Former England manager Sam Allardyce thinks Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have created a trend in English football following their 2021 Wrexham takeover.
There’s no doubting that Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have almost single-handedly helped change the way that we think about football club ownership, with their incredible success at Wrexham.
Whether Wrexham’s specific example can be replicated to the same extent again remains to be seen, but football clubs can now be marketed and sold as brands rather than simply a sports team.
The Welcome to Wrexham series has proven that, also proving that US audiences can really get into football in England, and not just at the top level either.
Wrexham beat Norwich City 3-2 in their last outing and now sit in 16th place of the Championship table, compared to being a National League side when Reynolds and Mac took over in 2021.
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Sam Allardyce says Wrexham case study has caused US infiltration in English football
It’s clear to see that Reynolds and Mac have certainly started an unlikely trend of celebrities getting involved in football clubs in England, and also sport stars from across the pond, too. Names like former NFL player JJ Watt at Burnley and of course Tom Brady’s investment at Birmingham City, whilst Will Ferrell at Leeds United. More recently, Snoop Dogg became a co-owner at Swansea City.
Speaking with former Wrexham man Ben Foster on his No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, former England manager Sam Allardyce gave his thoughts on Wrexham, Reynolds and Mac, suggesting that the pair have sparked a trend in football ownership in England.
Allardyce said: “I think it’s created this mass infiltration of Americans buying football clubs. I know Americans were big, buying the top football clubs over here, and have been for a long time.”
- READ MORE: Cardiff City fans flock to social media as cup draw vs Wrexham announced, ‘Disney FC’ comments begin
US ownership in the Premier League is becoming crazy
The amount of money being pumped into the football industry today, particularly in England, is crazy.
And there’s long been US owners at some of the top clubs like Liverpool, but now it’s almost entirely American-owned with only three clubs in Brentford, Brighton and Spurs being owned entirely by English.
Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are all Premier League clubs that are majority-owned by Americans and they’re some of the biggest spenders in football today.
With Wrexham trying to reach the Premier League in the next 10 years, they too could become one of the world’s biggest spenders, as they’re already showing with Wrexham spending £33million on new signings this summer alone.
American investors and celebrities are certainly taking an interest in the game and pumping a ton of money into it at the same time.