Out of Favour Wrexham Striker Seeking Plymouth Return in January

Wrexham Striker Set for Plymouth Return Just Six Months After Leaving Pilgrims

Wrexham’s inexorable rise through the English footballing pyramid has been a fairytale story - sure, they have the backing of Hollywood money, but it is one thing to spend, and it is entirely another to watch that money being used well. And boy, have Wrexham spent their money wisely.

However, even for the shrewdest clubs, failed transfers are bound to occur - not every move can be the right one, and while a transfer may seem like the right thing to do at the time, unforeseen circumstances and injury problems can derail a signing from first name on the team sheet to left back on the bench.

Plymouth Argyle are interested in re-signing forward Ryan Hardie on a permanent deal from Wrexham

The 28 year old left the pilgrims for north Wales in the summer but game time has been a problem

Green army fans would be happy if he returned to the club?#pafc

— AllAboutLeagueOne (@LeagueOne25) January 6, 2026

This is exactly the scenario facing Wrexham’s Ryan Hardie, who, having joined in the summer from Plymouth Argyle for more than £700,000, is looking increasingly likely to rejoin the club he left just six months ago.

Who is Ryan Hardie?

After notching their third promotion in as many years, Wrexham once again needed to bolster their squad depth to have even the faintest chance of staying in the Championship, let alone keeping that streak alive.

With Paul Mullin faltering in front of goal as Wrexham climbed the leagues, it became clear that the Red Dragons needed a goalscoring replacement, and at the time, Ryan Hardie appeared to be the ideal candidate.

Netting 10 goals in England’s second tier despite facing relegation with Plymouth, the Scotsman has shown himself to be a useful poacher proven at Championship level, exactly the recipe Phil Parkinson’s side was looking for.

However, alongside him, experienced marksman Kieffer Moore and young Ipswich upstart Nathan Broadhead were also signed to complement existing striker Sam Smith up front. As we all know, Moore had an explosive start to the season, netting five in his first six games, and this form severely limited Hardie’s gametime, with the new signing unable to displace his Welsh comrade.

Though Moore’s output quickly slowed, his physical prowess and aerial ability up top suited Parkinson’s style of football more aptly than Hardie’s more ground-based approach, and he soon found himself in the role of benchwarmer. Even when the Welshman got injured, Broadhead was picked as his replacement ahead of Hardie, making his role all the more remote.

So out of favour is Hardie now that he has played a grand total of 32 minutes for Wrexham across their last 13 competitive games - a stark statistic, and one which highlights Hardie’s misfortune; in a summer where three strikers were signed within weeks of each other, there was always going to be one who drew the short straw, and on this occasion, Hardie was the unfortunate sacrifice.

Ryan Hardie departs for Wrexham 💔

2️⃣4️⃣8️⃣ Games. 7️⃣4️⃣ Goals.

1️⃣ Hot dog serving salute merchant.

Go well, Ryan. #pafc | #wxmafc pic.twitter.com/MAl1HjC6IY

— Argyle Life / Green & White Podcast (@ArgyleLife1886) June 16, 2025

On a more positive note, the 28-year-old is wanted back at his former club this January, where he scored 74 goals in 248 appearances, and rumours are circulating that the move is as likely to be permanent as it is to be a vanilla loan deal.

Only time will tell, but for all the hard work Hardie has put in across his career, he does not deserve to be playing the role of emergency backup when he is supposed to be at the peak of his powers. Should he return to Plymouth this month, it is unlikely he will find himself in the same role again.