Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are expected to back Wrexham heavily in the summer transfer market if they win promotion to the Championship.
The Red Dragons are eight games away from potentially making history as the first side to secure three promotions in a row when starting in the National League or higher.
Currently, Wrexham sit second in the League One table, three points clear of their closest rivals, Wycombe Wanderers.
The Chairboys will reclaim the second automatic promotion place if they win their game in hands, thanks to their superior goal difference.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Birmingham | 36 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 59 | 24 | 35 | 83 |
| 2 | Wrexham | 38 | 22 | 8 | 8 | 52 | 30 | 22 | 74 |
| 3 | Wycombe | 37 | 20 | 11 | 6 | 64 | 36 | 28 | 71 |
| 4 | Charlton | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 49 | 35 | 14 | 66 |
| 5 | Stockport | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 53 | 35 | 18 | 65 |
| 6 | Huddersfield | 37 | 18 | 7 | 12 | 52 | 34 | 18 | 61 |
But Wycombe’s fixtures are much harder than Wrexham’s in the remainder of the campaign and it is Phil Parkinson’s men who are in better form right now.
As a result, whether they go up automatically or win the play-offs, there’s a very real possibility the Red Dragons are plying their trade in the Championship next season.
| Game | Wrexham | Wycombe |
| 38 | Stockport County (H) – 22/03/25 (1-0 win) | Lincoln City (H) – 29/03/25 |
| 39 | Exeter City (A) – 29/03/25 | Shrewsbury (H) – 01/04/25 |
| 40 | Cambridge United (A) – 01/04/25 | Reading (A) – 05/04/25 |
| 41 | Burton Albion (H) – 05/04/25 | Huddersfield (A) – 08/04/25 |
| 42 | Wigan Athletic (A) – 12/04/25 | Stevenage (H) – 12/04/25 |
| 43 | Bristol Rovers (H) – 18/04/25 | Bolton (A) – 18/04/25 |
| 44 | Blackpool (A) – 21/04/25 | Charlton (H) – 21/04/25 |
| 45 | Charlton (H) – 26/04/25 | Leyton Orient (A) – 26/04/25 |
| 46 | Lincoln City (A) – 03/05/25 | Stockport County (H) – 03/05/25 |
With this in mind, The Wrexham Insider have spoken to finance expert Adam Williams to get an insight into the money available to the club this summer should they secure promotion.
Wrexham potential Championship transfer budget
When/if Wrexham do win promotion to the second tier, they will have to start complying with PSR, rather than the current Salary Cost Managment Protocol, which is in place in League One, as Williams explained:
He said: “If Wrexham do go up this season, they’ll be subject to a new set of Profit and Sustainability Rules.
“In League One, there’s a revised set of rules coming in next season that limit spending on wages as a proportion of external investment.
“But at present, the system Wrexham are operating within limits them to spending 60 per cent of total turnover on wages and transfer fees, or up to 100 per cent of their ‘football fortune’ which is a slightly narrower definition that excludes certain income streams.”
If Wrexham are in the Championship next season, Williams explained that based on their current accounts, they will be able to spend £38m, minus whatever they lose in the current campaign.
He added: “You don’t need to take a particularly deep dive to see they were well within that cap based on the figures we have from the 2023-24 accounts, but we’ll have a bit more context when the full books are released.
“In the Championship, the PSR system is based on profits or losses, not revenue, which alters the dynamic.
“Wrexham will be allowed to lose £41m over three years, with certain allowable expenses such as infrastructure investment. If they pay, say, £10m to improve the stadium, for example, that doesn’t count towards the quota.
“They lost less than £3m in 2023-24, which gives them £38m worth of headroom remaining for 2025-26, minus whatever they lose this season. I’d expect that loss to widen with increased wage expenditure and the sums they have spent in the transfer market.
“But even so, they should have a lot of grace in terms of how much they’re allowed to spend – at least, that will be the case in year one in the Championship.”
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney expected to be aggressive in transfer market
While we won’t know for sure how much money Wrexham will lose this season until next year, it’s clear they are going to have plenty of money to play with.
Williams expects Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s club to be ‘aggressive’ in the market and is ‘certain’ they will have the biggest revenue in the Championship, aside from whichever teams are receiving parachute payments from the Premier League.
“I think they’ll be aggressive in the transfer market.
“I’m certain they will have the biggest revenue of any club besides those who are receiving parachute payments, so they can spend sustainably, plus the owners seem to be willing to underwrite the losses, as is the necessity at almost every Championship club in fairness.
“So, as long as the owners remain financially committed – and there’s no reason they wouldn’t – I don’t expect the Wrexham train to slow down any time soon.
“The Championship is a completely different financial ecosystem and they won’t be able to outspend everyone as they have done so far, but they will be able to mix it at the top end of the table as far as recruitment and retention is concerned.”