Wrexham urged to give Paul Mullin ‘whatever contract he wants’ as Wales legend backs star striker for international call-up and explains his ‘gold dust’ attribute which would cost whopping £2m to replace

The odd question has been asked of 30-year-old frontman Mullin this season as he has just three goals to his name through 14 appearances. There have, however, been mitigating circumstances as he underwent minor spinal surgery over the summer and was eased back into competitive action off the bench.

His overall record for the Red Dragons stands at 108 goals in 154 outings, with three Player of the Year awards collected in North Wales alongside back-to-back promotions. He would appear to embody the “form is temporary, class is permanent” mantra as there is no doubting his ability when fully fit and firing.

Former Wrexham boss and ex-Wales international striker Dean Saunders is among those backing Mullin to silence any doubters. He has told GOAL, while speaking in association with 888sport: “I actually think he should be in the Wales squad. There are not many players that have got an eye for a goal like him – a natural goalscorer that turns a clearance into a goal, he turns a bad cross into a goal, he finds the ball in the box.

“You will see a lot of strikers, especially big ones, where if you walk in there often enough then the ball will hit you on the head and go in. The ones that have to find the ball and anticipate where its going, Paul Mullin thinks quicker than every defender in the two leagues he has been in. Any ball that goes in the box, or ricochets, he will react to that quicker than all the defenders – that’s why he scores goals. You can’t buy that and you can’t teach it. I’ve had different strikers and you can teach them where to run and when to run, but you can’t give them the instinct to see something happening before defenders see it. He has got that.”

Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney worked hard to bring Mullin to Wrexham in the summer of 2021 and have been told that they would have to smash the club’s transfer record in order to find another marksman of his ilk. Saunders added: “With Wales, we have got Kieffer Moore, Mark Harris – who is a goalscorer – but we have not got many and they are a dying breed. Not just Wales, same with England, Scotland and Ireland. To find someone that has got an eye for a goal is like gold dust.

“He [Mullin] might get injured, he might lose his eye of the tiger for a bit, but he’ll never lose his eye for a goal. I would give him whatever contract he wants and keep him at the club. You will find it hard to replace him unless you have got £2 million.”

Mullin has never been the kind of character to shy away from a challenge and will believe that he can help to lead another promotion push in League One – with the Red Dragons currently flying high in the table. He is also tied to a deal through to 2027, meaning that he will not be going anywhere any time soon.