Wrexham have set an example for teams in England following three-straight promotions. But co-owner Rob McElhenney appears to have taken inspiration from a certain rival.
Wrexham have been promoted to the Championship in what is a historic third-straight promotion under owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The Hollywood pair arrived in late 2021 and have since overseen a truly drastic overhaul of the club’s fortunes, with Phil Parkinson guiding Wrexham to a 2nd place finish in the 2024/25 League One campaign.
Now the club is being linked with some really top players on massive wages. It’s been reported that Wrexham have offered Tom Cairney a £50,000-a-week contract ahead of the summer transfer window, which officially opens for business on June 1st.
And this summer and next season in the Championship, Wrexham have one particular rival who they’ll want to better: Birmingham City.
Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney says he finds Birmingham City ‘inspiring’
Birmingham City with part owner Tom Brady were a key rival to Wrexham in 2024/25, both on and off the field. The eventual League One title winners with 111 points recently sent a jibe to Wrexham about their points tally, mocking the Dragons over their 111 points total in the 2022/23 National League campaign.
And during Birmingham City’s 3-1 win over Wrexham back in September, Wrexham fans gave Brady plenty of abuse from the stands, in a game that has since featured on season four of Welcome to Wrexham. And speaking in that, McElhenney gave his verdict on Birmingham City.
He said: “I look at Birmingham as a great example of [a] tough town, and a tough club who have been down before, they’ve risen up, put the investment in, put the work in, and now they’re going to go out there and try to dominate the league, and I find that inspiring.”
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Birmingham City and Wrexham set for summer transfer showdown
Both teams will prove exciting additions to the Championship, and both could prove to be big spenders in the second tier next season.
Birmingham City could smash their transfer record once again this summer after their £15million signing of Jay Stansfield last summer, according to owner Tom Wagner. Meanwhile, Wrexham have £38million of headroom in the upcoming summer transfer window.
And there’s also a brewing transfer chase between the two teams: Birmingham City and Wrexham want to sign Harry Darling from the Dragons’ Welsh rivals Swansea City, with his contract expiring this summer.
Who comes out on top in the Championship next season remains to be seen. But both clubs are showing that they have huge ambitions and huge potential for the future.