Wrexham continue to go strong in League One and Phil Parkinson will have dreams of taking the club even further in the coming years.
Wrexham achieved back-to-back promotions and are now competing at the top end of League One.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have completely transformed the club and promotion to the Championship is not out of the question.
Wrexham sit third in League One and are within touching distance of the automatic promotion spots with Phil Parkinson admitting his Premier League dream.
This Hollywood dream shows no sign of slowing down with Wrexham not only earning results on the pitch, but driving immense interest off the pitch.
Wrexham are no doubt the envy of other League One clubs and Charlton Athletic’s Charlie Methven has delivered his verdict on the club.
Charlie Methven on Wrexham
Methven may be best remembered for his time at Sunderland, in which he starred on the Netflix series ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’.
Now co-owner at Charlton, Methven has spoken on the ‘Where’s The Money Gone’ podcast and brought up Wrexham’s finances.
As transcribed by Wales Online, Methven suggested that Wrexham are now generating interest to the levels of a Premier League club thanks to Reynolds.
Methven branded Reynolds a ‘genuine global star’ before turning his attention to the sponsorship deals Wrexham are pulling off.
We have seen the likes of United Airlines and TikTok sponsor Wrexham in recent times with Methven pointing to those deals rather than teaming up with local sponsors.
Methven feels that Wrexham’s commercial income is just well beyond other League One clubs such as Charlton, Huddersfield Town or Bolton Wanderers.
“At Premier League level, a very significant proportion of a club’s revenues will come from the centralised TV deal,” said Methven.
“What’s happening in the undergrowth is that certain clubs in the EFL are starting to change those traditional ratios by making themselves relevant to a much broader audience.
“(These clubs) are attracting revenues massively disproportionate to their rivals. The most prominent examples of this both currently sit in League One in the shape of Birmingham City and Wrexham.
“Wrexham started to build through the association with Ryan Reynolds, who’s a genuine global star, and Welcome to Wrexham appearing on a major streaming platform in Disney+. They’re now attracting a level of eyeballs more similar to a Premier League club.
“Rather than having the traditional local business who wants to try and sell some goods to people who are coming to the stadium, they’re looking to attract businesses who are looking to sell goods to a big American audience. We’re not talking about mom and pop shops here. We’re talking about major global companies who are putting their money into Wrexham because they think that is better value than the kind of sums that would be required to sponsor in the Premier League.
“What this means is that if you look at commercial revenues of a normal League One club of a decent size like Charlton, Huddersfield or Bolton, you might be looking at commercial revenues of £2m to £2.5m a year. In Wrexham’s case, you’re going to be looking at four to five times that level of commercial sponsorship,” he added.
How other League One figures view Wrexham
Methven’s comments should certainly be taken as praise with Wrexham able to become a real force on and off the pitch under McElhenney and Reynolds.
Former England striker Darren Bent claims that other teams ‘hate’ Wrexham but the general feeling actually seems to be one of respect.
Rotherham United boss Steve Evans has praised McElhenney and Reynolds as ‘fantastic’ for their work since arriving at Wrexham.
That view is shared elsewhere with Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver branding Wrexham’s rise ‘exciting’ after a recent FA Cup win over Phil Parkinson’s side.
Meanwhile, Stevenage’s Phil Wallace has praised Wrexham as an ‘incredible marketing machine’ under McElhenney and Reynolds.
There is no real sign of bitterness from others around League One and Methven’s comments just add to the sense of respect around the league.