Wrexham are gearing up for Championship action as Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds prepare to take on some huge clubs.
Wrexham’s first summer signing has now been pushed over the line.
Ryan Hardie has joined Wrexham from Plymouth Argyle, sealing a £700,000 move to the STōK Cae Ras.
Phil Parkinson’s summer recruitment has now started and Wrexham will be active in terms of finding more additions.
Huge clubs await Wrexham in the Championship, many of whom have major history in the Premier League.
Sheffield Wednesday may not have been in the top flight for more than 20 years now, but the Owls are still a huge club in the Championship landscape.
Potential Sheffield Wednesday investor on Ryan Reynolds
Wednesday have a long and storied history, all while playing in one of the game’s iconic stadiums, Hillsborough.
The Owls are in need of change, though, with owner Dejphon Chansiri coming in for huge criticism in recent years.
Wednesday are currently under an embargo as some players have not been paid wages, as noted by the Sheffield Star.
Many Owls fans are calling for Chansiri to go, and one potential investment group have big plans in mind.
Florida-based property investor John Flanagan and Sheffield-born Adam Shaw are looking to launch a Wednesday takeover.
Shaw has now told The Athletic that he feels Wednesday should be ‘way bigger than Wrexham’, calling on the club to carve out a presence in the United States.
Shaw thinks Wednesday can become Florida’s favourite team, even claiming that Ryan Reynolds would ‘give his left leg’ to have Wednesday’s history and fanbase.
“Sheffield Wednesday are nowhere in America,” said Shaw.
“We sell zero shirts and have no commercial presence there — that’s got to change. With the World Cup in the U.S. next year and with the individuals we have in our ownership group, we could easily become Florida’s English football team.
“We should and can be way bigger than Wrexham. Ryan Reynolds would give his left leg to have what we already have at Wednesday in terms of our history and fanbase. Let’s use that,” he added.
Wrexham have been the blueprint for generating American interest, but a large part of that is down to the pulling power of McElhenney and Reynolds.
American fans have fallen in love with Wrexham as a whole, but few clubs are able to match what McElhenney and Reynolds have created.
Wednesday may have a crack if Flanagan and Shaw secure a takeover, but Wrexham’s huge commercial revenue is difficult to replicate.
Wrexham eyeing raid for two recent Sheffield Wednesday teammates
Reynolds certainly doesn’t need to look at any other club with any kind of envy.
McElhenney and Reynolds have done great things on and off the pitch with Wrexham, and this journey is not over yet.
Wrexham are looking to recruit for life in the Championship and that could actually mean signing two recent Wednesday teammates.
The Sun’s Alan Nixon reports that Wrexham are eyeing midfielders Barry Bannan and Stuart Armstrong.
Armstrong has been released by Wednesday at the end of his contract, while Bannan has been offered a new deal but has yet to sign new terms.
The two Scots would provide major experience in the Wrexham engine room and could play key roles in Phil Parkinson’s Championship plans, should deals be secured this summer.