Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are looking to take Wrexham into the Championship for the first time ever.
Wrexham beat Stockport County 1-0 over the weekend after Jay Rodriguez scored his first goal in 11 matches.
The Red Dragons, as a result, moved up to second in the League One table, knocking Wycombe Wanderers out of the top two.
Wycombe’s fixtures compared to Wrexham in the remainder of 2024/25 are now, on paper, much harder.
But the Chairboys do still have a game in hand to play out, which would see them move back inside the top two if they win thanks to their superior goal difference.
However, Paul Merson is backing Wrexham and it does seem likely that, whether by finishing second or winning the play-offs, Phil Parkinson’s side are likely to be in the Championship next term.
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Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney warned against Wrexham transfer plan
But Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are expected to be in for their toughest challenge yet when/if Wrexham reach the second tier.
Unlike League One where there are just a few sides with top-class squads and big budgets, the majority of the Championship have a lot of money to spend.
Whether that by the three new teams coming down from the Premier League each season or sides like Middlesbrough who made £22.5m from just one player sale in the winter window alone.
Now, speaking on the Second Tier podcast, EFL expert Ryan Dilks has warned Wrexham will be in for a shock in the Championship and their current transfer policy of signing experienced players will not work as well.
He said: “I think Wrexham will be in for a shock because they found League One and Two to be a breeze really. But I don’t think signing over-the-hill players for large amounts of money will work anywhere near as well in the Championship.
“I’m sure they’ll be able to say to some big names, yeah we’ll give you loads of money and you can feature in our documentary, but you’ve got to be much more cleverer with your recruitment than that because they’re coming into a league were it’s not just one or two clubs with big budgets, it’s most of them.
“So I think they’ll definitely struggle initially, particularly with Phil Parkinson as manager.”
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Wrexham told Phil Parkinson not good enough for Championship
Parkinson will become the first manager in history to take a club from the National League to the Championship in three seasons if Wrexham win promotion in 2024/25.
However, Dilks is of the opinion that the ex-Bolton Wanderers man is not cut out for the second division and probably wouldn’t get a job in it if he left Wrexham.
He continued: “I’m surprised he’s [Parkinson] lasted as long as he has there to be honest, I’d have thought they’d go for a bigger name at some point than him, but I’d be surprised if his long-ball stuff were to work at this level.
“I think it does brilliantly in League One and Two but maybe not so much in the Championship. Let’s be honest, with Phil Parkinson would he get a job at Championship level if he left Wrexham? Probably not. That’s the bottom line there with him.”