Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have brought much success to Wrexham, but one side whom the pair considered buying are enduring a tough period four years on.
Rob McElhenney was inspired by Sunderland and their Netflix documentary series Sunderland Till I Die to purchase a football team.
He and Ryan Reynolds eventually settled on Wrexham, agreeing to buy the Red Dragons for £2m from the club’s Supporters Trust back in February 2021.
Just over four years later, Wrexham have been valued at over £100m and are now set to play in the Championship for the first time since it was rebranded.
However, one team the North American duo considered buying is now undergoing a difficult period, seeing their president resign and slam the owner.
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Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney looked at Hartlepool before Wrexham
Humphrey Ker confirmed McElhenney and Reynolds looked at Hartlepool United in an interview earlier this year.
He said: “We looked at Hartlepool, I think lots of people know that”.
Now, the club’s current owner has been slammed by Jeff Stelling, who has taken to social media to announce he’s stepping down as the club’s president.
In multiple Twitter posts, Stelling said: “Following Raj’s latest statement, I have resigned as President of @Official_HUFC. I know this is only an honorary role but it is the best way I felt I could protest against the treatment of the party trying to take control the club 1/3.
“Supporters have been left in an intolerable position with a perceived threat to the future of the club should they not support the current owner. Let’s remember it was him who wanted to stop funding the club. Yet now he seems almost affronted that others want to take over 2/3.
“Not once have I been consulted about this even though I am a shareholder. I have not met the would be buyers but I do know they have been trying to buy this club for over a year – not the actions of time wasters. I will always love this club and wish all our fans the best 3/3.”
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Other teams Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney could have bought before Wrexham
Hartlepool are currently in the National League, finishing the 2024/25 season in 11th place.
There were several more options Rob and Ryan explored as well as the North East outfit, as explained by Ker.
He said: “We looked at Aldershot because they are alphabetically the first team in the National League. I told him about the National League, and he was like ‘what is this Aldershot?’, and so I was like ‘we’ll look into Aldershot’.
“We looked at Hartlepool, I think lots of people know that, Carlisle United.
“I don’t think I’ve ever brought this up before, initially, he wanted to do it in Ireland or Scotland, because he’s from Ireland, so he was like ‘what about Shamrock Rovers?’
“I was like, look… the League of Ireland has great clubs, historic clubs, it would be brilliant in many ways, but it would be like throwing a brick into a pond – if you put your time and energy and resources into a League of Ireland club, you win the League of Ireland instantaneously, no-one can come close to you and there’s no drama there.”