Wrexham and Birmingham City both clinched promotion from League One amid celebrity involvement in the boardroom.
Last season’s League One campaign was like no other as Wrexham and Birmingham City turned the division on its head.
Wrexham backed Phil Parkinson with impressive signings and clinched a third straight promotion, spending just one year in the third tier.
Birmingham City were relegated from the Championship in 2024, but they also spent just one year in League One, having gone up as champions.
League One director on Wrexham and Birmingham City impact
Celebrity ownership has been key for both clubs, with Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds continuing their incredible Wrexham journey.
Tom Brady’s involvement at Birmingham City also helped turn games against Wrexham into real star-studded affairs.
Birmingham’s spending dwarfed Wrexham’s, but both teams were able to invest in quality players and ultimately take the two automatic promotion spots.
League One spending increased last season, and it wasn’t just Wrexham and Birmingham, with the likes of Huddersfield Town, Charlton Athletic, Wycombe Wanderers, Bolton Wanderers and Peterborough United all investing in significant signings.
Barnsley sporting director Mladen Sormaz has now commented on last season’s spending power in League One.
| Player | Buying Team | Reported transfer fee |
| Jay Stansfield | Birmingham City | £15million (potentially rising to £20million) |
| Willum Thor Willumsson | Birmingham City | £3.5million |
| Joe Taylor | Huddersfield Town | £3million |
| Christoph Klarer | Birmingham City | £2.5million |
| Sam Smith | Wrexham | £2million |
Speaking to the Barnsley Chronicle, Sormaz suggested that last season’s League One campaign was ‘very strange’ due to the money being spent.
Birmingham and Wrexham were major factors in that, but Sormaz pointed to other clubs going ‘absolutely mad’ in the transfer market.
Sormaz now believes that League One is much more open this season without Birmingham and Wrexham leading the way, seemingly holding out hope for Barnsley to challenge at the top.
“Last season was very strange in League One. I think there was more money spent than in the last 25 years put together. Even if you take out Birmingham and Wrexham, I think that’s still true,” said Sormaz.
“Everyone went absolutely mad at it. This year, you have good clubs who have come up and are well run, like Bradford and Doncaster, with good fanbases. You have only got Huddersfield who have gone massive on the numbers.
“Bolton are a big club with a decent wage bill. But everyone down from third to about 14th could be in the mix for the play-offs. It’s a lot more open league than in the last couple of years,” he added.
Wrexham and Birmingham City both adjusting to life in the Championship
Both Wrexham and Birmingham enjoyed major success last season and invested in quality signings over the summer.
Some had backed Wrexham and Birmingham to challenge for promotion once again, but both teams are actually finding life in the Championship a little tricky.
Wrexham have won just one of the first five games of the Championship season, losing three times in the process.
Birmingham have won twice, drawn once and lost twice, showing some inconsistency as they adjust to life in the second tier once again.
Both teams have more than enough quality to rocket up the table over the course of the season, and may well splash the cash again come January.