Phil Parkinson Rallies Behind Wrexham Star, Promises His Moment Will Arrive in Fiery Sheffield Showdown

Phil Parkinson believes Callum O'Hare will develop into an important figure for Wrexham as the attacking midfielder looks to open his account for the club against his former employers Sheffield United this weekend.

Wrexham secured O'Hare for an undisclosed fee thought to be around $9.5 million (£7 million) on Deadline Day of the summer transfer window. The 28-year-old penned an initial three-year contract at the Racecourse Ground, with an option for a fourth year, and pointed to the club's ambitions of reaching the Premier League as a primary motivation for his transfer.

O'Hare has featured in Wrexham's last six matches from the start but is yet to register a direct goal contribution across his eight appearances for the Welsh outfit. The attacking midfielder had netted twice in five starts for Sheffield United this season prior to his move to North Wales on the final day of the transfer window.

Parkinson Backs O'Hare Ahead of All-Important Clash

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder accused Wrexham of adopting a "blanket bomb" strategy during the summer transfer window as they pursued a deal for O'Hare. Wilder suggested the Red Dragons were "in for half the division" as they scrambled to bolster their squad in the final days of the window.

This was not the first time Wilder had taken a swipe at long-time rival Parkinson, with the two having been apprentices together at Southampton during their teenage years. Speaking before Sheffield United's fixture against Cardiff City earlier in the campaign — a match in which O'Hare scored — Wilder accused Parkinson of showing disrespect toward their Welsh opponents after being held to a 1–1 draw on the opening weekend.

"I watched the game against Wrexham. I thought it was one-way traffic for 20 minutes," Wilder said. "The second half, I didn't agree with what the Wrexham manager said, I don't usually anyway, in terms of that it was a one-sided game. I thought he should give the opposition a little bit more credit and respect."

A hostile atmosphere awaits O'Hare on Friday, with Wrexham expected to include both the midfielder and former Sheffield United forward Kieffer Moore in their starting eleven. Wilder had been reluctant to sell O'Hare in the summer and previously admitted that, given the choice, Moore would still be at the club as well.

Wrexham require strong showings from their attackers at Bramall Lane following a challenging start to the season. Only three sides have averaged fewer than their 3.4 shots on target per game, while their expected goals (xG) tally of 13.6 ranks as the sixth-lowest in the Championship.

O'Hare has posted an xG of 1.85 since arriving at the club, with Wrexham struggling to compensate for the absence of last season's top scorer Josh Windass. The 32-year-old missed all of preseason through injury and fitness concerns and is currently ruled out with a separate ankle complaint.

This places added responsibility on O'Hare, who has operated as the sole attacking midfielder in each of Wrexham's last two outings. Nevertheless, Parkinson is convinced that a single goal could transform the midfielder's fortunes at his new club.

"I think generally, his performances have been good: the Preston one (won 4-1) in particular," Parkinson told Sports Illustrated. "I had a good chat with him this week; the moment will come for him. He just has to concentrate on his general all-around performance and not get frustrated that the moments haven't come. In fairness, the goal we won the game with against Southampton was practically his. He has been so close on a number of occasions. His general play has been really good and his work for the team has been excellent."

For O'Hare, it is simply a case of getting on with the job. He is well aware he will face considerable hostility from his former supporters on Friday but insists he will approach the game no differently from any other.

"I'm looking forward to it. Good to see some faces, but we mainly just want to get three points and win," O'Hare told Sports Illustrated following the weekend defeat against Blackburn.

Despite his goalless run at his new club, O'Hare noted that he continues to find himself in promising positions. He acknowledged, however, that fortune has not yet fallen his way when it comes to finding the net and earning what would undoubtedly be a major confidence boost.

He added: "I mean, getting the chances, I feel like I am always going to get those. When one goes, I am going to get the chance to keep scoring. So I have just got to keep pushing to get that."

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