Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has now warned any future Wrexham investors about one potential issue they could encounter.
Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have transformed Wrexham since their takeover in the spring of 2021.
The Red Dragons have gone from non-league mediocrity to world-stage fame.
Their rise has been captured by the documentary TV series ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ and the first two series have highlighted the stories of local people as much as their own, shining a light on the city.
As directors of the documentary, Reynolds and McElhenney oversaw rocketing sales of merchandise and a significant growth in their online following.
A month after the show had first aired in September 2022, the club said combined receipts from online and in-store sales totalled around £360,000, a whopping increase from £59,674 12 months prior.
Since then, the club have achieved a record-breaking promotion back to League Two, 15 years after being relegated into the National League and now established themselves as promotion contenders in the fourth tier.
Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible without the investment from McElhenney and Reynolds, and many will wonder how much Wrexham is worth without them.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has advised any future buyers to be very careful because he believes the value of Wrexham would go down if the Hollywood stars were to depart.
Kieran Maguire warns potential Wrexham investors a ‘very careful’ warning
Speaking on the Price Is Football Podcast, Maguire said: “If I was advising a buyer, I’d say say be very very careful and this is not disrespectful to the football club or fans because I’ve been on a fans united day at Wrexham and the fans are absolutely brilliant, the value in the Wrexham brand to a certain extent is coming from the owners.
“So, if they get up to the Championship and the owners decide to cash out, it doesn’t mean they are going to get that same level of interest once McElhenney and Reynolds disappear.”
Maguire also revealed that Wrexham had lost £3 million in the 2021/22 campaign, despite having huge sponsors, so imagine if Reynolds and McElhenney were to disappear, the football club becomes a far less attractive asset.
The pair have helped establish Wrexham as a force through their status as global superstars and have achieved a worldwide following.
During their final season in the National League, TV broadcaster ESPN revealed match viewing figures increased by 858% as a direct result of showcasing Wrexham – meaning around 100 million households will have watched the Red Dragons last season.
Those numbers are just some of the several that demonstrate the impact they have both had on the club and long may it continue.