Wrexham nearly missed out on a play-off spot on the final day of the Championship season, and now they must battle to keep crucial players like Josh Windass.

The Red Dragons finished seventh in the standings under Phil Parkinson, the club’s first season at that level in over 40 years.

The Welsh club had been promoted three times in a row, and they were instantly competitive in the second division.

Parkinson’s team fell two points behind sixth-place Hull City after a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough, who went on to earn promotion in the play-off final.

Wrexham’s focus will now shift to the transfer market, where they hope to strengthen their squad in order to remain in the top seven.

The play-offs will extend to include the top eight teams starting next season, making them the last team to miss out on the competition with a seventh-place finish.

Phil Parkinson tells up on Josh Windass’s leaving.

Josh Windass is reportedly attracting interest from his previous club Rangers following a successful season at the Racecourse Ground.

The 32-year-old joined Wrexham as a free agent last summer, but there is now talk of a possible move after just a year, with the Glasgow club reigniting their interest in the January window earlier this year.

However, Parkinson has stated that they got no offers for Windass in the winter market and have no plans to allow any of their best players move this summer.

He acknowledges that their players may attract transfer interest, but believes the team is well-positioned to retain players like Windass for the upcoming season.Parkinson told the Evening Leader that Josh did not receive any official communication in January.Josh is our player; he had a good season, and we hope he can build on it next year.

“We are looking to add to the quality we have got, not lose it.””We would be disappointed if our players were not interested.”We have crucial players on long contracts, putting us in a strong position.We want to build on what we did last year and develop the squad to make us truly competitive again.”

Windass scored a remarkable 16 goals and assisted five times for the Red Dragons this season, helping them finish eighth.

However, it was insufficient to secure a spot in the play-offs, as the club fell out of the top six on the penultimate day.

The 32-year-old previously played two seasons for Rangers, scoring 13 goals and 11 assists in 55 Premiership outings.

Windass signed a three-year contract with Wrexham last summer, so his contract won’t expire until June 2028, providing the Championship club an advantage in any negotiations this year.

Wrexham must keep Josh Windass this summer. His goals helped the team finish in the top six last year.

Rangers would need to make a large offer to convince the club to cash in at this point, which is improbable considering his age of 32.

Given how successfully they worked together at Sheffield Wednesday, it’s unsurprising that Danny Rohl wants to reunite with the forward.

However, Wrexham should stand hard and do whatever they can to ensure Windass is in Parkinson’s side next season, as he can assist the team battle for promotion again in 2027