It’s hard to deny that money has played a massive role in helping Wrexham climb the Football League, but there is a chance even more financial backing could be heading the way of the Red Dragons.
The takeover of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has allowed Wrexham to become a global phenomenon off the pitch, with new fans flocking to watch the Welsh outfit.
On the pitch, Phil Parkinson has been given immense backing from the Wrexham owners, leading to big money signings like the £2m capture of Sam Smith last term.
Those kinds of figures could be eclipsed, though, after Reynolds suggested the club is worth £350m, prompting theories on a potential takeover in the future.
Finance expert digs into Turki Al-Sheikh’s business motives
In the wake of those comments from Reynolds, we picked the brain of finance expert Adam Williams, who put forward the idea that Middle East investors might fancy a stake in Wrexham.
Now, The Wrexham Insider has gone back to Williams for a deeper dive on one man who could feasibly afford such a takeover: Turki Al-Sheikh. He’s a Saudi Arabian businessman who has already been linked with a move for Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall this summer.
While he’s thought to be on the lookout for a football investment, there are two caveats. One is that he prefers the idea of buying a London-based club, and the second is that he is in no rush to jump into a decision. What we discuss here is purely hypothetical, of course, but not beyond the realms of possibility.
Williams said: “Turki Al-Sheikh has a mixed record in football. He took over Egyptian side Al Assiouty Sport in 2018, renamed them Pyramids FC and moved them 400 miles away to Cairo, so it’s fair to say he’s not in the business to make friends necessarily. At least, not initially.
“Pyramids FC won the African Champions League last season and will play in the next edition of the Club World Cup, which many are expecting will be in Saudi Arabia. They haven’t yet managed to win their domestic league under Al-Sheikh yet, however. In Spain, where he owns UD Almeria, he has spent a lot of money on infrastructure and the playing squad but, after promotion a few years back, they were relegated from La Liga in 2023-24 and haven’t managed to get back.”
We know Wrexham would cope with relegation, financially. But, of course, that’s not something any fan wants to think about, so Al-Sheikh’s CV may not be the most appealing on the surface.
Williams went on to add that, it all depends on what all the parties are looking for. He said: “I don’t think that investment from him is necessarily a golden ticket for glory, especially not in the English league system, which is much more competitive than Egypt and Spain.
“On the flip side, the rewards are greater. If he was to buy into Wrexham, it would be his biggest deal yet. In fact, it could be the biggest deal Saudi Arabia has done in football if the valuation that Wrexham want is accurate – it would be bigger than the £305m deal for Newcastle in 2021.
“As with any investor, you’re looking at what’s in it for them. Does he want a financial return, an emotional one or somewhere in between? If you look at what he’s done in boxing, you’d suggest he’s more concerned about making a cultural impact than money, but then again this would be a private investment, so his motives might be different.”
Obviously, Wrexham are all about the idea of global impact. Rob and Ryan are constantly striving to maximise the club’s brand recognition, as evidenced by the latest vacancy at Wrexham for a Head of Digital and Content.
So, could Turki Al-Sheikh’s financial power be the driving force behind Wrexham’s ultimate goals?
Would a Middle East takeover be the right move for Wrexham?
While the lure of Turki Al-Sheikh’s reported $2.8 billion net worth would naturally be very tempting, it’s hard to imagine the Wrexham community getting behind such a move.
They were sceptical enough of Rob and Ryan when they first showed an interest in Wrexham, with fans fearing their club would become a plaything that the superstars would eventually get bored of.
Thankfully, they couldn’t have been more wrong about that, and the connection between the Wrexham owners and the fanbase is one of the most beautiful elements of this whole story.
| Club & owner | Estimated net worth |
| Wrexham: Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney | $400 million (combined) |
| Arsenal: Stan Kroenke | $16.9 billion |
| Aston Villa: Wes Edens | $2.6 billion |
| Bournemouth: Bill Foley | $2.1 billion |
| Chelsea: Todd Boehly | $8.5 billion |
| Crystal Palace: John Textor, Josh Harris, David Blitzer | $4.88 billion (combined) |
| Fulham: Shahid Khan | $13.3 billion |
| Ipswich: ORG, BPSP and Avenue Sports | $13.9 billion |
| Liverpool: Fenway Sports Group | $12.95 billion |
| Burnley: Alan Pace | $245 million |
| Leeds United: 49ers Enterprises | $5.97 billion |
| Millwall: James Berylson | $136 million |
| Norwich City: Mark Attanasio | $700 million |
| Plymouth Argyle: Simon Hallett | $216 million |
| Portsmouth: Michael Eisner | $1 billion |
| Swansea City: Jason Levien, Stephen Kaplan | $242million (combined) |
| West Bromwich Albion: Shilen Patel | $100 million |
| Birmingham City: Tom Brady | $300 million |
| Barnsley: Chien Lee | $9.1 billion |
| Charlton Athletic: Gabriel Brener | $350 million |
However, anecdotally, Middle East investors in football, there are plenty of stories of wealthy owners losing interest or breaking rules and jumping ship. It is thought Newcastle’s PIF backers are considering moving on already, and Wrexham’s people would surely not be ready to take that kind of risk with their beloved club now it’s been restored to its former glory.
Of course, money talks, but Rob and Ryan would do well to be mindful of their original promise to the Wrexham fans. Could they, in good conscience, pass that commitment on and trust Turki Al-Sheikh to see it through? We think not.