Phil Parkinson has enjoyed much success as Wrexham manager but a former player is now looking to win the biggest prize in football.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds appointed Phil Parkinson as Wrexham boss in July 2021.
It came after former manager Dean Keates failed to secure a play-off place with the club in the 2020/21 season.
Parkinson has since completely transformed the Red Dragons, helping them escape the depths of the National League after a decade and a half.
Wrexham are now among the contenders to secure promotion from League One this term and could potentially be plying their trade in the Championship for the first time ever since it was rebranded come the start of 2025/26.
A former player who the Welsh outfit let leave twice has much higher ambitions, however.
Wrexham let Anthony Barry leave after eight days
Anthony Barry began his youth career with Everton before getting his first proper taste of senior football with Accrington Stanley.
Barry first joined Wrexham on January 16th, 2010 from Chester City on a free transfer.
His bizarre first spell at the club lasted just eight days, however, with the player going on to join Fleetwood Town on January 24th, 2010.
Ex-manager Dean Saunders has previously opened up on why Barry left Wrexham in 2010.
He said: “He told me, ‘Fleetwood have offered me double the money’. I said, ‘Well, it’s too late, you’ve signed for us now’.
“He said, ‘Yeah but gaffer, come on, I can’t turn that down’. I said, ‘No, you’ve signed for us’. There had been back page headlines with the shirt on and everything.
“I couldn’t believe it. I sat there for a couple of days and thought, ‘If you don’t want to be here, if you want to be somewhere else, you might as well go’. Then he went to Fleetwood.”
It was a truly bizarre situation but he did return to the Racecourse Ground for a second time in 2016, going on to make 32 appearances, scoring two goals and provide one assist.
Barry retired a year later and has since taken up a role as a coach for various teams.
Anthony Barry was won Championship League and is eyeing World Cup success
As a coach, Barry enjoyed a prolific spell at Chelsea as assistant manager under Thomas Tuchel.
The highlight was their huge Championship League final victory over Manchester City in 2021.
Barry and Tuchel have linked up once more, with the latter now head coach of England following Gareth Southgate’s departure.
The next major competition for the Three Lions is the 2026 World Cup, with the former Wrexham manager no doubt desperate to add that trophy to his growing collection.