Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have always had desires on taking Wrexham from the National League to the Premier League.
Rob McElhenney shared his Wrexham goal with Prince William last year, confirming they ultimately want to reach the Premier League, win it and play in the Champions League.
McElhenney commented on his plans for the Red Dragons once more in an interview released this week, in which he again doubled down on the goal of taking the Welsh outfit to the top flight.
Ben Foster predicted when Wrexham will reach the Premier League after their latest promotion, suggesting it will happen in the next five years.
But if they are going to achieve what would be an amazing feat, both McElhenney and Reynolds will have to be willing to spend big.
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How much money Wrexham need to spend for Championship promotion
McElhenney hinted he wants another promotion in 2025/26 with a message posted on social media this week, writing: ‘If I’m being honest I don’t even know what the word “consolidation” means’.
But data that has been highlighted by ESPN has now shed some light on just how much promotion to the Premier League will cost the club.
Wrexham’s record turnover in 2023/24 saw the Red Dragons pay out around £11m on wages.
Should they double that expenditure, as per the piece from ESPN citing estimates from Twenty First Group, they will have around a 10% chance of getting promoted if the players they bring in perform to a high standard.
It’s added that a wage bill between £27m-£34m would give Wrexham a 25% chance of securing a place in the English top flight.
Wage bills of promoted Championship teams
Wrexham’s wage bill of £11m in 2023/24 included all staff at the club, not just the first-team squad.
In comparison, Leeds United, who secured automatic promotion to the Premier League this season, spent £36,790,000 on player wages alone in 2024/25, according to Capology.
Burnley, who are joining the Whites in the top flight, paid out £29,510,000 to players this term.
Sheffield United are third in the division and are probably favourites for the play-offs, and they spent £27,170,000.