Why Wrexham can breathe a big sigh of Josh Windass relief after Rangers, Danny Rohl news | OneFootball

Danny Rohl's move to RB Salzburg surely will put an end to Rangers' links with Josh Windass

After a wholly successful first campaign back in the second tier in over 40 years, the focus at Wrexham this summer will be to add quality to push them one further and at least land in the play-offs.

If anything, just maintaining their best-ever EFL finish and remaining seventh will be enough to warrant a place in the revamped postseason, but those at the Stok Cae Ras will have ambitions of climbing towards the top two.

It was evident that, once Phil Parkinson's new-look side settled into the campaign, they were among the better sides in the division. Wrexham signed 13 new players last summer to ensure their squad was up to scratch after three consecutive promotions.

This summer, it's all about ensuring that those settled players continue to deliver good performances, while using the transfer budget wisely to prioritise quality additions over quantity, according to the Red Dragons boss.

However, after a strong campaign that ended in a promotion near-miss, there was always the worry that some of their current players would get poached by other clubs, such as Josh Windass, who was linked with a move to Scottish giants Rangers in late May.

But a changing of the guard at Ibrox may mean those rumours finally die down, which will be well-received in North Wales.

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It was reported that a potential Windass return to Rangers, seven years after he left Scotland for Wigan Athletic, was "driven by Danny Rohl," who managed the 32-year-old during their time at Sheffield Wednesday.

The Wrexham attacking midfielder is coming off the back of a 16-goal campaign in all competitions in his debut term at the Stok Cae Ras, but that's really a continuation of the good work he did under Rohl at Hillsborough during the 2024/25 term.

That 13-goal campaign for Wednesday was his highest scoring league season since he netted 15 in his final year at Accrington Stanley nine seasons earlier, which earned him the initial move to Ibrox.

Evidently, the two worked well together, and with a move to Rangers, allowing the 32-year-old to reunite with the German boss and have a crack at playing in European competitions once again before he retired may have been something Windass explored, even if Phil Parkinson rejected the rumours.

However, those rumours may die naturally now in the wake of Rohl's switch to Austrian Red Bull outfit RB Salzburg. There's a likelihood that Salzburg won't pursue someone like Windass to spearhead what they hope is a return to being the premier outfit in the Austrian Bundesliga, and new Gers boss Derek McInnes may opt against trying to continue the chase.

Even if he did, the lure of working with Rohl again may have been the only thing bringing the 32-year-old to Ibrox, so the decision of the former boss may have halted any speculation that a return could be on the cards.

Wrexham will be delighted to keep Josh Windass ahead of 2026/27

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Windass' career year in front of goal last season would obviously leave Wrexham fans excited to see what he can do in his sophomore year at the Welsh side, as the Red Dragons search for their fourth promotion in five years.

The 32-year-old is also entering the 2026/27 campaign on a real wave of momentum with six goals in his final eight games, including a beautiful free kick on the final day against Middlesbrough, to try and drag Wrexham into the top six.

It's that mentality that Phil Parkinson needs to see more of across his side next season, and he'll be looking to add some winners to the squad during the transfer window. One position that doesn't need upgrading, though, is Windass'.

The attacking midfielder wouldn't have been begrudged to move to a club offering European football, and if the Welsh side had got a good deal for a man who still has two years left on his contract, it would have been an amicable departure.