MARK HOWARD admits there are big shoes to fill at The Racecourse but the goalkeeper is confident Phil Parkinson has earmarked replacements that will continue taking Wrexham in the right direction.

The Reds finished runners-up in League Two last season to secure a second promotion in a row for the first time in the club's history.

Parkinson is targeting new signings ahead of the new League One campaign and nine players have been released, including first-team captain Luke Young and club captain Ben Tozer, to make room for fresh faces.

Howard says former team-mates such as Young, who began the success story by helping Wrexham clinch the National League title following a record-breaking 2022-23 season, will be missed but the goalkeeper believes new additions will only make the Reds stronger when they step-up a level next term.

Shot-stopper Arthur Okonkwo, who enjoyed a successful season-long loan from Arsenal last term, has become the first new signing of the summer and Howard is looking forward to seeing who else comes in at The Racecourse.

"Football is hard, there are big decisions to be made," said the 37-year-old, who was speaking to Best Online Poker Sites: https://bestonlinepokersites.ltd/

"We have let some really top players leave us and some top personalities who will be really missed in the dressing room. Their achievements won't go unnoticed and what they have helped the club do will always be remembered. 

"But the club wants to keep pushing on and developing, and these are the tough decisions that go on within every football team across the world. These tough decisions have to be made for what the club is trying to achieve next.

"The club will keep chasing the best players they possibly can. 

"We signed James McClean and Steven Fletcher, who have both played a lot of international football and graced the top divisions, so you know the club will be looking to improve the quality and depth again this time around."

Parkinson has been linked with a host of players during the off-season and Howard, who has signed a new one-year contract and will spend a third season at The Racecourse, believes it is possible the Reds' boss could have his eye on people who ply their trade overseas.

Wrexham have become a global sensation under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and Howard says the club has huge appeal when it comes to landing transfer targets.

"It could be an opportunity to sign foreign players," said Howard. "With the fame off the pitch and the success on it, players from abroad will be looking at us and thinking they want to be a part of our story.

"With any signing, there is a lot of planning that goes on. 

"The club would have identified potential signings for a while. But anyone joining us, with the documentary and our improvements, will be looking at the full picture. 

"They will be thinking it's a good time to be at Wrexham for their career. You never know who we could be signing in the future but I think we will have grabbed people's attention."