Dragons hold the longest absence from the top flight of English football of all in the EFL, with the club never reaching the top flight in the club’s 161-year history.

However, as his record would suggest, if Parkinson fails to live up to the standards of the second tier with the Premier League promotion aspirations hanging over him, the Red Dragons hierarchy could very well make an emotional decision to part ways with Parkinson at some point next season.