Paul Mullin made his Wigan Athletic debut this weekend, but he may well be worried about how much game time he will get in 2025/26 with his new club.
After a well-documented fall from grace at Wrexham, the exit of Paul Mullin was inevitable this summer regardless of how much fans wanted him to stay in Wales.
Mullin leaves behind an incredible legacy at Wrexham, with impressive statistics and records and a hero status among the fanbase.
Wigan are delighted to have Mullin, naturally, and there are high hopes that he could thrive with his new club in League One. But, he’ll be sweating over his place in the starting XI already.
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Wigan Athletic new boys form perfect partnership in pre-season
While most Wrexham fans will be looking ahead to Mullin’s competitive debut for Wigan when the league season returns in August, they did get a glimpse of the Red Dragons legend in action this weekend during a pre-season friendly.
Wigan took on Chorley in a warm-up game on Saturday afternoon, with the Latics securing a 2-1 win away from home.
Mullin was handed a start in the game, getting his first minutes on the pitch since a brief outing in the EFL Trophy semi-final back in February. Wigan fans were excited by Mullin’s inclusion, but the striker didn’t manage to make a significant impact on the field, sadly.
Instead, it was fellow new arrivals Dara Costelloe and Christian Saydee who really got the chance to shine for Wigan, with the former bagging two goals and his teammate providing the assists on both occasions.
While Mullin may be the high profile name among Wigan’s additions this summer, Costelloe and Saydee will be determined to stake their claim on a first-team spot and have done themselves plenty of favours with a strong showing as a partnership this weekend.
For Mullin, the idea of being a third-choice striker would be far from ideal. The 30-year-old desperately needs to get his career back on track after the disappointment of 2024/25, and he already has a mountain to climb now.
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Paul Mullin will need more time to get back to his best
Wigan boss Ryan Lowe admitted after the game that Mullin showed signs of ‘rustiness’ but also insisted the Wrexham loanee could have bagged a couple of goals on another day.
It’s understandable that Mullin would be a little off his game after such a long time out of action. Indeed, it may take him weeks to get back to full match sharpness, but if he can explode like he did in the early days at Wrexham, it will all be worth the wait.
It speaks volumes that Lowe wanted to sign Mullin permanently, but couldn’t afford such a deal. He’s in a great place with a manager who believes in his ability, and Mullin still has plenty of time to prove his worth at Wigan.
Mullin will not be too concerned by the fact that his new teammates have gotten off to such a strong start in the first game of pre-season. However, if by August he has not reached their level, he will be fearing the worst ahead of the new season, with a horrible feeling of déjà vu looming.
